“Congratulations! You recently applied for our XYZ Scholarship and we are pleased to inform you that we want to give you a truckload of money!”
Although the wording may be different, these are the type of letters you want to receive! Now that you’ve been awarded the scholarship and have received the money, make sure you do one important thing: Spend It Wisely.
Every scholarship is different so make sure you know exactly what it is for. Some scholarships are open ended and you may spend it on whatever educational expenses you have ranging from tuition to books to fees to that “research trip” to the Bahamas! Others are a little more specific and may be used for only certain expenses.
On top of that, find out if the scholarship is a one-time award or if it is renewable, which means you could receive that scholarship each year you are in college. If it is renewable, make sure you know what you need to do to keep getting that money. Do you need to maintain a certain GPA? What happens if you change your major? Do you have to stay involved with a particular group or organization? Make sure you know all the details so you spend that money wisely.
Finding and applying for scholarships isn’t brain surgery, (you definitely need scholarships if you’re going to school to be a brain surgeon!) but it does require time and hard work. But look at it this way. If you don’t get that scholarship now, you’re going to have to either earn that money by working a part time job (for $8/hour) or borrow it and be charged crazy interest. Personally, I’d rather spend the time now and get the free money that’s available.
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