Scholarships for international applicants in the U.S?

I was never abused so I don't qualify for most scholarships?

• Almost all the scholarships I've looked at look at the applicants' struggles in life. They're always looking for children who have been abused, homeless, etc. I have never gone through anything like that, but that doesn't mean I don't deserve a scholarship. My mother has been a single mother all her life, and has been unemployed for almost 2 years. This means that I can't go to an elite school without aide. I have worked my butt off my whole life maintaining nothing lower than an A. I've been involved in 3 sports at the varsity level since sophomore year. I'm only a junior and have already taken 6 AP courses, 5 of those I am taking this year alone. I'm taking AP Calculus at school as well taking college calculus at the local community college. This means that on certain days I can't get home until 10PM because I have to walk 3 miles home after my college class. I'm involved in 2 service clubs, one of which I am president of. I've volunteered over 300 hours in the past 2 years. I'm also part of a group that advocates against drug and alcohol abuse. We are actually passing an ordinance in the city revolving around the topic. My point is that I feel I should have a shot at these $10,000 scholarships even though I was never physically abused. I still work my A** off everyday, more than anyone I know. But the reality is that I won't get these scholarships, simply because I've been lucky enough to have a good mother, even though she can't support us at the moment. So what should I do? Should I still try my luck at these scholarships? Or just give up? By the way, I am a female of the hispanic origin going into a field involving mathematics, which tends to appeal to many scholarships. I live in Los Angeles and attend a terrible school, which again appeals to many scholarships.

• Answer:

  Full ride? VERY hard to get by!! why do you expect some1 to pay for your college? SO WHAT IF YOUR A STRAIGHT A STUDENT!! I was an A student ... and I went to my comunity college ( Pell grand with no loans) and went to a 4 year state university (local) that was cheap and i got out with less than 11K in loans.. IN the real world outside school .. NO ONE GIVES A DAMN WHERE U WENT as long as you have some experience and you show greeat potential. EVEN if you get a partial scholarship .. the private / out of state elite schools your talking about would still cost alot .. unless its a full ride.. DO yourself a favor and dont drown in debt to show off the school you went to!! In teh end the smart one is the person who can get their education for less. ..As long as its a fully accredited university / college you will get a great education!! I still laugh and sometimes maybe feel vad for my friends from highschool who went to private / out of state and expensive colleges .. they graduated with 70-80K in loans and their starting salary is no different from anyone else.. you should stop dreamoing and wake up to the real world .. if you can't get a full riide .. then go to a community college then a good local state college .. what is wrong with that? you save on dorms .. and in teh end you will love my advice.