Scholarships: The Top 10 Strangest Ways to Pay for College
Scholarships are a great way to pay for college education. The problem is that scholarships are typically merit-based, which means they are usually reserved for students with 4.0 GPAs or star athletes. Thankfully, there are scholarships that rely on other kinds of distinction. Some of these scholarships might be called “non-traditional”; others are downright strange. Here’s a list of ten of the more unusual ones out there.
1. The Patrick Kerr Skateboarding Scholarship. You remember when your mother told you that skateboarding was a waste of time? Well, not anymore. Any high school senior-skateboarder with a 2.5 GPA and serious plans on attending college can apply for one of four scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 dollars each.
2. Carnegie Mellon University Bagpipe Scholarship. This scholarship is truly one-of-a-kind – literally. Carnegie Mellon University awards exactly one applicant every year a $7,000 scholarship to study bagpipe. William Wallace would be proud.
3. Chick & Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Scholarship. This scholarship needs no explanation. If you know how to call ducks, get yourself down to Stuttgart, Arkansas, to compete for a $1,500 prize for college.
4. The Klingon Language Institute’s Kor Memorial Scholarship. Yes, this is a real scholarship based on the popular alien race from Star Trek. The good news is that you don’t have to be a Star Trek devotee to be eligible. In fact, you don’t even have to speak Klingon. You just need to be an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in a language or linguistics program at an accredited university.
Incidentally, there are also several Starfleet Academy Scholarships, also of Star-Trek origins, also $500 each. The Starfleet Scholarships are named for popular actors/characters in the television series and include the Dr. Leonard McCoy Medical Scholarship, the Montgomery Scott Engineering Scholarship, the LeVar Burton Educational Scholarship, and the Patrick Stewart Scholarship for the Performing Arts.
5&6. Billy Barty Foundation Scholarship for Dwarfism and the Tall Clubs International Scholarship. Whether you’re big – over 6′2″ for men, 5′10″ for women – or small – 4′10″ to be exact, with a medical form of dwarfism – you could be eligible for a $1,000 scholarship. They even have a scholarship for left-handed students at Juanita College. In fact, there’s a scholarship for nearly every physical condition – well, almost. I’m still waiting for a scholarship for people who are “big-boned,” if you know what I mean…
7. Duct Tape “Stuck at Prom” Scholarship Contest. This scholarship is open to all students who are attending a high school prom. Applicants enter as a couple and attend high school prom wearing complete attire or accessories made from duct tape. The first place prize consists of a $3,000 scholarship for each member of the winning couple and a $3,000 cash prize to the school that hosted the prom.
8. Michigan Llama Association Scholarship. If you’re studying veterinary medicine at Michigan State University College, and if you’re interested in learning about and working with llamas, you could be eligible for a $500 scholarship sponsored by The Michigan Lama Association.
9. Excellence in Predicting the Future Award. This is not exactly what it sounds like. Any would-be Nostradamus need not apply. Any would-be Alan Greenspan, on the other hand, should. The “Excellence in Predicting the Future Award” is actually a contest for students interested in economics. Participants “buy and sell” future predictions in the manner of buying stocks. A $400 cash gift is awarded every two months by Troy Studios to encourage students to pursue economics or simply to learn more about the world they live in.
And finally…
10. Society of Vacuum Coaters Foundation Scholarship. Before you make any snarky remarks about “sucking-up” this scholarship, be advised that it awards $5,000 annually to one lucky student pursuing vacuum coating technology at an accredited university. I don’t know about you, but suddenly vacuums seem much more interesting than Klingons or llamas.
The moral of the story? Basically, it’s that there are innumerable scholarships out there for potential college students. So whether you are a Trekkie, an aspiring Tony Hawk, a bagpiper, or even if you like ducks or duct tape, there’s a scholarship for you. In short, if you can’t find a little extra money for college, then, frankly, you’re just not trying.
where can i find some scholarships for international students?
so I’ve lived in the United States for about 5 years now, I’m a senior in high school and i come from italy and right now my GPA is 3.6 (considering that my freshman year i didn’t speak english and had a gpa of 2.7). I also speak english and spanish fluently and have an act score of 24, but plan on getting a higher one.
the problem is none of the colleges can offer me any financial aid nor scholarship because i’m international, and most of the non-college funded scholarships are for americans only.
is there any way i can find a scholarships???
if i can’t go to college in the US i’ll have to go back to italy and start from the 10th grade, HELP PLEASE
About Author
Benjamin Welch has been a college instructor in writing and composition for nearly six years. When he’s not teaching or playing golf, he offers financial aid and scholarships advice.
19 Comments on “Scholarships: The Top 10 Strangest Ways to Pay for College”
Hi,
For information on scholarships, student support, grants and student loans have a look at
http://taweek.com/11.html
It's got a lot of good stuff for you to look at. Have a look at the free textbooks you can download at the 'TextBooks – Sometimes Free – Always Cheaper' section further down the page
Good Luck
University Language Services is currently hosting a college scholarship for international and study abroad students. You must be a senior in high school or already in college. It is a photo contest that allows you to win one of four prizes. Check it out and good luck!
Here is a good website about coming to the US to go to school. There is a good section about financial aid…
I found some info about getting this scholarship online in this scholarship database – education.mypressonline.com
You have to go to the website of international student of the university you want to go. They might have information about it or you can always email them. I know that a couple of universities in Oregon have a cultural program that allows international students to go to school for cheaper.
Senior High School where? This information is necessary in assessing what may be available for you.
You would definitely need to take the TOEFL no matter what if you are a foreign student unless it is determined that you live in an English speaking country and that you have been brought up speaking English. Of course though, this all depends on the college. The TOEFL is an exam which determines your level of competence in English. Just by reading your question, I would guess that you are pretty proficient in English and I think you would not have any trouble with the TOEFL. As for the SATs, there are schools that do not require them, like Bowdoin College and Bates College in Maine where it is optional and there are other ones as well. To apply for a scholarship, you usually have to apply to a college first.
You have good grades and are good at soccer, so I would say you have a lot going for you and yes you could get a scholarship even if you are from another country.
Hola Pete tu puedes!!! I found interesting information about your answer, college loans,SCHOLARSHIPS, college grants here.http://all-student-loan-consolidation.blogspot.com/2007/07/scholarships.html
Try these links:
http://www.yorku.ca/web/futurestudents/scholarships/Scholarship_Intl.html
http://www.studyabroad.com/forum/financial_aid.html
http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/ld.phtml
Talk to your guidance counselor. I'm sure they can help.
try looking here, http://www.cappex.com/?code=JA9554.
-Yes it would be better to graduate with an IB scholarship than a regular one because IB courses in high school is like taking college courses. And since IB is mostly college level courses you are able to receive credits for college during high school so…
-And yes it would also give you a higher chance at getting into a good college because they will be able to see that you can the handle the pressure.
-I would say the change would somewhat hard because you are going from regular classes to college coursed classes. It would be somewhat difficult but the result would be more than likely worth it.
I hope this helps you out a bit.
Most private schools do not give International students financial aid, in fact, they need proof up front that your bills will be paid for if you are attending boarding school and require payment quicker than they do with local students. The only reason a lot of schools will go through the hassle of admitting foreign students (paperwork, visa, etc) is because they typically can pay full tuition and will donate generously.
In this economy, need-blind admissions aren't as they were, and they were very rare to begin with. First, current school families who are having financial difficulties will be looked at for financial aid, and they may be able to qualify easier than a new student. This is fair, they've already paid into the school.
Because there are a limited amount of funds, even schools that state they are need-blind aren't really. There will be many more qualified applicants at the top schools than there are spaces, so not every qualified applicant will be offered a space or financial aid, or the financial aid they offer will be very low. Need blind doesn't mean full financial aid. Even at Phillips Academy it is not as need-blind as they seem to make it out to be, and I believe that is the only need-blind boarding school now.
http://www.privateschoolreview.com/
http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/
http://schools.com/
Good luck!
Try Oxford University UK or probably University of chicago united states, this are one of the best universities i can imagine for now, you can contact PROF. Broughton in the UK, here is his email link: broughtonrobert@ymail.com or Mr Johnson in the united states: ben_aggie123@yahoo.com.
There area a lot of scholarships for specific situations. i do not know if it applys to you but i got my list from;
http://www.tracemediums.com/front%20page/Consulting/site/Grantlist.html
for a small fee. You can also get some online, but not too in detail.