Everyone has his or her own opinion about college scholarships. But the truth is most of those opinions are incorrect. Don’t believe what you hear from skeptics. Here’s the real truth about scholarship myths.

Myth 1

“Only low income families get help paying for college.”

Truth: Absolutely FALSE!

There are all sorts of reasons for scholarship awards: academics, special interests, talents, achievements, personal qualities, activities, skills, family heritage, geographical location, and the list goes on and on!

Myth 2

“Most scholarships are for athletes or minority students.”

Truth: Categorically FALSE!

Minorities and athletes encompass only one small portion of the scholarship landscape. For instance, there are scholarships for surfers, filmmakers, horse groomers, southpaws, and even descendants of revolutionary war and civil war vets; just to name a few.

Myth 3

“Only the smartest students win merit awards.”

Truth: Completely FALSE!

Many of the best scholarships are designed for students who devote time to music, performing arts, foreign languages, community service, web design, science projects, leadership, amateur radio, writing, photography, oratory, and even part time jobs.

Myth 4

“Once you’ve graduated from high school, it’s too late to apply for a college scholarship.”

Truth: WRONG!

Even if you’re already in college there are still scholarships to apply for. They may be a bit harder to find, but they are out there.

Myth 5

“Past actions and choices pre-determine scholarship success.”

Truth: FALSE if you utilize this tip!

Turn weaknesses into strengths. What your teen does from this point on can make all the difference. You can’t change your past but you can certainly use it as a tool to show others that you learn from your mistakes and rise above them.

Myth 6

“It’s best to just apply for a few awards because that maximizes your odds of winning.”

Truth: Extremely FALSE!

It’s a numbers game; apply for as many as you can. You never know which application will hit pay dirt.

Before you dismiss searching for scholarships, you should know all the facts. Don’t believe what the skeptics tell you. There are too many students attending college on scholarships to believe any of these myths.

Parents love scholarships. They love the idea of a scholarship. They love it when their kids apply for scholarships. Who wouldn’t? Scholarships are free money. But scholarships require just as much effort as the college application, if not more. You have to create a resume, gather information and often write a scholarship essay. It requires drive, perseverance, and a desire to achieve success.

The scholarship essay

For those scholarships that require an essay, the essay is usually the focus. It’s imperative that your student craft an excellent essay; one the addresses the subject matter and follows the requirements. Look online at past winners to help you craft the essay.

The multi-use scholarship essay

Scholarship essays often overlap in the required subject matter, giving you and opportunity to use one essay over and over again. If you can enter with multiple scholarships with one essay, it will save you time. Just be certain when applying that any scholarship specific information is removed for the next one. The worst mistake you can make is apply for a Target scholarship with a WalMart heading.

Don’t forget to follow the guidelines

A simple way to make sure your essay is read and considered is to follow the guidelines. Pay special attention to word count, character count, font size, and subject matter. Any of these oversights will cause your essay and your scholarship application to be tossed.

Make your essay stand out

The essay is your best chance to stand out from other candidates and communicate why you should receive the scholarship. U.S. News and Education provides us with 4 ways to make your scholarship essay stand out:

1. Know your audience
2. Plan far in advance
3. Make it personal and passionate
4. Find an editor

It’s a no-brainer that finding and competing for scholarships takes time. But the time will be well spent when those awards start arriving. Follow the rules and but forth your best impression. Scholarship committees are looking for the best candidate to receive their scholarship award. Be that candidate, and the award checks will come flying in.

Parents usually have two misinformed views about scholarships. First, they think it’s impossible to win scholarships because its like the lottery, a one in a million chance to win. Secondly, they think that only kids with high GPAs win scholarships. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I’m not going to lie. Winning scholarships requires a commitment both on your part and on the student’s part. It’s not going to happen if your student isn’t invested heavily in the process. And it’s not going to happen if you aren’t willing to help. It requires work, perseverance, and determination. If neither of these are present, scholarships will be impossible to win.

Here are 3 scholarship truths that can make all the difference:

You MUST search

Searching for scholarships is not easy. It requires an endless persistence in looking for them, a willingness to explore every available opportunity, and a commitment to invest your time and resources in the effort. Yes, you can sign up on scholarship engines like Zinch, but these engines are not your only options; and if you’re not willing to dig for those lesser known scholarships, (especially locally) you’re only decreasing your chances of winning.

Parents can play a huge part in this part of the process. Pay attention, read everything you can, watch for them on social media, subscribe to podcasts (like How to Pay for College HQ) and subscribe to blogs that talk about scholarships (like this one). High school students are extremely busy and their time and effort is best spent completing the applications. You and your college-bound teen can be a team for this aspect of the process.

You MUST apply

One expert, Gyan Devi, says the time spent applying to scholarships reaps more rewards than a part-time job. However, the students MUST be invested in this part of the process. You can’t write their essays, complete the paperwork, or push them into it. If they aren’t invested, it’s not going to payoff with rewards.

One way to motivate them to do this is to have the money talk early in high school. If your student understands that winning scholarships directly affects his/her ability to attend college, they are going to be more likely to commit their time to applying.

You MUST be unique

According to “The Scholarship Mom“, packaging makes the difference. In order for your student’s scholarship applications to stand out, you need to package it properly. Just applying, especially when your student is one of thousands, probably won’t produce winning results. Just like anything you’re trying to sell or promote, it’s all about the marketing. And your student is marketing himself to the scholarship committee. You need to make sure he puts his best foot forward.

The truth about scholarships? There are scholarships for every student, some with high GPAs and some don’t even ask for a GPA. But, unless your student is willing to commit their time to the process, he/she is not going to win any scholarships. If you and your student work as a team, the odds of winning that big payoff increases dramatically. If you follow these simple tips and suggestions, the time spent will be well worth the payoff.

Not every student is a stellar student with a winning GPA. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want to go to college AND earn scholarship money to pay for their education. Good news . . . there are GPA-Free Scholarships that make it possible.

Following are 10 GPA-Free scholarships that you don’t need to be in the top 10%, a valedictorian, or the best of the best. You just need to want to go to college and put in a little effort.

1. $1,000 Every Month Scholarship from GotChosen

GotChosen is offering a recurring monthly scholarship to help college students. The GotChosen $1000 Every Month Scholarship is easy and free to enter. A new winner is selected every month by a random drawing. Open to all fields of study, the $1,000 must be used for educational expenses, this includes: tuition, fees, books, supplies, equipment required for study, or towards repayment of outstanding student loans. Virtually anyone 18 years old or older is eligible to participate. Open to U.S. and international students over 18 years of age, this scholarship asks you to register with GotChosen (painless) and enter the monthly random drawing. Applying doesn’t require a good GPA, essay or long form — just taking a gamble with absolutely nothing to lose.

2. College Week Live Scholarship

CollegeWeekLive believes that a college education is the key to having opportunities in life. That’s why their scholarship will reward students who are working hard to research, apply and choose a college. Winning is easy – all you need to do is login to CollegeWeekLive and visit 3 colleges that interest you. One lucky winner will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship every month. And many other winners may find the college of their dreams.

3. Zinch Weekly Scholarship

Every week, Zinch gives away $1000 to one high school or college student. Zinch believes strongly in education and works hard to connect students with their best-fit colleges. But they also know that it can be expensive which is they award this scholarship this easy to enter scholarship. Just a short form and answering a question in three sentences and you could add $1000 to your college fund.

4. College Prowler $2000 No Essay Scholarship

The $2,000 “No Essay” Scholarship is open to all students and those planning on enrolling within 12 months. The monthly winner will be determined by random drawing and then contacted directly and announced on our Facebook page. One entry per person, but you can come back each month to try again. High schoolers, adults looking to head back to school, current college students and anyone else looking to attend college or graduate school within 12 months.

5. Scholarship Points

The ScholarshipPoints program is free to join and provides you with the opportunity to win thousands of dollars in scholarships each month. Members earn points by doing what they already do online: shopping, reading, gaming, searching, quizzes, polls, and more. The more you do – the more you earn – the better your chance to win a scholarship! Register today and you could be the next $10,000 scholarship winner!

6. University Language $500 Scholarship

What could be easier than uploading your favorite photo? What does college look like through your camera lens? Show University Language Services for a chance to win a $500.00 college scholarship! As a prospective student making college campus visits, you have a lot to take in: the dorms, the classrooms, the cafeteria, the football stadium … not to mention the atmosphere! Whatever it is, submit a photo you’ve taken, along with a description of between 100-200 words on why that photo represents what college means to you.

7. $1000 GPA Isn’t Everything Monthly Scholarship

Tell Cappex about yourself and don’t hold back in a simple form to be eligible for the $1,000 A GPA Isn’t Everything Scholarship. This scholarship opportunity will be available at any college or university. Applications accepted for a limited time so apply now.

8. B. Davis Scholarship

This Scholarship is available to all high school juniors and seniors as well as all students currently registered in any post secondary institution. There is no age restriction an this is not an academic scholarship. To apply for this scholarship you will need to write an essay of less than 1000 words on a topic they choose (topics change yearly).

9. Frame My Future Scholarship

Students are asked to submit an original “creation” through an image which expressed what they hope to achieve in their personal and professional life after college. Entries include photographs, poems. essays. collages, drawings, paintings and other imaginative pieces. The entry needs to communicate: This is how I “Frame My Future”, and include a brief accompanying description. Four winners will receive a  $1000 scholarship.

10. Castle Ink Paperless Scholarship

The application deadline for this scholarship HAS BEEN EXTENDED to July 1, 2014. If your teen is into social media, as most teens are, this scholarship is tailor made for them. There are two ways to apply (only one is required): 1. To apply, use social media to post something about recycling and/or how you reduce, reuse and recycle. Post something inspirational about recycling on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, or Facebook and be sure to use the hashtag #CastleInk. While we’ll probably be able to find your post, linking to www.CastleInk.com from your video or post will help us find your entry more easily. It is that simple. Then fill out the application below. 2. Make something cool out of used printer ink cartridges, laser toner, or your old printer. Snap a picture of it, and send it over to us so we can “pin it” on our Pinterest Board! Then fill out the application below.

There’s been much talk in the news lately about Starbucks offering its employees college tuition. But did you know that there are companies that offer scholarships to their employees? What better incentive for your college-bound teen to get a job than a job and a scholarship!

Here are three companies that offer scholarships to their employees:

McDonald’s

Good old Mickey Dees offers the McDonald’s USA National Employee Scholarship Program. To qualify, you must have been employed at McDonald’s for at least four continuous months for a minimum of 15 hours per week. Each state selects one student-employee from that state to receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Wal-Mart

Who doesn’t love Wal-Mart? The Wal-Mart Associate Scholarship Program is a $2,000 scholarship that is paid over one year. It is offered to Wal-Mart employees who are graduating high school seniors.

Chick-Fil-A

Not only is Chick-Fil-A a great company to work for–they take care of their employees. The Chick-Fil-A Leadership Scholarship Program gives student-employees the opportunity to compete for $1,000 scholarships for college. Employees have to commit to completing high school and move on to an accredited college to qualify. In addition to the application, a letter of recommendation from his or her operating store must also be submitted.

Other company options

While some programs are merit-based and others are need-based, one requirement for receiving an employee scholarship is that (surprise!) you must be employed by that company. Check with your employer to determine whether there is a minimum employment requirement that must be met before applying.

Don’t dismiss your employer just because they’re not a national corporation with a marquee name.

Many small businesses offer scholarships to their workers as well. No matter what the size of your company, ask your supervisor and check your company’s Web site to find out whether there are any scholarship opportunities available. A scholarship for college would be a great supplement to your college-bound teen’s paycheck.

Most parents, and students, believe that you have to wait until senior year to apply for scholarships–believing the theory that all scholarships are for seniors in high school. That theory is incorrect. There are scholarships for all ages from children, to middle school, to high school (even before senior year). The hard part, however, is finding them.

None of the online scholarship databases includes information about college scholarships that are available only to children under age 13 because of federal privacy laws. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), 15 USC 6501, and the Children’s Privacy Protection Final Rule, require web sites to obtain “verifiable parental consent” before collecting, using or disclosing individually identifiable information from children under age 13. This effectively prevents online scholarship databases from matching students under age 13 with college scholarships. Because of the difficulties in obtaining consent, all of the scholarship databases avoid the problem by omitting scholarships for underage children from their databases and refusing to register users under age 13. That makes it difficult for parents to find scholarships in that age group.

Today’s post gives you an alternative to searching–links to many of the scholarships available; because it’s NEVER too early to start the scholarship search and application process. Summer is the best time to begin the search and start preparing your scholarship folder/notebook/file.

College Scholarships for Children

http://www.scholarshipexperts.com/blog/college-planning/college-scholarships-for-children

You’re Never too Young for Scholarships

http://www.scholarshipexperts.com/blog/college-planning/youre-never-young-scholarships

It’s Never too Early to Look for College Scholarships

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/12/22/never-too-early-to-look-for-college-scholarships/

College Scholarships for Middle School

http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/parent-child/college-scholarships-middle-school

40 Scholarships for High School Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors

http://blog.cappex.com/blog/scholarships/its-never-too-early-40-scholarships-for-high-school-freshmen-sophomores-and-juniors/

Scholarships for Age 13 and under

http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/age13.phtml

6 Scholarships That Reward Kids

http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-scholarship-coach/2012/08/09/6-scholarships-that-reward-kids

The lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Kids are out of school. Families take vacations. The last thing anyone wants to think about is scholarship searching. But wait! According to Monica, The Scholarship Mom, summer is “primetime” to search and apply for scholarships. And it makes perfect sense. Everyone is playing and your college-bound teen is hard at work (well maybe not that committed, but he’s putting forth some effort). A college-bound teen’s work is NEVER done!

Here are a few summer scholarship search tips to help your teen on the path to finding big scholarship bucks over the summer (and it’s not just for upcoming seniors):

Sign up on some search engines that match you to scholarships

You might as well maximize your time by letting the search engines match you with scholarships. Complete the questionnaire and you’re on your way to locating all kinds of scholarships.

Devote some time each day to checking your email for scholarship matches

Now that you’ve registered on the search sites, you’re going to get daily emails. Read them. It does you no good to let them pile up in your inbox. That’s the way you miss application deadlines.

Devote some time each day to searching

Decide how much time you can devote each day to searching (parents can help). If you’re teen gets overwhelmed, start with 20 minutes a day. If he’s motivated, reach for an hour. And don’t just look online. Research local organizations to discover scholarship opportunities.

Apply for at least one scholarship a week, more if possible

Once you’ve done your searches, start applying. Set yourself apart by submitting a killer application packet. Then wait for the money to roll in.

With a little effort, a ton of organization, and some stellar detective skills those scholarship awards should start rolling in. The first one is always the most exciting!

It’s Friday and with a long weekend ahead, I’m sure your college-bound teen would like to do nothing better than apply for scholarships. Yes, I’m being sarcastic. But seriously, summer is quickly approaching and it’s the best time to research and apply for scholarships. Looking for some scholarships with June deadlines? Read on . . .

Why should your teen apply for scholarships?

This seems like a no-brainer to me, but many parents brush it off as a waste of time because of the number of applicants and their student’s chances of winning. It’s just like any other “winning” strategy–the more you apply, the more your chances of winning increase. Also, if you’re wise and apply to the right scholarships (locally, for instance) your chances of winning increase.

Where do they begin?

You can start on my blog. Read my series of scholarships posts to find out how to search, what tools to use, scholarships that are available, and even scholarship apps that can help.

What is the best use of their time?

Apply to the easy ones first. Zinch has a weekly 3-sentence scholarship that requires you answer a question with three sentences to win a $1000 scholarship. For a list of easy scholarships you can start with, read my post: 10 Easy Scholarships.

What can they do to jumpstart the search?

Recently, I wrote a series of posts for TeenLife.com regarding scholarships with June deadlines. This is a great place to jump right in and start applying to the ones with upcoming deadlines. Once they do that, register on some scholarship search sites to get email notifications when a scholarship becomes available that matches their search criteria.

Following are the links to the two posts for TeenLife.com:

Scholarships with June Deadlines: Part 1

Scholarships with June Deadlines: Part 2

Remember: they can’t win FREE money if they don’t put the effort into the search and follow through with the applications. It’s your job as a parents college coach to guide them and help when needed. Once those scholarship dollars start rolling in it will be worth all the time and effort. Happy Hunting!

Each week, Celest Horton, of How to Pay for College HQ, interviews experts in the field of college admissions, college prep, financial aid and scholarships. Her goal is to help parents pay for college without going into debt.

This week, I’ve chosen to highlight some her best scholarship podcasts. If you aren’t subscribed to her podcasts you should do so immediately. Perhaps these few will wet your appetite and make you want to listen to more.

 Scholarship Gold Consulting

There was so much information to cover, there were two podcasts. Her guest, Elizabeth Hartley, has been building her credentials and experience for the last 20 years by pursuing and receiving full scholarships, judging for scholarship competitions, coaching students who win prestigious full scholarships all across the country and guiding hundreds of students through the college search, admission and financial aid process. She is also the founder of Scholarship Gold Consulting where her clients have secured millions of dollars in scholarship funding and admissions into their most desired schools. Head over to her website and sign up for her free monthly newsletter, it’s so filled with helpful information.

The C Student’s Guide to Scholarships

Can you imagine being told by your High School Guidance Counselor that you will never make it to college and to just give up and look into vocational schools? That is what happened to Felecia Hatcher, but she didn’t let it stop her.

Author and Founder of Scholarships.Org

Gyan returned to college in her 40s and received a BA in Psychology and a Masters in Professional Coaching. As an educator and a nontraditional, disabled, first-generation student, she is uniquely qualified to write a series of books that provide detailed listings of scholarships and advice on how to find genuine scholarship opportunities online. She shares her knowledge with parents and students on her website, in her books, and through coaching calls on Skype.

Jason Lum of Scholarship Edge

Jason’s background and track record are impressive. Jason graduated from America’s most competitive programs at Harvard, Berkeley, and Washington University in St. Louis. Jason also received rigorous training in leadership and coaching from MIT and Columbia University. He’s also an expert in college advising, having graduated with honors from UCLA’s program in training professional independent college counselors.

Jason won over $250,000 in scholarships, winning virtually every major national award available to college students in the USA. He graduated debt-free.

Monica Matthews-The Scholarship Mom

Monica Mathews is the proud mother of three sons and has earned the title of Scholarship Mom when she helped her oldest earn $100,000 in scholarships. Her second son is a Freshman this year and has currently been awarded $27,000 and will continue the application process while in college. She has written a simple, but easy to apply and understand booklet for parents and students: How to Win College Scholarships.

The full title of this book is Get a College Degree Without Drowning In Debt: How to Find Scholarships Online. This is NOT your average scholarship book. While many scholarship books list the names and details of the scholarships, this book takes a different approach by providing you with the search sites and ranking them. With so many scholarship search engines available this will save your college-bound teen valuable time and energy.

What makes How to Find Scholarships Online unique is:

• The internal links that send you directly to the search sites.
• The scholarship search engine ratings.
• The extensive list of scholarship search engines.
• The step-by-step guide on how to begin your search.
• The list of online resources related to scholarships: blogs, podcasts and videos.
• Demographic search links (i.e. military scholarships, minority scholarships, etc.)

Authors Gyan Devi and Myrriah Lavin explain their detailed reasoning behind spending time on scholarships with facts and figures, ending with this statement:

. . .  spending 450 hours applying for and winning scholarships takes substantially less time to pay off your student debt than the 2,940 hours at a part-time undergraduate job, or the 1,470 hours working full time after graduation. The choice is yours. Wouldn’t you rather work for 450 hours at a job where you set your own schedule and the better you are at your job, the more you’re paid?

Scholarship research and writing is a part-time job that pays you handsomely and allows you to work from home, in your jammies, on your own schedule. But, more importantly, it gives you financial freedom upon graduation to live debt-free and make decisions about your life that aren’t driven by monthly student loan payments for the next 20 years!

In a world of so much information and very little time to assimilate it, Gyan does all the leg work for you. She has followed these steps herself to pay for her own education and has proven her technique personally. The great thing about an ebook is that it provides you with an online copy, allowing you to go directly to the links provided.

Interested? If you are (and you should be) today is your lucky day! Gyan is providing my readers with a coupon code good until May 31st to download the book for FREE. That’s right: FREE. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain! Just follow the link below:

Get a College Degree Without Drowning in Debt: How to Find Scholarships Online

USE COUPON CODE: SL92E at checkout