Most people assume that it is the 4.0 (and
above) perfect student that naturally wins a ton of college
scholarships. This assumption is wrong however, and has stopped a lot
of talented students from even applying and trying to win money for
college. Here are 5 secrets to winning a college scholarship that
scholarship winners swear by and scholarship losers have no idea even
exist:
1. Increase quantity without sacrificing quality
Scholarship winners don’t just apply for a
few scholarships, they apply for every single scholarship that they can
and learn how to use the information shared on one application for many
others. Scholarship essays can be used more than once, paying careful
attention to word count and subject matter. Often it only requires a
few small writing tweaks to turn one great essay into several, allowing
the student to apply for more scholarships with less time spent on
writing new essays for each one. Application details are usually very
similar, so making copies of all applications and simply transferring
the information from one app to another is another way to save time and
apply for more scholarships.
2. Use your time wisely
Reading the fine print in all scholarship
guidelines is crucial to correctly applying for scholarships and not
wasting time applying for those in which a student does not qualify.
For example, if the scholarship guidelines require applicants to have a
3.5 G.P.A. and above, a student with a 3.4 G.P.A. should not bother
applying. Scholarship judges first look for easy reasons to eliminate
applicants and then take more time to narrow down the possible winners.
Incomplete applications (not including all required materials) and
ignoring clearly stated applicant guidelines are the easiest ways to
have applications tossed into the losers pile. Students who
meticulously follow all guidelines will have a much better chance of
winning the scholarship money, even before the judges begin to read
their essays.
3. Don’t let an essay requirement scare you away
Scholarships should never be ignored or
skipped because of the essay requirement. The essay is the student’s
chance to show the judges, in great personal detail, exactly why they
believe they deserve the scholarship money. Many students avoid
applying for scholarships with an essay, so these scholarships tend to
have less competition, meaning a greater chance of winning for the savvy
student who takes the time to write a compelling essay.
4. Make your applications stand out
Because the competition is so great for
most scholarships, students need to find ways to make their applications
stand out and get noticed by the judges. Little details like paper
weight, envelope size, clear and proper font type, activity or
scholarship resumes, quality letters of recommendation, and overall
presentation of the scholarship application packet can make a huge
difference in how a judge rates the applicant. Simply filling out a
scholarship application and casually mailing it to the required address
may look like a student has done their best, but learning how to polish
and perfect the application is crucial to winning college scholarships.
Online only applications can also be submitted with extra details that
most students don’t bother including, but make a huge difference in the
eyes of the judges.
5. Start early
Finding the time and motivation to work on
college scholarship applications is a large stumbling block for many
students. One great way to overcome this is to encourage students to
begin applying for scholarships well before their peers. Most students
do not even begin thinking about winning scholarships until they have
applied to college and start to see the huge cost associated with higher
education. This is often the spring of their senior year of high
school and by that time, a huge number of scholarship application
deadlines have already come and gone. The student that starts early, in
middle school or as a high school freshman, will have an advantage
because they will be familiar with the college scholarship process and
as a result, will be comfortable with applying for more scholarships
than their fellow students.
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