Unconventional scholarships would be a more appropriate term for weird scholarships. They go against the very notion that most people have about scholarships.
Initially let us see what is considered normal before we delve into what is weird. Traditionally, scholarships used to be merit based and were awarded to students who show outstanding merit in arts, sports or academics. Similarly grants were awarded to persons who couldn’t meet the expense of education but showed potential. Math wizards or science geeks, members of the hockey team, cheerleaders, theater actors, and all persons who fall under the same category- these are persons that are awarded some or the other scholarship. But, what if your special abilities do not fit the social norms, well, there are very unconventional and weird scholarships for that purpose. You can classify these into three broad categories.
Persons based on Physical Criteria
The scholarships that are awarded for possessing unique physical characteristics or abilities fall into this category. For example, there is a scholarship for being unusually tall. A club for tall people offers a grant of up to $1,000 for male students with a height of 6’2” and above or female students with a height of 5’10″ and above. Similarly, there is another scholarship for small people. Other weird scholarships falling under this criterion include scholarships for redheads, twins, triplets and extremely overweight people.
Persons based on interest
Students who have unique wellbeing or philosophies in life have a lot of scholarship opportunities. There are various interest groups that place forward scholarships for joining their group or sharing their interest. There is one scholarship grant awarded to vegetarians. The only requirement is for the vegetarian student to write an essay on adopting a vegetarian diet. There are also a large number of interest based scholarships including one for skateboarding.
Persons based on talent
These categories include scholarships that are handed out for having unique skills and abilities. Depending on the eligibility requirement, if you posses the required abilities, you get the scholarship. For example, there is a 1500 USD scholarship for being an exert at duck calls. One organization also grants scholarships for students who are skilled welders.
Even though some of these weird scholarships might sound amusing, they have their purpose. Their purpose is to highlight and demonstrate that everyone is unique and everyone possesses some or the other unique ability.
This article reflects a basic overview of few of the non-traditional scholarships in existence, for more information, visit this page on Weird Scholarships.
