Yet the benefits of scholarships are huge and make applying well worth your time. We know that applying to college is a stressful experience and applying for scholarships can seem like another additional stress that you don’t need. Yet if you can convince a college that you’re the right candidate for a scholarship, full-ride or not, you can set yourself up for life.
Scholarships Make Education Easier to Access
If you’re a gifted student from a poorer background, accessing higher education can seem impossible. This is one of the key answers to the question of “why are scholarships important?”
No one should have their education limited due to a lack of household income. One of the most important scholarship benefits for society is that it gives us engineers, doctors, academics, nurses, lawyers, and scientists from backgrounds that would make traditional college financial aid hard to secure. Having more people in these professions is better for us as a society and helps us fill any employment gaps that would otherwise be empty.
Students That Win Scholarships Can Access Extensive Support
Winning a scholarship nets you more than just a healthy bank balance. Many colleges offer support to students that have won scholarships, to help them get the most out of their money.
This doesn’t mean that your college will babysit your spending and curtail you from having fun, don’t worry! What it means is that they’ll help you experience the full benefits of scholarships, offering mentorship to help you with the program. This extra support can be a massive help for any freshman and means that the college will be with you every step of the way to help you achieve the very best results that you can.
Scholarships Help You Network
This is one of the lesser-known benefits of scholarships. When you are awarded a scholarship, you’ll be able to network with other people who have also won the award. As you’re likely to be in the same academic field, this can provide huge networking bonuses when you’ve graduated.
For instance, if you win a scholarship in business administration, you’ll be able to stay in touch with sophomores and seniors who have also been given the award. When the time comes to get a job, you’ll already have contacts in the industry, which gives you a tremendous advantage over other candidates. Networking now can also grant you other academic opportunities, research opportunities, and give you a close-knit friendship group in your industry.
No Need to Work
According to government statistics, nearly half of all undergraduate students have a job to help them finance their studies and living costs. Getting a job can help college students tremendously, yet they can also detract from the quality of their work.
If you have to work 16 hours per week or more, will you be able to put in as much effort on your paper? This is a compromise that many college students need to make.
A key benefit of scholarships is that the need to work is removed. Instead, you can dedicate all of your time to working on your academic projects. This lets you improve your grades and get a better job when you graduate.
Gives Your Resume a Boost
Winning scholarships can be difficult. Some scholarships have thousands of applicants which means that if you are awarded the scholarship, your pre-college achievements are given additional recognition.
When you apply to jobs with a scholarship on your resume, it shows that not only did you work hard in college, but you worked hard before. If the college saw fit to choose you over thousands of others, why shouldn’t an employer do the same?
Scholarships Encourage Philanthropy
If you win a scholarship, it’s hoped that your approach to life will change. If you’ve been helped by this donation, then you may go on to become more philanthropic yourself. Perhaps you’ll go on to found another scholarship or support the college with charitable donations.