Scholarship money can help with education

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Robert Bryant
  • 749th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  I know, you have heard it a thousand times "get your degree," or "advance your degree." There is no doubt that you will earn more money in your lifetime with a degree, period. That's not what I want to talk to you about.
I am going to try to make your education journey a little easier by showing you how to get free money along the way. This free money comes in the form of scholarships.
There are billions of dollars currently available for scholarships; much of it goes unused every year. There are many reasons that the money goes unused.
One of the biggest reasons the money goes unused is that people do not apply for scholarships!
A little investment in time applying for scholarships can reap big rewards. You do not have to pay someone to get scholarships for you; you can get them yourself. Do your research and apply. If you get $1,000 in free money and have 10 hours invested that's $100 per hour. Most scholarship applications are online and only require a click of the mouse to apply.
Your first step should be your base education office- they are there for you! They can help and direct you to the proper sources regarding the Montgomery G.I. Bill at http://www.gibill.va.gov/ and Tuition Assistance.
Next, fill out a free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. The federal government applies two different standards for students-- one for dependent students and one for independent students. Dependent students are assumed to have parental support while independent students are not. The result: Independent students might qualify for more aid. Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces are independent students.
Write an essay about your education goals. Your essay should be approximately 500 words and about your general education goal. I know, you hear the word essay and you are tempted to tune out but don't give up yet, it really is simple to do. For your first paragraph talk about how you got interested in your major. Then write your last paragraph and talk about your final educational goal. In the body of the paper talk about how you plan to get to your final educational goal. If you are going to school, use your writing resource center. Once the essay is done, it is easily modified to meet the requirements of any scholarship application.
Go to http://www.students.gov , a huge resource for grants and scholarships. The link, "Paying for your education," is on the right side of the webpage, in the middle. Click there and select "Scholarships & grants." This will bring up more than 80 websites worth of opportunity.
Be persistent. Things get lost, so make sure you follow up on everything! Keep a file system so you can re-apply every year without doing all the research over again.
Now that you know how easy it is to apply for free money, you have no excuse not to apply. Go out and get your degree or advance your current degree and let scholarships help you pay for it. Hopefully this information will make your education journey a little easier by helping you to get free money on the way!
Thank you for your service. Your dedication, hard work, and devotion to duty help to keep our nation safe. I am proud to be your partner! If you have any questions drop me an email at robert.bryant@us.af.mil and I will help if I can.