Scholarship Applications - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

So after four years of busting your butt, staying up late, cramming tons and tons of information you have found out that the hard work you put in has finally paid off. You have tons of college offers pouring through your mailbox and now you wonder what's next. Like millions of soon to be college students out there you can go ahead and sign up for the numerous private loans available for school and get yourself into thousands of dollars in debt before you even pick up your first college book or you can go the alternative path and sign up for as many scholarships that you can qualify for. Signing up for a school loan is relatively easy and the majority of application process depends on your credit score. Thankfully the scholarships application process works in a much more different fashion.

There are a majority of scholarships applications out there that are based on merit. Meaning your previous grades in high school, your athletic achievements, academic achievements. And in some cases you can qualify for a scholarship based on your ethnicity and family background. I'll have to admit that some of qualifications you have to go through during the scholarships application process can be very difficult.

But not all scholarships are equal. The amount of free money you can receive from the scholarships can range from $100-$10,000 and in some cases it can be even more than that. Thankfully there are some scholarships out there that hand out upwards of $10,000 and the qualification is based on your ethnicity. You can thank your relatives and grandparents for giving you that edge.