OK so it only took me a year to get back to talking about these wacky scholarships, but hey who is counting?  I appreciate all of the feedback on new and different ideas that you all have about scholarships that might be out there.  I have found a few scholarships that I just wanted to mention and give you guys a chance to check out for yourselves.

So here is a continuation to my previous post about weird scholarships, with a few new fresh ideas!  If you haven’t already checked out the other post with all of the weird scholarships (I think we have over 20 over there… all the way from left handed scholarships, to other crazy stuff you’d never think of)… check it out.

Wacky Scholarships You Should Check Out

Let’s Go…..

• Like Making Candy? If so you could get up to $5000  in scholarships.    For more information on the scholarship and to fill out the application check out The American Association of Candy Technologist.  The application is only one page and very straight forward, so go get some free money.
• Milk Mustache Anyone? Are you a high school senior athlete looking for some free money?  Well…how does $7500 sound?  That’s what is up for grabs with the SAMMY scholarship.  You could also win a trip to Disney World and be in a milk ad sporting your best milk stasch!  Check it out for yourself at body by milk.
• Can you Call Ducks? If so you might be interested in entering a duck calling contest for a chance to win a $2000 scholarship.  If you think you can hold your own with a duck call then check this one out.  The new 2010 information should be out soon so click here for more information.
• Attend University of Nevada, Reno? Ok that’s a start, now do you enjoy the outdoors?  If so there is a scholarship called the Dannie Jasmine Scholarship.  It is offered by the mule deer foundation (MDF).  It is offered to undergrad students enrolled in the environmental and resource sciences program at UNR.  It might only be for $500, but hey that’s better than nothing.  Here is all the information about the scholarship.

These were just a few of the scholarships that I found from various resources.  If you have any ideas or were just wondering if you might qualify for a scholarship due to some unique skill or feature about yourself, please let me know through our contact page and I will see what I can find out for you.

Also if you havent done so yet check out the Weird Scholarships article for a few more scholarship ideas!

In the meantime… we’ll keep searching for other weird scholarships that are out there to help you score that cash for college… because as you can see… there’s some crazy stuff people are giving money away to college students for… so never count yourself out thinking you can’t get a scholarship.

If you have any other weird or wacky scholarships that we don’t have in this post or in our other wacky scholarhips post we did last year… put a comment below!

The Federal Perkins Loan is a campus-based loan because the lender is actually the college, rather than the Federal government or a financial institution. The Federal government allots funds to each participating college or university.   The college or university then distributes the funds to the students who have the greatest financial need.

To see if you qualify for a Perkins loan you first need to fill out your FAFSA. Once you have completed this application it will be automatically sent to the college or university that you have been accepted to.  They will then generate a Student Aid Report, and determine the different types and amounts of financial aid you qualify for.  The institution will then send you an Award letter notifying you of all eligible aid and it is up to you to decide whether to accept or decline any of the funds.

The amount you are allowed to borrow depends on your student classification:

• Undergraduates are allowed to borrow up to $4,000 per year, with a max of $20,000 during your undergraduate years.

• Graduate and Professional study students may borrow up to $6,000 per year, with a max of $40,ooo. note (this  is a combined total which includes your undergraduate total already accumulated).

Perkins Loan Deferment:

A Perkins loan deferment is a nine-month grace period given to borrowers after graduation so that they have a chance to find employment.  There are a number of careers that can prolong the amount of time you have to start paying back you Perkins loan.  Most lenders that carry your loan will have a form that you need to fill out and require a written description of the daily duties of your job.  You will then be able to defer your payments for the next year, so long as you do not change your employment status.

Perkins Loan Cancellation:

One of the benefits of the Perkins Loan is the broad range of opportunities for Perkins Loan cancellation. Cancellation means that you do not have to make any more payments on the loan balance.

Perkins Loans may be completely canceled in certain circumstances, including if you are a:

• Full-time teacher in a designated elementary or secondary school serving students from low-income families
• Full-time teacher at any school of math, science, foreign languages, bilingual education, or other fields designated as teacher shortage areas
• Full-time special education teacher (includes teaching children with disabilities) in a public or other nonprofit elementary or secondary school)
• Full-time qualified professional provider of early intervention services for the disabled
• Full-time employee of a public or nonprofit child- or family-services agency providing services to high-risk children and their families from low-income communities
• Full-time nurse or medical technician
• Full-time law enforcement or corrections officer
• Full-time staff member in the education component of a Head Start Program
• Vista or Peace Corps volunteer (up to 70%)
• Active duty servicemember in the U.S. Armed Forces (up to 50% in areas of hostilities or imminent danger)

Perkins Loan Consolidation:  *note: this might not be a smart choice for your Perkins loan!

Loan consolidation can be a  great way to manage your college debt. You can often reduce your monthly payments!  Consolidation extends your repayment time line from the standard 10-year repayment to up to 30 years, depending on the amount you consolidate.

In some circumstances if you consolidate your Perkins loan you could be losing all of the benefits that make this loan so great.  If you are working in any of the careers listed in the cancellation section you should talk with your school’s financial aid department to determine if consolidation is the right choice for you.

The most common question I hear from either prospective or current college students how can I pay for college?  What types of financial aid for college is there?   Well to be honest with you there are multiple ways to do and here is a list of the most common forms of financial aid……

1. Loans: There are multiple types of college loans available for students. The most common are government loans i.e. Stafford loans (either subsidized or Unsubsidized. Meaning you pay the interest while going to school (unsubsidized) or the government pays the interest (subsidized).Which one you qualify for is dependent on multiple factors including you income level, your parents income level, or if you are applying as a dependent of Independent student.For more information about federal Stafford loans check out  studentaid.gov.What about a loan that you potentially would not have to ever pay back?  Depending on what  career path you choose this could be possible with the Perkins Loan.  I will have a more in depth explanation on what the Perkins loan is all about, but one bit of advise about this loan in case you have one already is DO NOT CONSOLIDATE THIS LOAN!So… make sure you subscribe to our site and join our newsletter so you can get notified when that article is up… because it alone could save you a ton of time, headaches, and money.
2. Grants: A grant is a gift of money that you do not need to pay back!

There are two general types of grant programs for college students:
- Need based
- Merit based
The best way to see which one you qualify for is to fill out your FAFSA.  This is how the government determines which type of grants you are eligible for and automatically applies you for them.

We’re getting ready to do a few really good tutorials on how to find and get grants for college… but, in the meantime… here’s a link to a really good resource I found for ya on how to find grants for school.

3. Scholarships: As I had talked about in previous articles a scholarship is money given to you based on a number of  criteria.  There’s a lot of scholarships out there… especially some pretty weird scholarships you’d never even think exist.  Many are available to you just for getting good grades, while others are on weird stuff like scholarships for left handed people or who speak multiple languages.

You just never know unless you do some research……. and that’s what I have done for you!

A good place to start when looking for different scholarships is a database such as fastweb, there you can see all types of scholarships that you might qualify for!

The bottom line is there are an endless number of ways to find money to go to college.  I have only began to scratch the surface of what is out there.  If you have any comments/questions on what you think might be a reason for a scholarship let me know and I will see what I can find out for ya!