Get Prepared, Get Organized, Get Noticed, Be Persistent and Don't Give Up!
Get Prepared
- Start gathering material about yourself. Build a file or resume'. Things to include:
- Grade point average, class rank, courses selected (areas of interest).
- Test scores (SAT, ACT, etc.)
- School and community services you have participated in.
- Honors and awards you have received.
- Your hobbies and interests.
- Copies of your College Transcripts
- Some students even include a picture. Anything smaller than a wallet size head shot, will do. This gives your application a face.
- Get some folders or clear binders to submit the application in. First impressions are important.
- Work and volunteer experience.
- Think about your personal goals. You may be asked to write essays on these types of topics:
- What are your education and career goals?
- Where do you see yourself five years from now?
- What are your three best characteristics?
- Contact three individuals to act as references.
- Check to see if they would be willing to write a letter of reference for you.
- Ask them early -- a couple of weeks, at least -- so they will not be rushed and you will have the letters in time for the application deadline.
Beginning the Application Process -- Start Early
- Most scholarship applications require an application form, a personal essay (150 - 500 words), and one or more letters of recommendation. Allow yourself at least two weeks to complete this process. Be sure to neatly type all information and use only allotted space or, if allowed, additional sheets of paper. Be sure that font is appropriate size not too big or too small.
- Create a chart to keep on top of all dates. The chart should include:
- Scholarship name and phone number
- Date application must be received by scholarship committee
- Date you requested the application
- Date you received the application
- Date application with above package was mailed
- Date you called the Scholarship Agency to verify they received your application package
- What is required : transcripts, standardized examination scores, financial aid forms, parent’s financial information, scholarship essay, and letters of recommendation.
- Finish the application form completely, answering every question. If you skip a question, you may be disqualified. Make sure your application is perfect in every respect … spelling, grammar and appearance.
- Meet with your school professor, financial aid advisor and your academic advisor. Often a school representative, usually your counselor or advisor, will be required to complete a section of your application, confirming your academic record and perhaps recommending you. Give this person at least one week to complete the school's portion of your application.
- Draft your essay. Don't expect your first essay to be perfect. Allow enough time to evaluate and rewrite. It is a good idea to compose your essay on a computer or a separate sheet of paper and transfer the final draft to the scholarship application form.
- Be aware of the deadline. A late or incomplete application may automatically disqualify you.
- Be sure your references know you and are solid before submitting them. The best reference is honest, enthusiastic, and clearly shows that the writer knows the applicant well. A reference should say what the applicant is too modest to say for themselves.
- Applications often seem rather “light” in terms of activities and achievements; there is nothing wrong with listing experiences and accomplishments starting from high school to date; in fact, this might enhance the application.
- Extracurricular activities, after school work, and nonprofit labor are all of interest. More important is what the applicant achieved, demonstrating leadership and accomplishment in a rich mix. For example: chess club, debate, football, supermarket clerk, church youth groups and volunteer firefighter. A few endeavors are more important than mere membership in several activities. What has the applicant done to make things better?
** Beware of scholarships that ask for you to place money down towards your award; helpful tips about scholarship scams can be found here.
The Essay
Starting Your Essay
Scholarship donors want to know more about their applicants than just statistics and dry facts. Essays are an extremely important part of the scholarship selection process. The essays define who the applicant is, and highlight their accomplishments, personal growth and education/career goals.
- You are writing for a purpose. Be persuasive in showing the reader that you are deserving of the award. Remember your audience.
- Make certain that you understand the question or the topic. Your essay should answer the question or speak directly to the given topic.
- Make a list of all your ideas, any possibilities. Be creative, brainstorm without censoring.
- Sort through ideas and priorities. You can't tell them everything, so be selective.
- Choose ideas and information which are not reflected in other parts of your application. This is your chance to supplement your application with information you want them to know.
Writing The Draft -- Apply what you learned in English class
- Develop an outline of what information you want to present and in what order you want to present it. Then work on one paragraph at a time, always trying to include a topic sentence and examples which prove your point as convincingly as possible.
- Make transitions between your paragraphs.
- Avoid using the passive voice. Action verbs capture much more attention.
- Use concrete examples. Examples of behavior will often demonstrate an idea more effectively than an adjective. In other words, show how or why, don't just tell.
- Use exact, concrete language. Avoid vague references, wordy usage or cliche's.
Editing Your Draft
- Consider the following points:
- Does your introduction capture the reader's attention?
- Are you consistent in your verb tense?
- Is your writing clear and coherent?
- Are you being concise enough to adhere to the limits in essay length?
- Have you checked for grammatical or spelling errors?
- Does the essay present you as you wish to be seen?
- Would you remember this essay if you, like the judges, had to read 200 others? If not, what can you do to change that?
- Does your closing paragraph tie everything in your essay together and does it present you as you wish to be remembered?
- Ask a person whose writing abilities you respect to review your draft. Sometimes a pair of fresh eyes will spot errors that tired ones miss.
Letters of Recommendation
- Letters of recommendation may be from a teacher, an alumni, an employer, a leader in your church, or a prominent member or your community.
- In selecting individuals whom you would like to write a letter of recommendation, it is wise to ask someone who knows you well and admires your accomplishments.
- The best letters are ones that include specifics: non-academic interests, personal strengths, unusual qualities, work experience, and anecdotal examples of your integrity, humor, ability to adapt, interpersonal skills, interest in others, and openness to new experiences.
- When asking someone to write a recommendation on your behalf, it is helpful to give them a written description of the scholarship. Be sure to mark the deadline clearly for endorsers, so they will know when to complete your letter. Be sure to ask for the reference between two and three weeks in advance, you do not want them to be rushed.
- With all this time and information, they will be able to convey to the committee why you as an individual are best suited to receive the scholarship.
Activity Sheet
- What the scholarship committees seek to learn from this listing is how you have spent your time outside of class and the extent to which you have committed yourself to those interests.
- The list should be a simple and clear list of the clubs, sports, hobbies, awards, volunteer or paid jobs which you have pursued throughout your high school years.
- Do not forget to list things that are important to you, even if they are not organized into clubs or lessons. You may like to paint each weekend or you help teach Sunday school classes at your church. If it is important to you, and reflects part of yourself that the selection committees should know about, write it down.
- They won't know until you tell them.
Completing Your Application
- Complete applications neatly and accurately - type, unless it specifies to be completed in the students' hand.
- Follow instructions as outlined by the sponsor or agency to the "T".
- Submit only complete folders. If you omit any item from the list of requirements or fail to respond to parts of the application form you may automatically disqualify yourself. Some scholarship applications include photographs, autobiographies, essays, letters of recommendation, etc.
- When you think that the application is complete, ask a friend to review it one last time. Make certain you provide everything that the application requires.
- Retain a copy for your records
- Meet all deadlines. Do not wait and just get in "under the wire," but complete the application and submit it as soon as possible.
- If your application dictates letters of recommendation, it is your responsibility to request teachers to send the letters to the appropriate office.
- Do that little something extra special which will distinguish your application from others.
- Apply for all scholarships for which you are eligible. Do not be selective. Some students will not apply if the scholarship has a small value. However, in the past many students have been recipients of several of these smaller scholarships which, when added together are most helpful in meeting college costs.
Follow-Up
- Thank those who assisted you with the application or wrote letters of recommendation. A thank-you note would be nice. Making a good impression can only help you.
- If you are granted a scholarship, be certain to keep in touch with the donors. It is especially crucial to maintain contact if the scholarship is renewable.
- If you are granted a renewable scholarship, find out if you must meet specific conditions to have your award renewed.
Time Saving Hint
- Many scholarship applications have similar essay requirements. You may be able to use the same essay, with only slight variations, for more than one scholarship.
Interview
Interviews are required by some private scholarship committees, usually as one of the final stages of the selection process. An interview is more likely to be required if the scholarship is awarded for personal characteristics, like leadership or motivation, as well as strict achievement. The scholarship committee may want to meet you in order to give a personal impression to all the forms they receive. The interview can be an opportunity to emphasize for them your interests and hopes for your college education. Being neatly dressed and prompt helps; it tells the interviewer that you care about receiving the scholarship. Beforehand, it might reassure you to look over the copies you made of your application. This will refresh your mind and help you focus on what you and your interviewer will most likely discuss. Even though the setting of an interview may make you nervous, remember that they are just trying to get to know their potential recipient better.