FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — From art and engineering to duck calling, there are billions of dollars in scholarships up for grabs.
"The more obscure and the more niche it is, the more likely it is that there are fewer people who are going to apply for it," says Kevin Ladd, COO of Scholarships.com.
Ladd says smaller scholarships are more likely to pay off.
The platform helps students search and apply for college scholarships, and even pairs students with money they're eligible for based on their profile.
"Fill out a profile and you're saying, 'This is who I am.' and getting as granular as you can, and we can match you to you based on every aspect of you," Ladd said.
For anyone applying for scholarships, he says it's best to be yourself.
"You don't know what they want," Ladd said. "Trust me, they want a real person. They want someone who is unique, who's authentic. Being yourself is the biggest thing."
The directory alone highlights scholarships ranging from "being a twin" to being a "child of a single parent" scholarships.
"There's such a huge variety, and everyone out there is going to qualify for some, if not dozens of scholarships, based on things that are not being the quarterback or the basketball player or the chess captain," Ladd said.
According to the Education Data Initiative, roughly 180,000 student-athletes in the United States receive athletic scholarships annually. That represents less than 2% of high school student-athletes who plan to compete in college.
"There are so many others, and it can be based on what your parents do for a living, whether they belong to a credit union or whether they're emergency services, Ladd said.
Don't think you have to be a high school senior to start earning scholarship money.
There are some scholarships available for all high school and undergrad levels.
When it comes to scholarships, Ladd went on to say it's best to start early and apply often.
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