Going to college can cost and arm and a leg, but if you have prowess in a sport you might be able to put those arms and legs to good use by getting a sports scholarship which will pay your college fees. Getting a scholarship is not always easy, though, and you may have to work as hard to get a scholarship as you do in your chosen sport.

Most students will apply to a mainstream sport such as football or basketball, but if you do not have prowess on the field or track, then do not think scholarships are beyond your reach, as there are plenty of scholarships available for lesser known sports – some of which pay full fees.

If racquet sports are your game, then consider applying for a scholarship in badminton, tennis, squash or even table tennis. Several colleges across the US offer scholarships for these sports to both male and female players.

Balls do not always have to be oval. If you are not an American football fan, then consider applying for a soccer scholarship, or if you prefer summer sports then consider a cricket scholarship. Rugby is growing in popularity in America and some colleges offer scholarships for rugby players.

If you are good at heavy lifting and your clean and jerk technique is up to the mark, then think about funding your college years with a weightlifting scholarship, offered by several colleges to both men and women. Or if you prefer testing yourself against a human opponent and compete in the judo circle or the boxing ring, scholarships are also available for these sports. Or get on guard with a fencing scholarship.

Some athletic scholarships do not even need a high level of physical fitness, although they still need a student to have application, want, and high level skills. Consider an archery scholarship or a bowling scholarship if you prefer to play your sport at a slightly more sedate pace.

Do not forget that although there may be fewer people applying in your chosen sport, if you excel in one of these more obscure sports, there may still be a lot of competition because there will be less scholarships available. In some cases only a few colleges will offer scholarships in your chosen sport which may limit your choices so pick carefully. You may also need to have higher academic standards because competition for the places will be tough.

Applying to these scholarships takes the same attitude and skills as applying to a mainstream sport. Make sure you do your research well and get your name known with the recruiters at your favored colleges. Tailor your letters to each specific college so the recruiters feel like you really want to be there. Everybody is an internet whizz these days, but using things such as You Tube can help in your bid for a scholarship. Think about compiling a short video of your best football games, or track runs and post it on You Tube and send recruiters the link so they can see you in action.

If you play a lesser known sport, and think your skills might be enough to carry you through college then you might also like to consider approaching the local or national bodies for your sport. They may also offer scholarships which can help to pay your college fees.

Your sporting prowess is obviously important when applying for an athletic scholarship, but do not neglect your academic studies, college is after all about getting an education. There are always rumors about top athletes being offered easier courses or lower academic standards because colleges want them on their team, but a well-respected college will probably expect you to have decent academic standards as well as being a good athlete.

If you are hoping for an athletic scholarship, then attitude is also important. You may be number one in your school team, but at college you might find yourself lower down the pecking order. You might even find yourself in the reserves for large parts of the season. If you want a scholarship, then you will need to show you can deal with that kind of rejection without sulking or dropping your work rate on or off the field.

An athletic scholarship is a great way to fund a college career which may otherwise be out of your reach, and allows you to continue playing your favorite sport while furthering your education.

Sarah Hunt is a freelance writer based in New Hampshire. She has nine years experience as a journalist and a freelancer and writes for several sites including Degree Jungle a college student resource.

What it cost today will not be how it would cost tomorrow, or the day when you finally decided to enroll yourself into an institution that will help you have a better future.

There are ways to lessen that burden, though.

Today, I’m going to talk about Philippine’s top schools for college bound student-athlete. Picking the right school means everything for a student athlete. I hope student-athlete’s would find this useful in picking the right school for them.

If you are a student-athlete in high school or a potential college athelete, make a study about the school you would want to play for. You’ll be there for at least four years. Here’s my pick on Philippine’s top school’s for college bound student-athlete.

University of the Philippines. The country’s national university. This school offers a vast array of programs and almost all of which offers good quality of education. Education, Engineering, Sciences, you can find almost any program you wish to take in your undergraduate degree.

Be warned though that studying in University of the Philippines and playing a sport is a tough task to endure. It is the premier institution of higher learning in the Philippines. As such, admission into the University of the Philippines is very competitive. They say that only about 18% of the total students who takes the exam every year are accepted.

That’s just the entrance exam. If you plan to study in this institution, be sure you are ready and can balance having sports and education until you finish your chosen program.

Talking about program, let’s talk about the sports program of the University of the Philippines. University of the Philippines is a member school of University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). Athlete’s are given allowances and student are free from all educational charges. Each sports discipline have it’s own reputable coaches that handles the training programs of athletes. The university’s recruitment program fares OK.

UP currently dominates in swimming, softball, Judo, Baseball.

If you’re from UP, you are a UP Fighting Maroon.

Ateneo de Manila University. Playing for the Blue and White? AdMU was originally a founding member of the Philippine’s National Collegiate Athletic Assosiation (NCAA). Ateneo left the legue and joined the UAAP in 1978, where it fields teams in all events. Ateneo also participates in the Father Martin’s Cup, the Home and Away tournament, and the Shakey’s V-League.

Ateneo dominates in Boy’s swimming, Judo, and Fencing.

Ateneo boasts good campus for education and is a center of excellence in Business Administration, Chemistry, English, Entrepreneurship, Information Technology, Literature, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Phsycology, and Sociology.

If you play for Ateneo, you are a Blue Eagle.

Mapua Institute of Technology. One of the country’s premiere engineering institution. Mapua is a member school of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Since the Yuchenco acquired Mapua, prospect students are not limited to engineering programs. In lieu with the institution’s application for university status, Mapua added couple of non-engineering programs into its list of offerings.

The Red and Gold dominates in Track and Field, Chess, Swimming, Volleyball, Basketball, and Football.

If you’re a student of this institute, you are a Cardinal.

De la Salle University. This Taft based University is arguably the most technologicaly advanced (Project Sinag) educational institution in the country. Known for its Engineering and Science programs.

In 1986, La Salle joined the UAAP and has won seven basketball titles in its 20-year participation in the league.

In the UAAP, Ateneo-La Salle games are the most favorite and watched rivalries. It attracts numerous notable alumi of the two institute to watch their games whenever these two schools collide.

La Salle is notable in Basketball, Badminton, and Football but is yet to win a General Championship in the UAAP.

De La Salle is a center of excellence in Biology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Electronics and Communications Engineering, English, Filipino language, Information Technology, Literature, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Teacher Education.

If you’re from this university, you are a Green Archer.

University of Sto. Tomas. Asia’s oldest university. Also a UAAP member school, UST dominates in Track and Field, Basketball, Fencing, Football, Table Tennis, Swimming, Tennis all division, Volleyball,

Taekwando, Chess, Badminton and Baseball.

It is rumored that University of Sto. Tomas plans to have a Coliseum built in their campus. If this is true, it’s a good news for the university’s athlete’s and students.

With their better recruitment program and training programs, the University of Sto. Tomas owns couple of general championship in the UAAP.

University of Sto. Tomas is a center of exellence in Medicine, Nursing, Chemistry, Literature, Philosophy, Music, Architecture and Teacher Education.

If you are from this Espana based university, you are a Yellow Tiger.

Far Eastern Univeristy. One of many educational institutions that the University Belt has to offer. FEU is widely known for its education related programs, which most athlete prefer to take as an undergraduate degree. As such, FEU has been a destination for young and talented student-athletes.

Far Eastern University is a member school of UAAP and dominates in the Men’s and Women’s Track and Field, Table Tennis, Chess, Football, Beach Volleyball, Basketball, and Badminton

FEU compensates their athletes with dormitory, monthly allowance and free tuition fees.

If you are from the far east, you are a Tamaraw.

Finding the right school for college bound student-athlete in the Philippines may make or break your sporting and professional career. College is where you prepare for yourself when you go out there in the jungle. Make sure you are qualified and eligible to participate in college sports.

And since I manage an internet cafe I guess I needed more training to help improve by business. So then, in the last couple of terms, I enrolled for Cisco at our school’s Center for Continuing Education and Special Competencies (CCESC). I decided to enroll there because I don’t have the luxury to go to more expensive schools and primarily because they’re harder accessible. Also CCESC is where I finished my HP-Unix training and I know how good they do their job.

When I finished my technical training at dBWizards about Managing Windows XP, I was delighted to receive a certificate of completion. I felt really good.

Now, I’ve been thinking of pushing further. I want to have that Cisco certification. So that when I graduate, I see myself employed as Network Engineer, an IT Administrator or a Technology Specialist. It’s what I love doing.

One question that looms, though is: What certification should I get?

There are basically two types of certification. General and Specialist Certification. General certification includes Routing & Switching, Design, Security, Service Provider, Storage Networking, Voice and Wireless.

To help you achieve this certifications, Cisco offers an online Learning Center. Neat huh!?

I admire my friends from South Spiral who do code work as their job. Carla, Audrey, Dominic, Samantha, Wil, Tonio and specially our friend Glad, who now works in Japan as a coder by day and a pron watcher by night. Hi Glad! LOL.

Seriously, they all are successful and I want to be like them, too. For me, taking Certifications such as Cisco is one way to go BIG in IT.

Involve in IT? What’s your story?