How I Made $166/hour Last Summer As a Student

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Now, what if I told you there was a method I used to make $166 an hour all from the comfort of my bedroom? It sounds too good to be true, right? Luckily for you, this is all legitimate. In fact, I bet you can earn even more than I did.

The secret to my earnings is no secret. In actuality, this method is well-known to all students. And almost no one takes advantage of it. The method I am referring to is finding and writing scholarships.

Before you click away in disappointment, I am here to share with you that this process is easier than you think. All in all, I spent a total of 15 hours browsing and writing scholarships. I won 3 and received a total of $2,500 so far.

You may be saying to yourself: "I will never win" or "the chances are so low." In reality, this is incorrect. You see, every student is thinking this same thing. This very thought process deters most students from ever applying for scholarships.

Your competition is dramatically lower than you would imagine. And once you follow the methods I am about to share with you, you are sure to become an efficient scholarship-finding, money-making machine.

Finding the Scholarships

When looking for scholarships, there are two approaches: the sniper approach and the shotgun approach. Both methods are formidable and I have heard stories of success with both approaches.

The shotgun approach involves finding a large number of scholarships, grouping them by similar prompts, and preparing a generic essay for each batch of prompts. This works well with common prompts, like "why is college important to you."

The sniper approach involves hunting for scholarships that seem exclusive and play to your strengths. It takes time to find these, but a well-crafted essay tailored to the prompt is likely to win the award. This is my preferred method.

Below, I share with you the resources I use when looking for scholarships. They are in order of how likely you are to win an award from that specific method.

1) Your School's Scholarships

This has got to be the first place you check for scholarships. Most colleges have a scholarship webpage that is loaded with juicy alumni donation money. Chances are, there is a general application you can submit with minimal effort.

I got a $1,000 scholarship from my college just by putting in a general application that took 30 minutes. I highly recommend starting with your school, as it is exclusive and few people take advantage of it.

FSU Students:?Our school's scholarship page is?FS4U. Sign in and fill out the generation application. Then, search the database for relevant scholarships.

2) Join an Honors Society

Be cautious with this one. An honors society can be a great way to get exclusive scholarships for members only. However, there are plenty of scams or low-quality honors societies out there. Be sure to properly research the honors society.

All high-quality honors societies offering a handsome selection of exclusive scholarships come with a membership fee of around $100. This method requires an upfront investment, which can turn some people off.

If you know you will put in the time and effort to take advantage of their scholarship database, I highly recommend this option. You are very likely to win these scholarships just by submitting a decent essay.

Most honors societies offer a new member scholarship and an induction ceremony scholarship. You are eligible for these two right off the bat and require no commitment to the actual events, which is great for farming awards.

If you are interested in participating in their activities and positions, most societies also offer scholarships to active members and those holding leadership positions.

National Society of Collegiate Scholars:?I joined this society for its scholarship pool. It cost me $100, but I quickly made a profit when I won the $500 induction ceremony scholarship. Now I have access to the exclusive NSCS scholarships.

3) Scholarship Search Websites

Scholarship websites are fast and convenient for amassing a large list of potential scholarships. This is a great option if you are employing the shotgun approach of award hunting. However, there are drawbacks to these websites.

Since they are so accessible and convenient, these scholarships are not very exclusive. Many students have had their eyes on them, and this is where you will find the fiercest competition. But we can narrow down our search.

Instead of using the free scholarship search tools, use the free trial that comes with the paid scholarship tools. Two great paid services with free trials are?Scholly?and?Scholarship Owl. To take full advantage, use the strategy below.

During your week-long free trial, browse all relevant scholarships in the database, then bookmark the links to all of them. Once you create your own bookmark database of scholarships, end your free trial.

For most of my scholarship hunting, I didn't know about the free trial trick. I used two free sites,?Scholarships.com?and?Fastweb, and I did not win any of the 25 scholarships I applied for. On the paid sites, I only applied for a few and won a $1,000 scholarship.

Do not apply to no-essay scholarships. Seriously, do not. I applied to about 60 of them thinking I would win something. Your chances are incredibly low, it is a waste of your time, and you will get spam emails.

Tips for Writing Scholarship Essays

Writing scholarship essays can be daunting at first. After all, no one knows exactly what the review boards are looking for. There are dozens of tips out there for crafting a good paper, but these are the main points that matter most.

Remember, this is nothing like the essays you write in your English classes. This is not meant to be a cold and calculated response to the prompt. You are here to be self-expressive and share your music with the review board.

1) Pace Yourself

Writing scholarship essays can quickly become draining. To remedy this, produce slow and consistent work. I would advise setting aside time dedicated to working on scholarship grinding each week.

I spent 1 hour a day working on scholarships until I was tired of writing essays. Again, this is a mentally taxing side hustle, but the earnings potential makes it worth it. I will revisit scholarship grinding this summer.

2) Write from the Heart

The most effective way to get into a flow state is writing from the heart. Being open and honest will show your emotions and passions, and that is exactly what the review boards are looking for.

Most students submit explanatory essays that outline their accomplishments and answer the prompt in a dry manner. Graders are tired of this monotony. They can tell when a student is truly engaged while crafting their response.

Writing in a conversational tone is a great way to get yourself to naturally open up to the judges. They are trying to get a look at your true self. Speaking casually will make you stand out as being authentic.

3) Reuse Your Work

Ideally, you want to do the least amount of work while reaping the maximum benefits. Get crafty reusing different parts of your essays. This will be your major time saver while working on scholarships.

I was able to submit 40 essay scholarships during the 15 hours I worked on this hustle. It was in large part due to reusing a few solid essays I put together. Save every scholarship essay you write into a folder and refer to them as needed.

4) Briefly Express Your Need

Even if it isn't explicitly stated in the scholarship criteria, needing the scholarship money is a factor that is always considered. Luckily, you don't have to be poor or even struggling financially to qualify.

The best thing you can do is be honest about your financial situation. We are all college students who need money. Tell them why you need it and how it would benefit you. Keep this part brief, as it isn't the central focus of your essay.

Should I do this?

Scholarship award grinding is a unique hustle because it is only accessible to students. This is an opportunity that will only be available to you for a few years of your life. On top of that, only a small percentage ever takes advantage of this.

Tuition prices have been skyrocketing over the last decade, so donors and alumni are more eager than ever to give back to students. There has never been a time more lucrative for winning scholarships than today.

If you are the kind of person who values your time, then this is exactly what you need to be doing to make money. Nowhere will you find an opportunity with a higher earnings potential at our age.

Let me ask you this: Would you rather work at Starbucks for 100 hours making $11/hour for $1000 ($820 after ~18% income tax), or write scholarships for a few hours and make $1000 from one scholarship?tax-free?

Just by making it to the end of this article, you have put yourself ahead of 98% of everyone else. You now have all the methods and tools necessary to outperform the small competition and reap massive benefits.

So yes, you should do this. Every student should do this. Yet so few people do.