People commonly think that only minorities and people with really low incomes and awesome grades can get scholarships. This is just not so. There are plenty of scholarships out there that are aimed at people in certain national or local clubs, that serve different interests such as drawing, writing, or a sport, and even some that are strictly for those with work experience. Tons of scholarships for college students are aimed at specific majors and corresponding social networks, for example the Audio Engineering society and American Medical Association. Be creative when searching. There are plenty of companies giving money away in hopes of attaining a student base of prospective future employees. If you're working on computers, for example, see what top technological companies such as Qualcomm and IBM have to offer, if you're working in finance and economics, checkout some big time (and small time) Wall St. corporations, for instance.

Also, don't forget to checkout your own community. YMCA, churches, local youth groups and sports teams, they all give out money to deserving individuals, so do some homework on your hometown before moving on to bigger venues.

The essay contest

These are wonderful. Checkout what you like, what you know a lot about and are passionate about, and write an essay to submit to a contest or scholarship offer. Get friends in on it...help each other out and promise to share earnings.

Why isn't this EASY?