While seniors around the country are likely finishing up their college applications, many are also working to apply for scholarships. After all, average tuition, room, and board for in-state students in 2022 was $22,690. If you are wanting to be more successful in applying for scholarships, here are some of our best tips.
Spend Time Doing Research
Applying for scholarships is quite similar to applying for colleges. You want to spend a lot of time doing research. If you’ve spent a few minutes searching online, you’ve undoubtedly come across hundreds of potential scholarships. Spend some time skimming and identifying ones that best fit your needs.
Many students feel the need to apply for as many scholarships as possible. However, this can lead to a lower quality of applications. Instead, it is often better to focus on quality of a handful of applications. This can often result in receiving more scholarships since you will put forth strong applications.
Another tip for researching scholarships is to look for local ones. There are often many small scholarships that have few applicants each year. You can find these by chatting with your school’s guidance counselor, doing google searches, or word of mouth.
Understand The Audience
An important aspect of any scholarship application – and really anything you write – is understanding your audience. When it comes to scholarships, this means knowing what a school or organization is looking for in an applicant.
Each scholarship is likely based on specific traits, values, or abilities. Some may look for you to exhibit leadership skills. Others may focus on how you have given back to your community. Still, others may be focused on what you plan to do with your degree.
Be sure to read the details of the scholarship and learn a little bit more about the values of the school or organization offering it. This will help you determine the best things to discuss in your application essay. Tailoring your essay to the audience correctly will put you on the right track to getting noticed.
Be Sure to Edit Your Essay
Many scholarship applicants will write an essay and then call it good. However, you definitely want to ensure that you are spending time editing. The editing process can really make your essay pop. When you are trying to stand out for scholarships, this is important.
While people have different writing processes, one thing that helps many students is to set a completed essay aside for a few days before looking at it again. This helps you see it with fresh eyes. As a result, you may find better word choices or more vivid ways to express things.
Another important tip is to get a different set of eyes to take a look. Perhaps your English teacher, a parent, or family member would take a read through. They can catch potential grammar mistakes or typos you may have missed. They can also potentially give you some ideas for improving it.
Use Organization to Your Advantage
Not all of us are the most organized. However, organizing your scholarship search can be an important tool for success. There are a few specific things that you can do to help streamline the process. First, from your list of scholarships, jot down the dates that each is due. Once you have this done, work backwards to plan your timeline.
Give yourself time to write essays, get letters of recommendation, or do whatever else is required for the application. Be generous with time as we all know things can pop up and cause delays. Set goals for completing different aspects and put them on your calendar.
Another important strategy that many people do is to prioritize scholarships. This can help if you end up with a huge list that you aren’t sure you can make it through. When doing this, think about the amount of effort a scholarship application will take combined with the potential payout in order to better optimize your time.
Consider Your Social Media
One thing many people don’t think about is how their social media presence reflects them. However, some scholarships will vet finalists by doing a quick search on popular social media sites. The major point of this is to ensure that the recipients don’t have anything that could be deemed embarrassing or offensive for their organization.
Thus, be sure to take some time to do a quick scan of your social media. This is a good habit because colleges and – in the future – employers will often do the same thing when considering applicants. Remember that you have a public image that everyone can see as well as a private one that can only be seen by friends and people you let into your network.
Understanding how privacy settings on different social media sites work can help you ensure that you know who is seeing what you post. Make sure that your public posts cannot be interpreted negatively. After all, a scholarship committee member won’t know the inside joke you share with your friends.
Don’t Give Up!
Finally, it is often normal to become a bit frustrated during the scholarship search process. After all, each scholarship can only have one – or a handful – of winners. That means many qualified people won’t receive the positive news that they’ve won.
However, persistence pays off. Following these tips and putting forth the effort can reward you with some major money to help reduce the cost of college.
