If you haven’t heard them, you have made them. These four excuses will keep you from getting a piece of the free money that’s out there and ripe for the picking. Make these excuses and you will be throwing away money that could be used to pay for scholarships.

It’s a waste of time.

If you think winning thousands of dollars of scholarship money isn’t worth your time you’re wrong. It’s worth every cent of your time and more. A few hours can net you thousands of dollars.

I hate writing essays.

There are plenty of “no essay” scholarships available. If essays scare you, look for the scholarships that don’t require them.

I never win anything.

You can’t win if you don’t apply. It’s a guarantee you won’t win if you don’t make the effort and apply.

Only smart kids win them.

Not all scholarships are academic scholarships. Many do not have a GPA requirement. This excuse doesn’t hold water. Many average students win scholarships.

If you want to know why scholarships are worth the effort, read this article I wrote for TeenLife.com: Are Scholarship Applications Worth the Hassle? You Bet!