Establishing a career in Architecture starts with a college degree. Nothing will bring a person closer to his goal of earning a living through designing a home, building, skyscraper, landscape, or even an entire city than an Architecture degree. However, not all those who aspire to be architects have the resources to pursue a college degree. The good news is that financial aid is no longer hard to find these days. With scholarship grants from generous companies, organizations, and individuals, finishing a college degree in Architecture is now a realistic goal even to those who cannot to afford to do so.

Finding an Architecture Scholarship Grant

There are a number of places when one can find scholarship programs. If you don't know of any scholarship program, you can start by searching the Web. You can also ask different colleges and universities near your area for available Architecture scholarship programs. Likewise, various Architecture-related organizations, groups, and associations are also great sources of financial assistance.

Just one of the organizations that provide financial assistance to architecture students is the American Architectural Foundation. It is a non-profit organization, which aims to transform the way people live through Architecture scholarship grants. Both high school students and college freshmen who are willing to enroll under a NAAB-certified program are welcome to apply. Twenty scholarship grants are awarded each year, which range from $500 to $,2500. Requirements include excellent scholastic credentials and financial need.

Meanwhile, the American Institute of Architects gives away a $5,000-worth of scholarship grants to undergraduate Architecture students who live in New Jersey. These grants are by the Northern New Jersey architects, who aim to help brilliant young minds from their state pay for Architecture college degrees.

There is also the World Studio Foundation Scholarship, which was established for students of Architecture or any other degree in Creative Design. To qualify, an applicant must be enrolled in an accredited school and is passionate about pursuing a career in creative building. Financial assistance from this scholarship program ranges from $200 to $5,000 and largely depends on the need of the recipient. The great thing about this scholarship program is that it is open to international students as well, just as long as they meet the qualifications and requirements.

On the other hand, the Syracuse Builders Exchange offers scholarship grants exclusively to the children of its members. An applicant’s eligibility lies in his performance on his first year in college, his school location, and his residence. Likewise, an applicant must be a full-time student who maintains a GPA of not lower than 2.5. This particular scholarship program is for New York students who wish to practice the profession in their area. The scholarship grant is worth $1,500, which is already inclusive of tuition and other school expenses.

Students who live in Pennsylvania can take advantage of the Joseph & Vivian E. Steele Fund Architecture Award, which is sponsored by The Greater Harrisburg Foundation. To qualify for the scholarship grant, an applicant must pass the selection committee's evaluation process. Only after an applicant successfully passed the evaluation process can he submit a formal application. The amount of financial assistance given to qualified applicants will depend on the results of his evaluation process.

Impressing the Selection Panel with a Well-Written Essay

Ideally, a person who want to pursue a college education should save for it in advance. However, for those who were not able to do so need not despair. This is because even without a penny for college, you can still go ahead with your dreams of earning a degree with the help of scholarship programs.

The thing is that getting into a scholarship program is not at all easy. There is undoubtedly tough competition, and you need to prepare yourself for it. To win a scholarship grant, you need to rise above the rest and get yourself noticed. Needless to say, one of the surest ways to do this is to impress the selection panel. You can do this by writing an excellent essay or a personal statement. If you are not good in writing essays, there are a number of online sources that can help you out. When you write an essay, it is advised to have another person (preferably someone from the academe) read it first before you submit it. The person who reads your essay can give you useful input as to whether or not it needs improvement. Whenever you revise your essay, always have another person read it. This will ensure that the essay you submit to the selection panel is impressive and well-written.