So, you should know by now that not all scholarships are given out on the basis of your grade point average or financial need. You can earn a scholarship based on which hand you write with, a job you've held, being a twin, or going to prom in a really strange outfit. In the world of "unusual" or "wacky" scholarships, anything goes. Although some of the criteria to win one of these scholarships can seem pretty "out there," unusual scholarships can be grouped into some basic categories based on the stipulations that the scholarship provider makes.

• Awarded based on physical characteristics - If you attend Juniata College in Pennsylvania, you can receive a scholarship based solely on the hand you write with...as long as it's your left hand. If you are a female who is at least 5'10" or a male who is at least 6'2", Tall Clubs International has a scholarship for you. Students who are twins or triplets may be eligible for scholarships from various colleges, such as Carl Albert State College in Oklahoma or Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.
• Awarded based on jobs, hobbies, or interests - The Evans Scholars Foundation gives out about 200 scholarships each year to students who have worked as golf caddies for at least two years. Students with an interest in the study of the paranormal may be eligible for a scholarship from the Parapsychology Foundation. If you refuse to eat meat and try to convince your friends to do the same, you could win a scholarship from the Vegetarian Resource Group.
• Awarded based on a specific set of criteria - Some scholarship sponsors establish very specific criteria designed to find a certain type of student to win an award. For example, a female student planning to attend the University of North Carolina at Greensboro who will live on campus, has no car, has never been married, and has financial need can receive a scholarship in the amount of her financial need.

There are also unusual scholarships that are so wacky that they don't fit into any of these categories. If you possess the ability to call ducks, for example, you can compete in the annual duck calling contest in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and possibly win a scholarship. Students who are willing to go to prom dressed in an outfit made of duct tape (and have the ability to convince their date to do the same) could win a scholarship and win their school some money, too. You love candies? Try AACT National Candy Technologists Scholarship. And if you are under 4'10" in height, you might want to see Little People of America Scholarship. You are a tall one? No problems, Tall Clubs International (TCI) Scholarship offers a $1,000 scholarship for tall people. What if you just love knitting wool garments? National Make It Yourself with Wool Competition has $1000 and $2000 in scholarships waiting for you. What if you just happened to be born and you last name is “Zolp”, see the Zolp Scholarships, they could help you to pay for college. No luck with last name? Maybe you have been skateboarding for some time now? Because then you are be eligible for Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship. Don’t eat meat? Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship provides $5000 scholarships. There are scholarships for amateur radio operators, asthma patients, blind students, bowlers, boy scouts and girl scouts, children of veterans, choral singers, debaters, entrepreneurs, farmers, feminists, French speakers, gardeners, golfers, grandchildren of alumni, horseback riders, lesbians, band members, nudists, overweight students, tall women, water skiers, and workers at some McDonald's restaurants. Just to name a few.

Don't give up on a scholarship just because you don't have the highest GPA or a lot of financial need - there are plenty of scholarships out there for a student just like you!