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The answer to this question, as you may have guessed, is no! Football, faith, and friends were my concerns in high school… not scholarships. This was, until I figured out how valuable scholarships were to my future.

In high school, my ACT was simply average. I started with a 19 and ended with a 24. But, at the end of the day, my most valuable scholarship was won with a 19. What does this mean? It means I was not the smartest person applying for scholarships.

A common miss-conception in today’s world of high school academia is you have to be freakishly smart to get a full ride. I can prove this wrong time and time again. There are a dozen friends of mine (including myself) that are not freakishly smart and received a full ride or major scholarship going into college.

As I said, football was my passion in high school. Coming from a small town in Southeastern Kentucky, Friday night lights was a religion, especially in Corbin, Kentucky. Therefore, accordingly, my friends and I adopted that mentality.

Moving into junior/senior year, I started to glimpse at my future, and realized I was going to have to pay for my college. I knew it was time to get serious about scholarships. Although I had received a major scholarship the year prior, I did not fully accept the task at hand until the latter years of high school.

I asked myself, “How was I going to get my school paid for while playing football, leading in my youth group, hanging with friends, etc.” Moreover, I thought, “Full-rides are for people who devote all their time to studying, right?” I was wrong.

In the end, I was able to not only play football but start and win 4 district championships, win 2 region championships, and play for 2 state semi-final games.

What I am trying to say is it is not that hard to get a scholarship as you would think. You can have a normal life as a high schooler. Throw the status quo out about smart kids only getting scholarships, and live your life. But, at the same time get your school paid for.

For more information about how to get scholarships click here!

Scholarships are widely available. You just have to look to find them. More importantly, you have to look to find the scholarship that is right for you.

When most people search for scholarships, their mind immideatley goes to their guidance councilor. That is exactly where you should start! In the scholarship process you will learn that your guidance councilor is your best friend. In fact, they are more like your lifeline. 

A guidance councilor’s job is to steer you in the right direction. Their job is to get you scholarships. Therefore, use the resources available to you! 

But, there comes a point when your guidance councilor can only offer so much. While they can significantly maximize your chances of getting or finding a scholarship, at the end of the day, it’s up to you. Therefore, you will have to do some digging yourself. This applies for parents and students. 

Here are a few websites I recommend visiting when looking for scholarships:

• chegg.com
• cappex.com
• niche.com
• scholarshippoints.com
• scholarships.com
• collegeboard.com
• careercruising.com
• scholarshipmonkey.com
• unigo.com
• fastweb.com
• collegenet.com
• meritaid.com
• moolahspot.com

Take this to your advantage and outwork your competition! 

If you would like to find out more about how to get scholarships that are right for you, click here!

While minorities, in many circumstances, do not receive fair treatment, this is not the case with the scholarship system in many instances. Being a minority can often increase your chances of receiving a scholarship! 

Minority scholarships are something to take hold of. Most people believe minority scholarships are for people who are not Caucasian, and that is where you are wrong. So, if you are Caucasian, do not count yourself out just yet. 

Institutions, individuals, universities, businesses, and colleges all over the United States have implemented a system of programs for minorities to benefit from. So, take advantage of this. 

Call or visit websites of schools you are interested in, and find out about their minority scholarships. You would be surprised the “qualifications” for applying for some of them.

I am from a poverty stricken part of Kentucky, close to one of the poorest counties in the country. One of my friends applied and received a scholarship to the University of Kentucky (for a large amount) just because he was from southeast Kentucky. The catch is, he was Caucasian.

On the other-hand, if you are a racial minority in America (African American, Indian, Chinese, etc.) there are plenty if not many more scholarships available. Take advantage of this, because universities are looking to improve their school diversity levels. 

Do your homework, and you would be surprised how many minority scholarships there are out there for ALL types of people!

If you would like more information regarding scholarships, click here!

Its that time of the year! Yes, thats right… graduation is right around the corner and you are saying, “Umm, I still don’t know which college I am going to!” I know exactly how you feel, and am sure you fall into the same category as at least 40% of graduates or parents who have a son or daughter graduating.

There are 3 questions I like to mention when this question is asked to me:

1. What line of work are you going into? Go to a school that has the major or program you are interested in. It seems obvious, but you would be surprised of how many people go to college for the social life. You are going to build a future. So students, pick a school that has a specialized department in your interested future work. Parents, guide your student to think hard about what they want to do in the future, and steer them in the right direction.
2. Do you see yourself happy there? If you do not, then you need to think hard about your decision. While social life is not what college should be about, it effects your overall mental health. And, if you are not happy, then how can you keep your grades up?
3. How much does it cost? This is so important to consider. I have several friends in debt over their heads, while I owe $0. As a scholarship recipient, I know how choosing the school with the most money can change your future. Trust me on this one, go where you get the most money. 

If you would like more information on how to get your school paid for click here!

Answer: No!

This is one of the most common questions asked by parents and students alike.

• Maybe you are a parent of a student who is in the shoes I was. I was a good student and had a fairly high GPA, but my ACT did not compare. You are probably wondering, if my son or daughter is so smart in school, then why are they not when it comes to taking the ACT or SAT? Do not worry; there is a solution!
• Maybe you are a student who has attempted to take that one menacing standardized test 8 times, like me… Yes, I took the ACT 8 times. 
• Maybe you are a student who plainly knows you are not smart. You try in school and on the ACT/SAT, but cannot seem to get that desired score.

There are a lot of “maybes” and “what-ifs” in the scholarship process.

“If I just had the grades… If I just had the right score.. Then maybe I could get this scholarship.”

Society and the failed American education system has taught each of us to believe this, so it is not your fault. BUT, if somethings broke then we have to fix it, right?

There is a simple fix to this. The SECRET is: prepare, prepare, prepare.  

Mark my words, preparations most always trumps smarts. I was not the smartest or best candidate for many of my scholarships… BUT, I made a conscious decision to do everything in my power to get my school paid for because it determined my very future. And, at the end of the day, in the midst of all the scholarship process complexities, it came down to preparation. While many competitiors I was up against had upper 20’s and lower 30’s on their ACTs, they thought it was enough. Therefore, while I started preparing my application 6 months before the due date, they started weeks before. 

Although many of the picture perfect candidates with the high ACTs received the scholarship, I was able to weasle my way in as well. I was able to knock out some contenders with a higher ACT! 

I was amazed, and this is where the scholarship process began for me!

If you would like to read more or find out more about how you can get your college paid for, click here to check out my book Scholarship Secrets & Systems!