Wacky scholarships for wacky reasons

We're all aware that elite members of the school football team or the "top of the class" might be eligible for a scholarship, but did you know that there are other scholarships available for the more, shall we say, unusual attributes? Oh yes, academics and superb athletes aren't the only ones who can be awarded scholarships towards the cost of their college or university education.

Let's take a look at some of the more wacky scholarships which are available, as many companies, charities and organizations realize that donating a scholarship can be a brilliant way to raise their profile, especially among the student population. There are wacky scholarships available based on your physical appearance (hair color, height, weight etc), for twins or triplets (double or triple the opportunities), for people with artistic capabilities, writers, vegetarians, people suffering from specific illnesses – you name it, you never know, there might just be a scholarship available, it's definitely worth finding out.

One of the great shames is that many of these more unusual or, let's face it, downright weird scholarships go unclaimed as many students don't even know that they exist. It really is worth the time and effort to try to track down all eventualities, however unlikely they may appear, to help to fund your further education.

Gender equality has been a primary concern over the last few decades and the field of education is no different. There are now a great range of specific Scholarships for Women designed to help maintain their equality (or should that be superiority?) in further educational achievements. Topics such as engineering, business, math and law which were traditionally thought of as a largely male domain now have a surprising number of women achieving outstanding positions in the workplace, thanks largely to these scholarships.

African Americans are one of the largest minority communities in America, although financial constraints have often determined a lower than average number of African American people pursuing a university education. A growing number of African American Scholarships are available which are hopefully helping to redress the balance.

At present, there is a shortfall of qualified teachers across America, but a growing number of Teaching Scholarships are helping to address this problem. Local and national university level Teaching Scholarships are now being offered to make sure that the very best talent is able to follow this very necessary and worthwhile career option.