In the blink of an eye, many who thought high school would last forever suddenly become seniors. A year known for college applications and the stress of the unknown future taking over, students begin to lose sense of where they are at and wondering if everything will turn out all right in the future.
Since college carries a heavy financial responsibility, many students scramble to find the best scholarships to fund them through out their higher educational journey. Microscholarships, though often unheard of, can alter the college process for millions of students nationwide.
“Microscholarships encourage kids because they learn, ‘Wow, I can get money for doing all the things I’m already doing,’” Miami Palmetto Senior High’s CAP Advisor Linda Dwyer said.
Essentially, microscholarships are stackable. It represents a process where students can get money in fragments and later create a substantial total that they can put toward the school of their choice.
Many students often overlook these opportunities because they do not believe the small rewards will amount to anything and have not taken the time to look deeper into microscholarships. However, this idea could not sit further from the truth. Microscholarships are easy to apply to and yield real, significant results. This form of scholarship shows students that they do not have to drain themselves and possess extraordinary achievements to be accepted into college free of financial burden. Rather, they can simply act as a typically 15-18 year old student who already has a lot on their plate.
”Raise.me serves as a perfect example of a microscholarship. Once you fill everything out, you get money for being a kid, for grades, for sports and you get money for having a job,” Dwyer said.
Every dollar raised instills meaningful motivation in students, preventing them from feeling discouraged throughout a stressful process. As dollars build up, so does student confidence as they feel the financial burden of college progressively lift. Microscholarships prove that college affordability does not have to rely on one massive scholarship alone.
Ultimately, microscholarships alleviate some of the financial burden of higher education. Unlike many traditional institutional scholarships — which are often tied to one specific university — the money earned through a microscholarships can go toward any college. This ensures students have some semblance of reassurance as they wait for college acceptances and prepare for the next chapter of their lives.
