Like it or not, scholarships are what makes the educational world spin around.
Those students that don’t get them are subject to huge fees. Those that do receive them will be awarded with, in frank terms, a very cheap form of education.
Of course, there are plenty of factors that impact scholarships, and one only has to ask Kevin Rolle about the complicated way in which they work.
It’s for this reason that we have penned today’s guide. We will now look at some of the biggest myths that crop up in relation to scholarships, and debunk them once and for all.
“You have to be a straight-A student to get a scholarship”
Unfortunately, this myth is true to an extent, but give us time.
While you are more likely to get a scholarship if you have very good grades, it’s not a simple equation. In fact, many students who obtain B and C grades also obtain scholarships – so always bear this in mind.
In fact, if we were to turn to hard and fast statistics, it’s understood that just over half of all scholarships are won by those who have achieved A-grades.
Then, 38% are won by those with B-grades, while over 6% have achieved C-grades. It means that even if you don’t achieve the very top grades, there is still plenty of room to net a scholarship.
A lot of this room comes from the fact that academic talent is rarely turned to in scholarship requirements. Instead, it is combined with other factors, perhaps sporting talent, to make the decision.
“Going to private school will automatically result in a scholarship”
Again, there is an element of truth in this next myth, as private school students do tend to achieve more scholarships.
However, before you consider taking the drastic action of sending your child to private school in a bid to combat future academic costs, you should realize that the numbers don’t quite add up.
Studies have suggested that private school students will receive, on average, $1,000 more than public school students. Suffice to say, this is nowhere near the amount needed to cover the total cost of college fees. In fact, it doesn’t even scratch the surface.
“Billions of dollars of scholarships are left unclaimed”
If this was true, there would be genuine uproar around the country.
There is a reason why the news outlets like to pick up on this story though. It’s true that some scholarships are left unclaimed. This isn’t because those in power have decided not to award them though; it’s because nobody was eligible in the first place.
This is because the figure was derived from employer tuition assistance. Strictly speaking, this is available to use every year. However, perhaps unsurprisingly, the uptake from employers is low. It means that billions of dollars that could theoretically be used isn’t – and this causes those headlines that we’ve all been used to over recent years.
