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College Scholarship Tip: Join Enrichment Clubs Like FIRST Robotics
The FIRST Robotics program literally changed the life of my son!
Parents often struggle these days with how to get their students to play fewer video games and become involved in an activity that is educational and fun.
Can you relate?
My husband and I were dealing with that same dilemma with our youngest son when he was a high school freshman. He was a smart kid but content with going to school and then coming home and spending the rest of his day playing video games.
Knowing how important scholarship prep is, I started looking for something that might spark his interest and compel him to get out and try something new that one day may benefit him in the college scholarship department. A new FIRST Robotics team had just formed in our area, and my husband and I strongly encouraged him to try out “just one meeting.”
Well, let me tell you, it was one of the smartest parenting decisions we’ve made in a LONG time. 
The advantages of being on a FIRST Robotics team are many, and there are millions (yes, millions) of scholarship dollars available for FIRST members.
There are also scholarships open to video gamers and students involved in esports. (Find several here.)
My son is learning computer coding, robot building, marketing, safety, proper use of hand tools, and so much more.
Read about our experience so far with FIRST Robotics and the results of our first competition here. (This post was also published on the FIRST Robotics website!)
College Scholarship Tip: Join Enrichment Clubs Like #FIRSTRobotics Share on X
Sometimes, we need to give our students a little push in the right direction and encourage them to step outside of their comfort zones, especially when we see them stuck in a rut and not developing the skills we know are just waiting to get out.
I highly recommend programs like FIRST Robotics and other similar educational, yet super fun, organizations for our kids who will be college-bound in a few short years.
Video games are great, but that controller needs a rest too!
Open to High School Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors! APPLY NOW HERE
Do you have a question about the FIRST Robotics program? Feel free to share in the comments section, and I will tap into my FIRST Robotics resources to answer your question. Looking for more scholarship tips like this one? Download your copies of the How to Win College Scholarships ebooks by clicking here.
2025 UPDATE: After two years on his FIRST Robotics team, my son was chosen as team captain. In his senior year of high school, he was admitted into his dream schoolthe University of Michigan. He graduated from college in 2023 and was hired as a computer science engineer after his first job interview. I have no doubt that the skills and life lessons he learned as a result of his FIRST Robotics experience played a HUGE role in his college acceptance and the thousands of scholarship dollars that he wonas well as his chosen career path.
Monica Matthews is the author of How to Win College Scholarships. She helped her own son win over $100,000 in college scholarships and now shares her expertise with other parents and their students. She truly has “been there, done that” in regard to helping parents and students navigate the scholarship process.
Her method of helping students in finding college scholarships, writing unique and compelling scholarship essays, creating amazing scholarship application packets, and more have taught desperate parents to help their own students win thousands of scholarship dollars. She teaches them how to apply S.M.A.R.T. with outstanding results.
Monica’s scholarship tips have been featured on many prominent websites, and she has been dubbed the “Go-To” expert on college scholarships.
