20 Tips for Filling Out Scholarship Applications
20 Tips For Scholarship Applications
Greetings and introductions matter. Write a short intro and greet the person reviewing your scholarship entry. You’d be surprised to see how a simple greeting can make a huge difference in perception and reception.
Submit mistake free scholarship applications, meticulously follow all guidelines and submit all required materials. “Proper submission comes before quality submission.”
Use a proper and professional email address. This one is obvious, if you want the judges to take you seriously. If possible, use your school email address, and make sure to check your email in case the judges need to contact you! Make sure to check your spam folder.
Don’t write a thesis paper—tell a story. Reading scholarship essays shouldn’t be like reading a textbook. If you’re just listing facts, you’re doing what the majority of the applicants are doing, and that’s not going to make yours stand out. Get personal! Be creative! Don’t be afraid to share your story.
Make sure you send the correct links! I know you didn’t mean to send the link to your friend’s Facebook page or your online homework platform. But you can’t blame anyone but yourself. By sending the wrong links, your chance of winning the scholarship just dropped to zero!
Cross the t’s and dot the i’s. To reiterate and sum up everything…be meticulous and thorough! After you’ve made your final edits, take a 24-hour break, then look through the whole application one last time before clicking that ‘send’ button!
Apply for scholarships with smaller awards. Many students look for scholarships that offer the biggest bucks—but those are also the most competitive. Scholarships with smaller awards usually have fewer applicants, so your chances of winning may be higher. These scholarships can help with college costs like books, supplies, and living expenses.
More work=fewer applicants=better chances. Many students avoid scholarships that require a lot of work, such as essays, videos, and projects. As a result, the applicant pool is much smaller, which means greater chances for you. Scholarships with essays over 1,000 words often have fewer than 500 applicants, compared to the 5,000 students who enter easier scholarships.
Get Personal. Instead of burning yourself out applying for every scholarship you qualify for, have some fun! Apply for scholarships that fit your interests and that you’ll enjoy. There are scholarships for everyone.
Don’t use quotes. Your essay should be about you. The best essays are unique and stand out from the competition, so be original and use your own words.
Satisfy all the requirements. You can write the best essay in the world, but if the prompt asks for a list of five things, and you only list four, you may be disqualified. Make sure you answer every question and accurately meet every requirement.
Stick to the word limit on your essay. Get as close to the word limit as you can, but don’t go over. Exceeding the word limit may disqualify you.
Submit your scholarship application early. Don’t wait until the due date in case there is an unforeseen problem (computer crash, site crash, etc.).
Apply for as many scholarships as you can. The tip we hear the most from scholarship winners is to apply for as many scholarships as you can. Treat it like a part-time job and set aside several hours every month to look for and apply for scholarships. You should continue applying for scholarships for as long as you’re in school.
Don’t Give Up! If you don’t win, don’t take it personally, and DON’T GIVE UP! Like most things in life, the most successful scholarship winners are the ones who keep trying. Find scholarships that you’re passionate about and keep applying.
Beware of scholarship scams. Don’t apply for a scholarship with a “submission fee.”
Clean up your social media. Scholarship committee members often vet the candidates for their scholarships.
Scholarships are not a one-time deal. You can apply for scholarships even in college.
Read criteria carefully. You may be applying for a scholarship that’s not right for you.
Do NOT use AI for essays). You WILL be found out and lose the opportunity for that scholarship.
If you have questions about scholarships or applying for scholarships, contact Chuck Kittrell by email at chuckkittrell@yahoo.com