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| Minority Scholarships |  For most minorities college is quickly becoming more of a reality than a dream. With the help of thousands of scholarships targeted toward specific minority groups, pursuing a college degree has become more reachable. Scholarships are not only awarded for merit, financial need or talent; they can also be given for the simple fact that the student is a minority. Of course, there are other factors to be considered, but the student is initially eligible based on the sole fact that he/she is a minority.
Who belongs to a minority? Minority does not necessarily mean a specific race or ethnic background. A minority group has a distinct feature that makes up less than half of a total population. Various minority groups can include people who speak a various language, or are of a different nationality, religion, culture, or lifestyle. For instance, for its scholarship program, the Hispanic College Fund requires that an eligible applicant be of Hispanic heritage. Another example includes the American Indian Education Foundation, which awards scholarships to students of Native American or Alaskan Native descent.
Women are considered a minority as well. Different scholarships are assigned especially for women. The Association for Women in Science provides different scholarships to women who are studying undergraduate or graduate careers in the sciences. Such programs give women additional chances to obtain scholarships for which only they are eligible.
Another common misunderstanding is the belief that minority scholarships are only given to students who are financially needy or are awarded to those who have a high grade point average. Although financial need may be assessed and transcripts may be requested, the student may still have a good chance of being awarded the scholarship based on other factors. Scholarships are normally awarded to well-rounded students who possess a variety of qualities and are involved in various activities, such as Student Government, sports or community service.
Moreover, keep in mind that minority scholarships are not awarded only to students of a specific race or ethnicity. You may come across awards based on your religion, culture or lifestyle that qualify you as a minority. Often, students do not consider these factors and they miss out on useful scholarship opportunities. Next time you find a scholarship for minorities, don't count yourself out. Read carefully the criteria for the scholarship before you define whether or not you are eligible to apply.
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