Wanted: Bagpipers, Klingon Speakers and Nudists

ABC News On Campus Reporter Walter Storholt blogs:

Even in tough economic times, there are plenty of opportunities to find financial aid. The key to finding scholarships? Do not be afraid to try something a little different.

For example, one of the scholarships I have has some strange requirements. I can’t drink, smoke or do drugs. I’m not allowed to own a credit card, maintain an unhealthy body weight or have any piercings or tattoos.

The requirement I found really interesting (although this was not a big deal for me at all) was that I have to spend the majority of the weekend at school. I am not allowed to go home every weekend. The scholarship requires that I get the “full” college experience.

If simply maintaining the scholarship sounds crazy, the application process was just as out there. I had to answer 10 essay questions that had to be handwritten, not typed. My parents also had to answers essay questions by hand, and I have to reapply for the scholarship every semester. The rules may seem stringent and a bit unorthodox, but the inconveniences have been well worth the benefits.

After doing some research I came across a number of scholarships that might seem a bit strange, but they just might help you out.

Are you tall? If so, you could qualify for the Tall Clubs International scholarship. Local chapters of Tall Clubs International give out $1,000 awards every year to males taller than 6 foot 2 inches and females taller than 5 foot 10 inches.

On the flip side, the Billy Barty Foundation for Dwarfism offers scholarships to shorter folks.

If your attributes don’t give you the upper hand, maybe your abilities will. Are you a “Star Trek” fan? Are you obsessed with speaking Klingon? The Klingon Language Institute offers $500 to people with a keen interest in Klingon who are looking to pursue other language studies in college.

If you do not know Klingon yet, there’s still plenty of time. Applications are due June 1. To Klingon fanatics: jIH ghoS Daq roj!

One of my favorite scholarships is the Duck Brand Duct Tape Stuck on Prom Contest. All you have to do is make your prom outfit out of duct tape. You get $3,000 for first place. Who knew there were so many kinds of duct tape? I had no idea you could be that creative with it. Check out the pictures on the Web site and you will see what I mean. The deadline for photo submissions is June 8, so start creating the perfect outfits now.

If you play the bagpipes, then Carnegie Mellon University might be the place for you. It has the only bagpipe major in the United States, as well as the only full scholarship for a bagpipe major. Competition can’t be too stiff for this one, right?

So maybe you don’t have the creative skills to make an outfit out of duct tape or speak Klingon. There are still scholarships you can get based on your interests.

The American Nudist Research Library offers scholarships to students interested in, well, being a nudist. High school seniors who have been in a nudist organization for at least three years can apply for $1,000 scholarships.

And if you’re interested in vacuum coating (of which I knew nothing before Googling the term) you can get a $2,500 scholarship from the Society of Vacuum Coaters Foundation. You just missed the application deadline for this year, so that gives you plenty of time to research exactly what vacuum coating is before next year’s application process, which starts in September. And just to give you a heads up, I don’t think it really has anything to do with your household vacuums.

Golf caddies have been in luck for years. The Evans Scholars Foundation Scholarship sends golf caddies to college with full tuition. There are only 19 colleges currently sponsored by the Evans Scholars Foundation, but they are all pretty reputable. Ohio State and Wisconsin are just a few. If you’re a good caddie, you might make a good Evans scholar. The application process starts in August.

Of course, there are some scholarships out there that you and I just cannot attain, unless you’re Catholic, attend Loyola University in Chicago and your last name is Zolp. But don’t let those limitations discourage you.

Check your local Rotary and other private local organizations. There are plenty of do-gooders and philanthropists who would love to help someone get to college. Unfortunately, some of the best scholarships out there go largely underpublicized. But do some digging and research, and you’re bound to unearth a scholarship perfect for you.