3 answers
Damien
Student
Ovilla, Texas
1
Question
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What is the best way to balance work and applying for scholarships If I spend so much time applying for scholarships and might not win any, would I be better off using that time to work? ?
I am a senior in high school through a traditional homeschooling program. I play varsity baseball and plan to work full-time in the summer when I am added to the insurance policy on my parents' car.
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3 answers
Dr H
Dr. H's Research
1464
Answers
Australia
Updated
Dr’s Answer
Hey Damien,
Seems you are having the great debate—grinding at a job for guaranteed cash or rolling the dice on scholarships like it's academic Vegas.
Here’s the deal
Scholarships are basically free money, but they’re competitive, unpredictable, and require you to write essays about how adversity made you stronger (even if your biggest challenge was that time your Wi-Fi cut out during a game). Work, on the other hand, pays for sure—but every hour on the clock is an hour not spent chasing those sweet, sweet tuition waivers.
The trick is balance—apply to scholarships that don’t require a novel-length essay or soul-searching questions like “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” (Let’s be real, who actually knows?) Focus on ones that match your skills, interests, or, if possible, your baseball talent—sports scholarships exist, and they love dedicated athletes.
Meanwhile, work part-time or set a summer job as your financial backup plan. Think of scholarships as a home run—hard to hit, but worth the swing. A job? That’s a solid base hit—steady and reliable. Play both sides smart, and you’ll be rounding the bases toward college without having to sell your soul to student loans because man making a deal with the devil won't save you just gonna make you go broke or maybe burning makes sense. 👹
Anyways I hope this helped out clear somethings out and if you need anything else just shout out, oh wiat no don't shout out I won't be able to hear you anyways just give out anither question! Yep! Good luck.
Seems you are having the great debate—grinding at a job for guaranteed cash or rolling the dice on scholarships like it's academic Vegas.
Here’s the deal
Scholarships are basically free money, but they’re competitive, unpredictable, and require you to write essays about how adversity made you stronger (even if your biggest challenge was that time your Wi-Fi cut out during a game). Work, on the other hand, pays for sure—but every hour on the clock is an hour not spent chasing those sweet, sweet tuition waivers.
The trick is balance—apply to scholarships that don’t require a novel-length essay or soul-searching questions like “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” (Let’s be real, who actually knows?) Focus on ones that match your skills, interests, or, if possible, your baseball talent—sports scholarships exist, and they love dedicated athletes.
Meanwhile, work part-time or set a summer job as your financial backup plan. Think of scholarships as a home run—hard to hit, but worth the swing. A job? That’s a solid base hit—steady and reliable. Play both sides smart, and you’ll be rounding the bases toward college without having to sell your soul to student loans because man making a deal with the devil won't save you just gonna make you go broke or maybe burning makes sense. 👹
Anyways I hope this helped out clear somethings out and if you need anything else just shout out, oh wiat no don't shout out I won't be able to hear you anyways just give out anither question! Yep! Good luck.
Hook Jia-Han Yang
Graduate Student
2
Answers
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Updated
Hook Jia-Han’s Answer
In addition to getting a scholarship or a job, you may want to consider FAFSA or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. You can get scholarships, federal work-study, and grants through FAFSA to support your dream of studying at a college.
True, there is a lot to consider. As others have said, getting a payroll is a stable source of income, but you may not dedicate your full energy to the things you want to pursue. As such, you may want to consider doing some jobs as part of your funds for college. However, there is no need to prioritize jobs over other things. Scholarships, on the other hand, are worth trying. There is some uncertainty regarding their applications, though, so this option should not be considered definitive.
For FAFSA, check out this website to learn more. You can maximize your opportunities. https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/eligibility/requirements/non-us-citizens
True, there is a lot to consider. As others have said, getting a payroll is a stable source of income, but you may not dedicate your full energy to the things you want to pursue. As such, you may want to consider doing some jobs as part of your funds for college. However, there is no need to prioritize jobs over other things. Scholarships, on the other hand, are worth trying. There is some uncertainty regarding their applications, though, so this option should not be considered definitive.
For FAFSA, check out this website to learn more. You can maximize your opportunities. https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/eligibility/requirements/non-us-citizens
Thank you for the well-measured advice!
Damien
Michelle M.
Actress
3284
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Damien !
It would benefit you to work and also apply for scholarships. Nothing is a waste of time or should be predetermined. You will gain from doing both. Get used to doing research and applying for a lot of scholarships and grants because if you want financial assistance for college, it is something you should do every year. There will be many things in life that you'll do that won't have the outcome you expect, but you'll never get good results if you never try. So, go for both the working at the job and applying for scholarships.
There are a numerous amounts of scholarships that you can apply for, so my advice is to start doing the research for it now. The process will get you used to the book work, reading and writing you'll need to do as a college student taking courses. You are going to have to start setting priorities. Pick two or three days a week and a time slot to work only on scholarships and grants. Tell family and friends to e-mail you any links for scholarships they may know about. If you are being homeschooled through your School District protocol, visit the high school and ask about scholarships. There are quite a few scholarships out there and it's actually adventurous applying for as many as possible to increase your chances of getting some. Dedicate some time to it. Once you are in college, you'll be organizing your time differently, so now would be a good time to start making room for new things that can help you in the long run.
Look into the Cypress Homeschool Association Scholarship for homeschooled students in Texas. This is a merit based scholarship. Do a search online for scholarships in different categories that you qualify in. Check out the Texas based ECLAT Foundation Scholarship. If you live in a certain county in Texas, you may be able to apply for the George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation Scholarships. It's up to you how much time you want to dedicate to it. My advice is to not let any opportunity for financial assistance for college pass you by.
I hope this is helpful and I wish you all the best !
It would benefit you to work and also apply for scholarships. Nothing is a waste of time or should be predetermined. You will gain from doing both. Get used to doing research and applying for a lot of scholarships and grants because if you want financial assistance for college, it is something you should do every year. There will be many things in life that you'll do that won't have the outcome you expect, but you'll never get good results if you never try. So, go for both the working at the job and applying for scholarships.
There are a numerous amounts of scholarships that you can apply for, so my advice is to start doing the research for it now. The process will get you used to the book work, reading and writing you'll need to do as a college student taking courses. You are going to have to start setting priorities. Pick two or three days a week and a time slot to work only on scholarships and grants. Tell family and friends to e-mail you any links for scholarships they may know about. If you are being homeschooled through your School District protocol, visit the high school and ask about scholarships. There are quite a few scholarships out there and it's actually adventurous applying for as many as possible to increase your chances of getting some. Dedicate some time to it. Once you are in college, you'll be organizing your time differently, so now would be a good time to start making room for new things that can help you in the long run.
Look into the Cypress Homeschool Association Scholarship for homeschooled students in Texas. This is a merit based scholarship. Do a search online for scholarships in different categories that you qualify in. Check out the Texas based ECLAT Foundation Scholarship. If you live in a certain county in Texas, you may be able to apply for the George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation Scholarships. It's up to you how much time you want to dedicate to it. My advice is to not let any opportunity for financial assistance for college pass you by.
I hope this is helpful and I wish you all the best !
Thank you for the help!
Damien