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The number of inquiries I'm getting about scholarships, grants, and other free money awards has been staggering. Apparently, the topic of free money is extremely hot right now. And let's face it... why shouldn't it be? Student Loan debt has multiplied exponentially over the past several years. The drop-out rate for financial reasons has been reported to be as high as 54% AND 75% of those that drop-out prior to graduation end up defaulting on their student loans. So, I can see why more and more people want in on the secret of free money for college. What I'm discovering is that there is both science and art to it. The science part is easy -- the majority of large scale awards ($5k+) are highly sought after, highly competitive, and therefore have a very low probability of winning. To increase your odds of winning awards, it goes without saying that you find the less sought-after awards, the less competitive contests, and dramatically increase the chances of you getting free money for school. Where are these awards to be found, you might be asking? Here are some of the first places I'd look: An often overlooked source is your local community college. You'd be amazed how many community colleges have an endowment that will provide scholarships for nearly every student in attendance. All it takes is filling out a scholarship application. Here's the kicker -- it's easier to fill out the FAFSA and know that there's money waiting than to fill out the scholarship application and hope. Now the art side of the equation -- making your case for why you deserve a scholarship takes a little creativity sometimes. Too many people think they've lived an incredibly boring life and therefore don't qualify for any free money of any kind. Oftentimes, it's the person that shares a personal story and the life lesson behind it that wins the award. Or, the one that can clearly explain what they intend to do with the degree they're going for, and why winning the award would be so instrumental to their success. It's an art, man. So skip the part where you sit in front of a blank computer screen and tell yourself you're not interesting. Instead, do a little brainstorming on a blank sheet of paper in bright bold crayons. Get your inner artist on it -- not that boring pedantic self you think academicians want to hear from. Hell, spray paint your hair if you have to. Just be slightly scientific in the process. You dig? For more information about how to get all the scholarships, grants, and free money awards you can, check out www.scholarshipmastery.com. |