More than $6 billion in scholarships are awarded to college students each year.
Scholarships are financial gifts that don’t need to be repaid. Various companies, institutes, agencies, non-profit organizations, and even individuals offer thousands of different types of scholarships every year. These include academic scholarships, sports scholarships, artistic scholarships, and more.
If you’re due to start college in the coming years, applying for scholarships can help you reduce your education debt. Here are some important do’s and don’ts to help you with the application process.
Do Start Your Scholarship Search Early
If you’re in high school and already thinking about college scholarships, don’t put off starting the search a moment longer.
The process of searching and applying for appropriate scholarships is often very time-consuming. Starting early gives you plenty of time to wade through all the information out there and complete the often extensive application forms, essays, and other requirements. You can apply for any of the scholarships you qualify for well in advance and continue applying while waiting to hear back from those you’ve already applied to.
Don’t Only Search Online
Many students make the mistake of limiting their search for potential scholarships to what they can find online. The problem here is that 42 percent of scholarships can’t be found through a simple Google search. Many scholarship opportunities out there require a little more “insider information” to find.
Talk to people in a position to know about scholarships. These include your teachers, high school guidance officer, your chosen college’s financial aid office, and college professors. Check with your network of contacts and ask your parents to reach out to anyone they know who could help you find a suitable scholarship.
Also, be sure to make inquiries at the companies where your family members work. Many corporations offer scholarships to the dependents of employees.
Do Look for Opportunities in Your Community
Your local community is another great place to find potential scholarship opportunities. City governments, local businesses, community organizations, and individuals may be offering scholarships to local high schoolers like you. Start searching the local chamber of commerce and your community newspaper to discover scholarships that you could be a match for.
Don’t Make Assumptions
You wouldn’t assume that the Coca-Cola Scholarship is only for soda drinkers. Likewise, a scholarship offered by a sporting brand might not only be for athletes.
Organizations don’t necessarily restrict the scholarships they offer according to their products or services. Rather than discounting opportunities based on assumptions, only cross a scholarship off your list once you’re sure you don’t qualify.
Do Apply For Scholarships You Match With
To enhance your chances of securing a scholarship, explore and apply for those in all the categories that you may be a match for.
If you’re a straight-A student, an academic scholarship is an obvious choice. But you may qualify for an artistic or sports scholarship too depending on your other talents and abilities. The more scholarships you apply for, the better.
It’s also worth considering where you want your post-college career to take you. For example, if you plan to serve in the US military after college, you should apply for an ROTC scholarship. This Reserve Officers’ Training Corps scholarship is an officer training program that prepares you for military service.
Don’t Overlook Lower Award Scholarships
Scholarship awards can vary from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars. While it’s tempting to apply for scholarships with large awards, these shouldn’t be your only option.
You will be up against a lot more competition for these large awards than for the scholarships with smaller amounts. Applying for a combination is a good way to increase your chances of winning.
Also, there’s no limit to how many scholarships you can apply for or win. A few smaller scholarships can soon add up and every dollar helps toward your main goal—paying for school. A $250 or $500 award may not seem worth it, but these lower awards often have simpler application processes and the money can be useful for writing off smaller expenses such as books.
Do Keep Your Grades Up
Applying for scholarships can take a lot of your time but keeping your grades up is important even if you’re applying for a non-academic scholarship. Almost all scholarships require applicants to maintain a certain level of academic performance. Let your grades slide and you could face automatic disqualification.
Don’t Forget About Your Online Presence
Some organizations offering scholarships may decide that they want to know a little more about you in support of your application. In our digital age, your online profiles are an obvious place for them to start looking.
Rather than deleting all your accounts in a panic, take this opportunity to use social media to your advantage. Clean up your online presence by removing any objectionable photos, videos, and comments. A search of your name should only bring up content that shows you in a positive light.
Do Follow the Instructions
Every scholarship comes with a different set of requirements and instructions. Take time to read and understand the criteria to confirm that you’re a match and to make sure you follow the directions to the letter. It would be a shame to submit a perfect application that the organization has no choice but to refuse because you sent in one recommendation letter instead of two.
Don’t Rule Out Applications That Require Essays
We get it. You already have to write so many essays in school that the idea of writing yet more essays for scholarship applications isn’t very appealing.
There’s also the fact that these essays can take a lot of time and effort to get right. But if you’re a strong writer, it’s a big mistake to rule out applications that require essays. Once you have several essay applications under your belt, you’ll also see that the process gets easier every time.
Do Take Time Over Your Application Essay
While you can often edit and repurpose application essays, make sure to take your time over each one and respond to all the individual questions with care and attention.
Every scholarship committee will be looking for specific students who meet their criteria. Understanding the organization’s purpose and goals will help you tailor your responses better and make a convincing case for yourself.
Also, an amazing essay is worth nothing if it doesn’t answer whatever questions the application asks of you. Refer to the specific prompts as you write and it’ll be easier to keep to the topic at hand.
Don’t Fall for Scholarship Scams
Unfortunately, scholarship scams do exist and they can be difficult to recognize if you don’t know the warning signs. Here are some common scam tactics to be aware of:
- Upfront fees – Scholarships offer financial aid. If you have to pay a fee to apply, it’s a scam
- Guarantees you’ll win – No scholarship organization would ever guarantee that you’ll win before you even submit your application
- You’re already a winner! – You haven’t applied for this scholarship but an email is already informing you that you’ve won. As you’ll know if you’ve submitted legitimate scholarship applications, handing awards out to people who haven’t even applied makes no sense
- Requests for personal information – A legitimate sponsor will need to know your name, address, and some other personal data. But if a scholarship application requests unrelated information such as your social security number or bank account details, it has scam written all over it
- No contact information – Scholarship application forms should include any sponsor names and contact details. This info allows you to research the program and get in touch if necessary. If the site has a “don’t call us, we’ll call you” vibe, take it as a definite red flag
Do Choose Your Recommendation Letter Writers Carefully
Letters of recommendation can make all the difference to the success of your scholarship application. To stand a better chance of winning, make sure that any you have to include are relevant and that you are confident in the people writing them for you.
While you can’t control what they write, you can influence the outcome by choosing your letter writer with care. Select your best teacher to write one if possible. If not, you should at least make sure you ask someone who can write a compelling letter on your behalf.
Also, this is another part of the application process you don’t want to rush. Give the person writing the letter plenty of time to craft the kind of letter your application deserves. Providing them with a copy of your student resume is also handy as they can use it to reference your student activities.
Don’t Wait Until the Deadline to Submit
Remember, scholarship application deadlines aren’t suggestions—they’re final. Try submitting your application after the deadline and the organization won’t accept it, no matter how flawless your essay or how glowing your recommendation letters are.
To avoid missing a deadline, aim to complete your applications long beforehand. This tactic ensures that you have plenty of extra time to fix your application should any issues crop up. Then, once you have an application complete and ready to go, submit it straight away.
The earlier you submit your application, the sooner you’ll find out whether it was successful or not. You’ll then know if you can count on this money when paying for school or if you need to keep applying.
Do Stay Organized
Applying for scholarships can be tough if you don’t manage your time well.
Instead of grabbing a few minutes here and there, set aside a specific time to focus on applying. Depending on your schedule, this could be a block of hours once a week, an hour each day, or whatever works for you. When the time rolls around, focus on all your efforts on your applications.
To stay on top of your applications once you start them, record any relevant details on a digital or paper spreadsheet. This should include information about qualification criteria, requirements, and deadlines. This document will let you know at a glance if an application needs to be in by May or June or whether it calls for one or two recommendation letters.
Don’t Get Discouraged
Every student who has ever won a scholarship has thought that it was unlikely or even impossible that they’d win. But guess what? They won—and you can too!
Many applicants get discouraged if they don’t hear back right away. But the process is slow and it’s common for acceptance letters to take a while to reach the successful applicants.
Keep in mind that applying for scholarships is a numbers game. The more you apply for, the better your chances of winning. Instead of taking on a defeatist attitude and giving up, while you’re waiting to hear from those you’ve applied to, continue to search for scholarships that match your skills and abilities. Scholarship applications are very competitive but giving up is the only way you’re guaranteed to never win one.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Applying for Scholarships
Scholarships are financial gifts that can ease the strain of paying for school. But as this guide shows, you have to do a lot of work to secure a scholarship in the first place.
As you’ll soon find out, there’s a lot more to applying for scholarships than filling in a form. The whole process—from searching and asking around to completing lengthy applications and essays—can take a lot of time and effort. You’ll also need to maintain your grades in the meantime. But, if you’re lucky enough to win a scholarship, you’ll know that it was all worth it.
For more informative insights and news updates, check out our other blog posts today. From the dangers of TRT to business software purchasing mistakes, we’ll keep you informed!
