If you live in Nigeria or anywhere in Africa and the world, how do you begin your scholarship search? You will agree with me that the easiest part is to want a scholarship, and the hardest parts are where to look for it, how to look for it and where to begin the search for the right scholarships.
Scholarship Abroad for International Students
The idea of a scholarship abroad often paints in our minds a picture of dreams coming true, and a life surrounded with super-intelligent students from all around the world. We picture ourselves touring the globe and amassing awards upon awards. These are good dreams and they can keep you motivated. In fact, it is good to make your dreams as big as they can be. Every student who wishes to travel abroad on scholarships must dream big.
The Meaning of Scholarships
Scholarships are financial assistance offered to local and international students who demonstrate a high level of achievement and commitment. These scholarships are usually in the forms of student loans, grants or the permission to work while studying. Some scholarships are based on the needs of the country where students apply. For instance, if a country wants to increase population, they offer scholarships to encourage immigration. A country may also be in need of people who will work in their medical or education sectors. To achieve these needs, they offer scholarships in the areas of medicine, nursing and teaching.
How Scholarships are Funded
Have you ever wondered where all the free money people get for scholarships come from? Scholarship funding comes from different places and sources. They don’t come from the same source. The biggest source of funding are the federal and state governments. When a country or state needs more population or more people in a particular sector, it provides adequate funds to make it work. Scholarship funds can come from rich individuals, charity organizations, religious bodies and private companies. Sometimes, schools can offer scholarships to prospective students.
One of the reasons for school-funded scholarships is to invite international students. This action helps the university to have an international appearance made up of people from all around the world. It creates a cultural diversity that adds beauty to the academic environment. Students who passed through such universities often graduate with a more global outlook and refined attitudes towards people of different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds.
Similarity and Difference between Scholarships and Grants
Most students who apply for scholarships often come across “grants” and wonder what in the world it means. They get confused and don’t know whether it means the same thing as scholarships. If you are one of those students, you are not alone. Grants and scholarships are not the same. They are two separate theoretical and practical ideas.
The similarity between Grants and scholarships is that both involve offering financial assistance to qualified students. The money you receive for your education is free. You are not expected to repay it. The government, school or private companies that offer grants or scholarships don’t ask for a repayment. So relax, for there is no reason to worry.
The big difference between grants and scholarships is that one is based on needs and the other on merit. Scholarships are not awarded anyhow. The student who is offered a scholarship must merit it through high grades, skills or talents. On the other hand, grants are offered when a student who has no source of funding education applies for grants. After a careful examination, he or she can be considered worthy of those grants. In other words, grants are free money given to students in need.
3 Classifications of Scholarships
Scholarships are often divided into three broad classifications:
1. Merit Scholarships
These are scholarships that are based on a student’s academic grades, skills and talents. The sponsors often set the criteria and conditions, which interested students must meet if they want to get the offers.
2. Need-based Scholarships
Need-based scholarships involve the students ability for self sponsorship. In other words, such scholarships are given to students who can afford the financial obligations of educating themselves.
3. Identity Scholarships
These are scholarships given to special groups of people such as women, the physically challenged, minority groups, ethnic groups and other similar kinds of people.
How to Start Your Search for Scholarships
While applying for scholarships, keep in mind that some scholarships may consider only candidates with a strong academic record, skill or talent. If you are not accepted despite your high qualifications, it might be that the scholarship is meant for other people with different criteria.
1. Consider Your Qualifications
Your qualifications include academic grades, skills, experience, talents, hobbies, interests and natural abilities. Some universities look beyond the grades to accepting students with interests in special areas such as gardening, environment, and even sporting activities. There is no limit to the scope of scholarships. Anyone and everyone can be accommodated.
Academic performance is not the only thing you need to have a breakthrough to your dreams. You may not be a high academic performer in general, but you might be good at a particular subject such as math. The awards you’ve won while in your former school may be what will give you access to scholarships.
2. Where to Search for Scholarships
Once you are sure of your grades, experience, skill, talent, hobbies or the subject you’re good at, you are ready to begin your search. Your search options include:
- Your School counselors
- Local religious groups
- Your State
- Libraries
3. Online Space Options
There are many reliable sites that are dedicated to publishing authentic scholarships from around the world. However, you have to learn to search within your areas of qualifications as the volume of search results can be overwhelming. A way to do this is by filtering the results using search terms that suggest the exact things you want to search. Here are online websites that you must never miss:
- US Department of Labor
- College Boards
- US Department of Education
- Niche Scholarships
- Scholarship.com
- Fastweb
If you prefer using search engines such as Google or Bing, type the terms “scholarships for music lovers,” “scholarships for art students,” “scholarships for Africans,” or “scholarships for science students.” Whatever type of scholarship you want, construct your search terns to target the right results
4. Avoid Scammers and Phishing Sites
Due to the high demand of scholarships all over the world, some scam sites are out to take your money. You must learn to identify them and keep your distance. Always make sure that you are using the official website of the school you are applying for. Phishing sites are websites that look like original websites, but their aim is to scam you, collect your debit card details and make away with your money. Avoid them like a plague.
5. Right Time to Apply for Scholarships
The best time to apply for scholarships is before you enter university. This is the main reason you must make sure all documents are available. Some of the documents you need for a successful scholarship application are academic certificate, transcript, reference letters, international passport and a few other import documents.
Some students begin their planning once they are in secondary school. Such students have a high chance of making a more adequate preparations than students who plan after secondary school. Apart from getting your documents ready, you need to get your mind and life ready for life abroad. That is why starting early to plan your journey is important.
Final Note
Discouragement may come through the rejection of your applications. That should not stop you from applying again and again until you get the right results. There are millions of scholarship opportunities in the world. Don’t allow one or even ten rejections to discourage you from having the life that you dream about every day.