The Perk of Being an Academic Scholar

To be honest, being a student sucks, especially in the time of a pandemic where classes are held virtually because it is quite challenging and stressful. You have to deal with the slow internet connection in the Philippines, which is even slower if you are from the mountainous areas, handle the emotional, financial, and mental pressure brought by many factors, and have to endure the stress because of not having a conducive environment suitable for online classes and not having enough gadgets to use for the virtual learning.

When the pandemic started and the lockdown was imposed by the government, it has greatly affected the lives of the students and parents as well. Some probably lost their jobs and couldn't even afford to give their children money to buy a load that they can use for their online classes that made some students have their part-time jobs.

Perhaps, most, if not all, of the students nowadays are no longer as passionate as before with regards to their studies. Some are no longer eager to learn but are just doing the tasks and requirements given to them just for the sake of compliance and to have complete grades.

So I'm not lying when I say that one of the best things about being a student is having an academic scholarship that gives a perk of receiving a certain amount of money as a stipend during the semester. In fact, for me, it is one of the motivators to continue studying because of the reasonable amount we will receive at the end of the semester, which will be very useful to the student.

I have been an Academic Scholar since my first year in college, during the second semester. I applied for a Government Scholarship program, and after passing the requirements and exam that was needed to be passed, I'm happy that I was accepted as a scholar.

The money I have received from my scholarship allowance has always been saved in my savings account because I thought I would use it in the future when looking for a job or it will serve as my safety net once I graduate from college and become unemployed. Some were also spent for some of my needs and wants.

In my almost 4 years of being an academic scholar, I have already received a total of 102,500 pesos ($2,032) for the 6 semesters, from first-year 2nd semester to 4th year 1st semester, including the recent stipend that I received this morning. If I were able to save all of that money, it's already a huge amount that I can use to startup and prepare for the future.

And I will use a portion of the stipend that I received this morning to buy a new laptop for myself because I thought it would be the best investment I can have as I'll be using it for my studies and also for future works. I just hope I will be able to find the laptop I have been wanting to buy that is just right for my budget. The laptop is supposed to be a birthday gift for myself but Bitcoin Cash did not pump and I was not able to find a laptop retailer shop that offers other units before. And since I'm going to the city tomorrow, I'll spend some time looking for one.

Receiving a stipend is just one of the perks of being an Academic Scholar because it can also improve your interpersonal skills and sharpen the spirit of volunteerism. So if you're a High School or college student, you might want to look and apply for a scholarship already to enjoy these perks. Ehe!

Cheers to my last sem. of being a scholar!