by Shayne M. Cokerdem

Shayne M. Cokerdem is currently a graduate student in Education at Duke University in North Carolina. A significant portion of his tuition is paid for through various scholarships he received. Likewise, the bulk of his undergraduate tuition was financed through outside scholarships as well. This significantly reduced his debt by thousands of dollars, enabling him to earn a degree in Economics from Connecticut College. In his own words, Mr. Cokerdem explains how just about anyone can obtain scholarship dollars simply by applying.

Money does grow on trees. You're probably thinking this must be another joke, right? You know, the "jokes" promising you heaps of cold cash, free computers, or weekend getaways just for forwarding odd e-mails to everyone on your address list. However, this time, it's the real thing. There is money out there, and it is free. The only difference is that these "trees" don't grow in orchards; rather, they exist in the form of elusive independent scholarships. The other good news is that with a bit of instruction and lots of determination, you can readily learn to sniff them out like those pigs who find those funny delicacy mushrooms (truffles) that are buried beneath the ground!

Scholarships exist in all shapes and sizes. Some are awarded on the basis of financial need, while others, called Merit Awards, are based purely upon some kind of achievement or talent. Most of them are monetary awards that, unlike loans, you do not pay back. In other words, the money is free!

In general, there are five broad scholarship sources: pageants (of course), books, the Internet, one's high-school or college guidance center, and one's community.

When I was researching scholarships to pay for my undergraduate education, I thought of them this way: Assuming I found a full-time summer job of 40 hours per week and made $10 an hour for 10 weeks, I would have worked 400 hours and made $4,000. Of course, there are taxes, lunches, etc., and all those expenses reduce the amount you actually take home. So, I thought if I put in a solid effort in researching and applying for scholarships, perhaps I'd spend at the most 20 hours or so. And if all that effort resulted in me getting just one scholarship of even a few thousand dollars, I reasoned it would have been well worth it, since I would have had to work hundreds of hours to earn that kind of money. This kind of logic has more than paid off for me as well as for thousands of other students.

So what's the most important factor when it comes to getting scholarship money? Some people think it's your GPA or the number of leadership positions you've held. Although having credentials is always good, there's something else that is literally 10 times more important in this process: (1) having the discipline to find out what money you're qualified for and (2) filling out the applications. That's it -- plain and simple. If you take these two steps, you will definitely be far ahead of most people.

Ideally, start researching scholarships approximately one year before you'd want to use the money. That way you'll have time to request, receive, and complete the applications. However, it's never too late, especially since deadlines vary tremendously. The worst-case scenario is that you miss some deadlines for this year, but you can begin working on financing your other years.

In general, there are five broad scholarship sources: pageants (of course), books, the Internet, one's high-school or college guidance center, and one's community. I've had excellent luck sifting page by page through scholarship books. It's time consuming, since you'll not even be eligible for the vast majority of what's listed. This is due to all of the restrictions that most foundations place on their awards (such as where you are from, what you have studied, whether you have war veterans in your family, where your ancestors are from, etc.). However, you are just searching for a few truffles. So, keep that in mind, and just be thorough. You could even get a family member or friend to help you. To save you some time, here are three of the most comprehensive books out there: (1) The College Blue Book: Scholarships, Fellowships, Grants, and Loans, (2) The Minority and Women's Complete Scholarship Book, and (3) The Complete Scholarship Book. Any large library should have them and may have others as well.

As I mentioned, the Internet has become a huge resource as well. Although www.fastweb.com and www.finaid.org are popular sites, there are many others that perform detailed searches based on the criteria and qualifications you type in. However, be forewarned: since these searches are significantly limited by the criteria that is asked for, many scholarships that you're supposedly eligible for will end up having additional restrictions that were not factored into the computer search. Also, since so many people have access to the web, the sources listed there are likely to be far more competitive. So, in other words, definitely use the web as a resource and be creative with the kind of searches you do, but certainly don't rely on it as your sole source.

There is also an abundance of local scholarships available that your high-school or college guidance staff will know more about in detail. Your parents, guardians, and relatives may also work for organizations that have scholarships and grants available, so have them ask. Churches and other civic communities may have funds available too. The key thing is to be inquisitive and never assume that all sources will be housed conveniently in one book or within one Internet site. If you get frustrated because information is so spread out, remember this -- if it were totally centralized, far more people would be applying for these same scholarships. So, use that as your incentive to outwork other folks.

As a reader of Pageantry, you're accustomed to the hard work and self-sacrifice that goes along with achieving your goals. Apply that same motivation and work ethic to your hunt for scholarship dollars, and I guarantee you will not be disappointed.