Top Scholarship Myths successful students don't believe

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Education is good but pretty expensive in most countries. This can somehow be explained by a quote I heard recently that 'what is good is not cheap and what is cheap is not good' (could there be situations where this statement fails? You'll tell me that). This high cost of formal education makes many scout for scholarships of which only a few determined students get, the rest fall by the way side due to many reasons but mostly as a result of believing 'scholarship myths', based on my personal experience anyway.

I have applied for numerous scholarships and I've also assisted and motivated people to apply who in most cases get shortlisted and are successful. I am a graduate of Physics(Electronics) in Nigeria but have applied for scholarships both in the country and overseas and have noticed that these myths are not limited to any particular country, but is a 'universal' myth. I noticed that the successful students are those that don't believe or supress these myths. From personal experience, here are the top acholarship myths:

1. Scholarships are scam

I noticed this myth to be more among undergraduate freshmen in my school while i was a student. I once told a student to register for a scholarship and he said it's impossible for someone to just give you money like that. After much pestering however, I adviced him to apply for a scholarship in his sophomore year which he got. Till today, he still thanks me for the nudge. This myth is mostly as a result of previous bad experiences or mere hearsay. If you must get a scholarship, you should not believe this.
However, there a scholarships which are scams, they mostly ask for money during for registration, do proper research before applying such.

1. I am not good enough

As a result of previous poor grades and not-so-good certificates which some scholarship bodies require for applications, many students feel that they don't stand a chance of winning the scholarships and thus don't apply. This makes them loose the battle before it starts. While it is true that some acholarship providers value good grades, not all of them focus on them. Some require applicants with a particular type of skill set, and that's where making a good CV comes in. Others want to know how much you want the scholarship and how you will use it to positively affect your community, you will explain that in your motivation letter. The antidote to this is to apply and focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses.

1. I can't get all the requirements

Truth is that getting some scholarship requirements are difficult, but they are not impossible, it is only a matter of determination. If maybe you are finding it too difficult to get a particular requiref document, send a mail to the organizers asking them if there is an alternative to the document. They'd advice you properly.

1. Scholarship exams are usually difficult to pass.

While difficulty levels vary according to individuals, it is important to state that with proper preparations, scholarship exams are easy. Most of the Nigerian undergraduate scholarships are easy but require speed. So work on your speed.

Do you feel there are some scholarship myths that should be here but isn't? Feel free to add them in the comment below. You can as well ask me your questions, and i'll try to answer them. You can follow me to keep yourself with useful information.

Cheers!