Why Apply for little Scholarships, Why Not Just the Full-Ride?

“Why should I apply for a lot of little scholarships, when I can apply for one to give me a full ride”?

Have you wondered about that? After all there are “full-ride” scholarships. If you have one of those, do you really need the smaller scholarships?

First, unless you’ve been awarded a ‘full-ride’ scholarship, you have no way of knowing you will receive one. If you haven’t applied for all of the smaller scholarships you qualified to receive you may find yourself scrambling to locate college funds.

Second, “full-ride” may not pay for all  your school expenses. Often, the large scholarships cover tuition and fees for four years, but not books, room and board, or other expenses. This is where other scholarships help. Any educational expense not covered by your “full-ride” scholarship can generally be taken care of by other, smaller scholarships. For example, some students find it helpful to purchase all of their supplies at the college book store because those costs can be paid from the student’s account. Shopping off campus means the student must have real money to pay for their items. A ‘full-ride’ scholarship may not cover those purchases.

Third, just because you are awarded a scholarship, doesn’t mean you have the money in your hot little hands. Generally, the money isn’t disbursed until after you’ve enrolled in college, they want to make sure you are attending college after all. Also, most of the scholarship money isn’t given directly to you the student, it’s placed in an account for you at the college. So, if you do find yourself with more than enough scholarship money to pay for your education you can “return” and “not accept” any scholarships you don’t need. They can then be awarded to another student.

Don’t forget, many of the scholarships you receive before your junior year of high school will often be paid in money to you. That money, of course, can be used for any educational expense.

So, go on, apply for all of the scholarships you qualify to receive. If you get a ‘full-ride’ scholarship, great, you’ll be ahead and can focus on your education.