Free money is a funny thing. On the surface, scholarships of any kind seem like the most beautiful thing in the world. I mean, who among us couldn’t use a few extra dollars with which to pay for school? And when that money comes courtesy of some kind of talent or interest, students are not only recognized for their hard work and dedication, but rewarded monetarily for their ability to convince others that they are deserving of a little free moolah.

With spring break, I have spent a good deal of my time working on such scholarship applications, hoping to earn a little money for (what at least I perceive as) my hard work these past three years. Again and again I have filled in my name and social security number and various other pertinent points of information with little more than a hope and a prayer at a little compensation. But what I have noticed is that the ways in which you can trump yourself up is definitely finite.

Exactly how many ways can you prove your infinite worth in the span of 250 words and three to five selected works? And how often can you explain your financial needs in a scant three lines? The fact of the matter is that those most deserving of money rarely see it and those most desperately in need never receive it. Sad to say, but often true.

In a world, and at a university, where the recommendations from professors are often a swifter ticket to scholarship glory than hard work, it is enough to ponder exactly what the scholarship Gods are really looking for.

I have been fortunate enough to receive small monetary scholarships in the past and even a $100 here or there can often make a great deal of difference in my ability to continue the education I value more than most things in this world. Sadly, however, hard work and need is often overlooked by the granters in their allocation of funds. This is entirely understandable, however, when money is in such short supply and need has reached its apex for most. But for those of us in need of this shortly supplied cash, there is little more than a hope and a prayer that the scholarship Gods will smile favorably upon us. And while the effort and time of filling out forms incessantly and sending out apps is always worth it (when it proves beneficial), it often brings with it both the hopes and the burdens of free money.