#1 Way to Make Scholarship Hunting More Bearable

TLDR; Look for scholarships that make you learn about something you didn't already know about.

The best part (other than getting money for college) is when a scholarship makes you research a topic you never explored before. This is not just about funding—it’s also a smart student scholarship guide approach to learning. Earlier this year, I found a scholarship from a company that manages gold assets. To answer their question well, I had to study U.S. economic history and gold value. I also learned about investing and currency. No matter if I win or not, I gained knowledge—and that’s a win too.

I have changed my major many times before this point, but no matter where I go from here, the classes I took and the effort I put into them will stay with me in my future career as an ESL teacher. An ESL teacher must be well-rounded and adaptable. My college courses, my current and future ESL students, and the best scholarships all have one thing in common: I get back what I put in.

The worst part of applying to a scholarship is trying to gauge how likely you are to actually win it. This mental math is taxing. It drains your motivation to apply, and motivation is a valuable resource. One can hardly afford to squander it by looking for excuses not to apply to a particular scholarship, seeking red flags and indications that you are unlikely to be rewarded for your efforts.

The best way to circumvent this is to find a source of compiled scholarships that is up-to-date, trustworthy, and well-organized. Use all your skepticism and scam-detecting skills at this stage. Then, once you have your source, focus all your energy on writing the best applications to the most relevant scholarships it lists.