Scholarship scams?

Online, the chances of winning is much less. If a scholarship does not have specific guidelines, is heavily advertised, or does not end with .org, it is probably not worth your time.

Honestly, if the website does not end with .org, .gov, or .edu, I would not trust it with my information.

Primarily, avoid spending all your time on scholarships (like on bold.org and ScholarshipPoints, for instance) that grant scholarships based on your number of entries or points. These are often highly competitive, with many entrants, and you have a small chance of winning without doing all the different activities the website wants you to complete for them. No-essay scholarships, similarly, are usually just bait to get you to give your information to the site. You can enter, but don't expect to win.

A good scholarship will generally have specific requirements- preventing millions of high school students from entering- and will require information like essays, recommendations, and transcripts to make sure the chosen candidate will be the one most likely to use the money to make a difference in the world. You can also often see who the past winners are, proving that they actually got money. Reputable scholarships (especially ones you qualify for) can be hard to find and take time to apply for, but you can be sure you're not wasting your time! I hope that helps somewhat!