It’s clear that scholarship money is one of the single most useful forms of currency when it comes to getting an education. Still, with so many people applying to nursing schools each year, the price of an education isn’t decreasing whatsoever. With that in mind, it’s amazing how many potential scholarships are available out there in the wild, despite how few people apply for them! But, how do you know which nursing scholarships to apply for? At the end of the day, it’s all about these three considerations for nursing scholarships: legitimacy, eligibility, and value.
Even though there are lots of great opportunities to score some extra cash toward a nursing education, too many scholarships go unnoticed. Sure, the process can be rather time-consuming, tedious, and may not even yield any real results — but you can’t say that unless you’ve given it a shot! Whether you’re looking for scholarship essay tips, or even why nursing scholarships matter we’ve got you covered. It’s also helpful to take into account these key considerations for nursing scholarships when applying:
3 Considerations for Nursing Scholarships
1. Is the Scholarship Legitimate?
You’ll most likely be browsing the web, plugging in whatever keywords will get you closer to scholarship glory… but how do you know when an opportunity is real or not? With rising college tuition costs and more online resources than ever before, it’s best to be wary of free internet money. That said, some things to look out and want to stay away from are:
- Application Fees
- Time-Sensitive Scholarships
- Require Applicants to Attend a “Free Seminar”
- Classic “You’ve Won” Pop-Ups
As a basic guideline, nursing scholarships that ask for your credit card information right away are not likely going to be giving you money — quite the opposite actually. Similarly, if a nursing scholarship offers any sort of guarantee for applying with your personal information, there may be cause for suspicion.
2. Check Your Eligibility
When you’ve determined that a scholarship opportunity is legitimate, it’s time to really read that fine print. In many cases, scholarships have their own unique rules regarding eligibility. These rules can include academic discipline, your academic year, and any number of requirements as to why the scholarship is being offered in the first place. It’s frustrating to spend hours organizing your information, writing an essay, and getting everything ready to be sent away until realizing you’re ineligible.
At the same time, you may want to investigate how many other applicants you could be competing with. If your application is one of relatively few, you could be maximizing your efforts and the probability you’ll actually be awarded a scholarship rather than going after ones offered globally. That said, don’t limit yourself! Apply for every nursing scholarship you can find, even the most prestigious scholarships, just make sure you qualify!
3. Value Beyond Money
While you’re really after some financial help with your education, some scholarships can offer more than just a smaller tuition bill. It’s possible that you can find nursing scholarships for academic internship opportunities, the ability to study abroad, or even network with some of the top professionals in your field. Yes, money is great but don’t rule out applying for some scholarships just because they won’t help you pay for your tuition.
Whether you goal is to become a traveling nurse or not, you’ll still be glad you’ve networked with as many peers and professionals as possible when it’s all said and done! At the same time, don’t sell yourself short and make sure you really can meet your goals financially and from an educational standpoint. And of course, good luck!!
