Every now and then you hear about a scholarship that sounds like it’s too good to be true. Perhaps the offer is full tuition, plus room and board and stipend.
Maybe it includes a guarantee of employment after you get your degree. In some cases, your instincts are correct: there are very few scholarships that offer this kind of “full-ride” aid to college students. But every now and then, the stories are true, and refer to some of the most prestigious scholarship programs out there.
You won’t be surprised to find that the most prestigious and high profile scholarships come from the largest and most recognizable names in the world. These include Coca-Cola scholarships, The Gates Foundation, Apple and Siemens Westinghouse.
Non-corporate scholarships and competitions have even more recognizable names attached to them, like Ronald Reagan and Winston-Churchill. But what all of these scholarship programs have in common is, they are looking for the best of the best. And they offer those special students tens of thousands of dollars for college.
How do you get a prestigious scholarship?
In most cases, the application process for prestigious scholarship starts much earlier than some of the other scholarships out there. Rather than just looking at your academic performance for junior and senior year, for example, some prestigious scholarship programs will look back as far as elementary school.
Other ways to get prestigious scholarships are to start preparing early for talent and science competitions, like the Intel and Siemens Westinghouse science competitions. These contests require plenty or talent, but rely even more on careful planning and research for your project.
If you have an interest in inventing and science, talk to your teacher now to start planning for these contests so that you can shine when the time comes to win!
Another characteristic of high-profile scholarship programs is that many don’t have an application process, and candidates have to be nominated by a teacher, a coach or a community leader. This means that simply by being a good student and valuable member of your community, you can apply for a scholarship and not even know it! The secret is to always do your best, even with the little things. You never know who is watching, or how it can help you down the road.
For more about prestigious and coveted scholarships for college, please visit the student scholarship search profiles.
