Scholarships

Scholarships are awards given for a variety reasons that usually reward the recipients with cash to go to college. Here are some reasons why you should apply for scholarships, and some things to be aware of:

Advantages

• Scholarships help you practice your applying skills
• Financial assistance
• Prestige
• Something more to list on your application as an award

Disadvantages

• Applying takes time, time which could be used on other activities/pursuits
• There is no guarantee of success, no matter how good your application is
• Harvard, and many other schools, will deduct any money you win from scholarships from your financial aid award. Thus, the only direct benefit you can receive from scholarships is if you win enough to money to cover your tuition entirely (which is quite hard to do)
• While particular groups will have scholarships targeted for them (Native Americans, for example), there are few general scholarships based solely on academic achievement
• As a rule of thumb, you should expect to win one scholarship for every 10 you apply to, but this could vary widely for each particular individual

The list of disadvantages may look long. However, on the whole, I think it is worthwhile to try for scholarships, but do not do this in lieu of studying for your classes or the SATs. The skills you learn in applying for scholarships will serve you well in applying for college and beyond.