Scholarships are often the lifeline of most college students who are working their way toward an education. A lot of students are afraid to take on a lot of debt from student loans, and they should be. Student loan debt has now surpassed credit card debt as the highest type of debt in the country. For this reason, more and more students are pursuing scholarships to offset the rising costs of a college education. There are more scholarships out there than you may think. Aside from traditional scholarships, there are numerous unusual scholarships that are often on the strange side. Some of these scholarships are so unusual that anyone can apply, while others have specific restrictions.
Most unusual scholarships require you to have a special trait or skill. There are scholarships available to exceptionally tall people, or remarkably short people. There are scholarships based on skills such as knitting, sewing, designing fragrances or working in the farming industry. Some essays require applicants to submit an essay or portfolio of work, while others require you to fill out online forms or send in evidence of the unusual trait you possess. Read on for a peek at seven of the most unusual scholarships.
Tall Clubs International Scholarship
This is a rather obscure scholarship that only vertically gifted applicants may get. The Tall Clubs International Association gives scholarships to successful applicants who are 6’” or taller for males, or 5’10” or taller for females. Applicants simply have to submit an essay on “What Being Tall Means to Me,“ and they could get the $1000 prize.
Fragrance Research Fund
This is a scholarship that is limited to clinical psychologists who are completing their aromachology postgraduate research. The Fragrance Research Fund provides up to $50,000 in scholarship money to successful applicants. The foundation is based in New York and can be reached at Fragrance Research Fund – 145 East 32nd St., New York, N.Y. 10016-6002. Perfume is a big business, and every celebrity you can think of has their own fragrance. You can be a part of that booming field and get a good chunk of your education paid for to boot.
Frederick and Mary F. Beckley Scholarship
This unusual scholarship is given to left-handed students who need to go through life in a right-handed world. The scholarship is open to students of Juanita College in Huntington, PA. Up to $1000 is given to two left-handed college students per year. Interestingly enough, they do not require you to show evidence of your left-handedness, but they work on the honor system. Since this is such a small school, you should honor Frederick and Mary F. Beckley, two left-handed alumni who met at Juniata College and put their scholarship money to good use.95;.
Billy Barty Foundation
These scholarships are open to students who are below 4’10” in height. However, they should be able to submit a medical certificate as proof of dwarfism. The Foundation can be reached at (818) 953-5410. These unusual scholarships were created by Billy Barty, a famous dwarf most recognizable for his role in Rumplestiltskin. He stood at only 3’9”, and his foundation gives out two unusual scholarships per year to those students who stand below 4’10”. I think Snooki missed dwarfism by just an inch, but her interests do not seem to lie in a college education anyway.
Any Rand Institute
The Ayn Rand Institute offers a scholarship to students who can successfully write a compelling essay about Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead. The winner gets total of $10,000 in cash. Any student from any college can apply for this grant. These unusual scholarships hand out over $99,000 in scholarship money each year.
Klingon Language Institute Scholarship
Die-hard Star Trek fans will be glad to know that a scholarship is open to them. Students who are studying the Klingon language in college (yes, you can do that) can get a $500 award each year. This is open even to people who do not speak Klingon fluently.
John Gatling Scholarship
Anyone whose last name is Gatlin or Gatling is eligible for the John Gatling Scholarship. This scholarship provides full support for anyone who wants to study at the North Carolina State University. More information is available for applicants at the NCSU Department of Scholarships and Financial Aid at (919) 515-2421. The Gatling Scholarship is one of many unusual scholarships based on last name. The Zolp Scholarship is another last name scholarship for students with the last name of Zolp who wish to attend Loyola University in Chicago.
These are just a small sampling of the most unusual scholarships out there. People who wish to get a little bit of financial help going through college may just get the help they need from any of these grants. The good thing is that grades are not a factor, so one gets a better chance of getting the scholarship as long as he or she meets the unusual requirements.