We’ve provided 40 scholarship success methods and secrets below to help students and graduates win more scholarships.
Obtaining scholarships can make college and post-graduate education more affordable. While good grades and essays are important, there are many other scholarship success secrets that students can use to maximize their chances of winning. This comprehensive guide will reveal all of the known strategies, methods, and techniques that scholarship applicants can utilize.
Preparation Secrets – Getting Ready for Scholarship Applications
Before you even begin filling out scholarship applications, there are several key things you can do to prepare. Being proactive and organized from the very beginning will give you a significant edge.
Research Scholarships Relevant To You
- Spend time identifying scholarships that are a good fit based on your background, demographics, field of study, hobbies,affiliations, etc. Create a spreadsheet to track relevant scholarship opportunities and deadlines.
- Use free scholarship search tools like Fastweb and Scholarships.com to find scholarships tailored to your unique profile.
Organize and Update Your Achievements
- Maintain an ongoing resume detailing your academic achievements, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and honors/awards received. Having this ready will make completing applications easier.
- Compile a portfolio showcasing your best work, performances, research projects, or publications. These can be submitted with applications or used for essay inspiration.
Craft Your Scholarship Essay
- Develop an outstanding personal essay covering your background, interests, goals, and how you meet the scholarship criteria. The essay often makes or breaks an application.
- Tailor your essay for each scholarship but have a strong starting draft you can revise, making adjustments to fit word counts or prompts.
- Have multiple people proofread your essay to help refine and improve it.
Request Letters of Recommendation
- Contact teachers, mentors, coaches, supervisors, and community leaders early to request letters of recommendation highlighting your strengths. Give them plenty of notice and make sure to send them your resume/achievements.
- Provide recommenders with the scholarship prompts and point out particular skills you want emphasized. This gives them direction to write the most effective letter possible.
Application Secrets – Strategies For Completing Applications
When it comes time to actually fill out scholarship applications, use these tips and tricks to submit the best applications possible.
Read Instructions Carefully
- Review all instructions thoroughly and make sure to follow directions precisely. Details like word counts, formatting guidelines, and supporting documents required are important.
- If instructions change or there are clarifications, revisit your application to ensure you have everything correct. Don’t risk having your application thrown out on a technicality.
Make sure Applications Are Error-Free
- Carefully proofread every application before submitting. Check for spelling and grammar errors which can negatively impact your chance of selection.
- Ask someone else to review your applications as a second set of eyes. They may catch mistakes you overlooked.
Provide Additional Information Selectively
- Only submit supplemental items like resumes, portfolios, articles, or videos if specifically requested or clearly value-added. Avoid sending extraneous materials that won’t be reviewed.
- When given an option, pick your best work samples that highlight your abilities in areas relevant to the scholarship criteria. Quality over quantity.
Submit Early When Possible
- For scholarships with a hard deadline, submit your application as early as you can. It gives you a better chance of making the first cut and shows initiative.
- If a scholarship has rolling deadlines, applying early can increase your chances before the funding is used up.
- Avoid submitting at the last minute. Technical issues could cause errors or prevent submission entirely.
Follow Up After Submitting
- Verify your application was received successfully. Politely contact the administrator if you don’t get acknowledgement within a reasonable timeframe.
- If contacted for an interview or additional information, respond promptly and be prepared. Have recommendations and portfolio ready.
- Thank scholarship providers after submitting an application and again if you are selected. Express genuine interest and appreciation.
Differentiation Secrets – Going Beyond Grades and Essays
While academic accomplishments are important, you need to differentiate yourself from the competition by highlighting other skills, traits, and experiences. Utilize these secrets to make your application stand out.
Demonstrate Leadership and Initiative
- Share examples of leadership roles you have held in community, religious, cultural, athletic, or extracurricular activities. Emphasize skills like teamwork, communication, organization, and responsibility.
- Discuss entrepreneurial ventures, businesses or organizations you have founded, causes you have championed, or initiatives you organized showing motivation.
Illustrate Perseverance and Resilience
- Overcoming challenges like disabilities, disadvantaged backgrounds, discrimination, lack of resources/support, or setbacks shows determination. Discuss obstacles you persevered through.
- For hardships you endured, focus on the skills and strength of character gained rather than just the difficulty. Show how you turn adversity into advantage.
Convey Passion and Creativity
- Scholarship evaluators want to support students who are passionate about their field of study or interests. Share what drives you.
- Demonstrate creativity through hobbies like art, music, writing, programming, design, or performances. Set yourself apart with unique talents and gifts.
Highlight Community Service and Volunteerism
- Scholarship providers often care about compassion. Discuss causes you believe in and volunteer work you have undertaken, emphasizing empathy and commitment to others.
- Quantify your impact in terms of hours served, populations helped, lives touched, funds raised, awareness raised, etc. to illustrate the scope and significance.
Follow-Up Secrets – Using Scholarships To Further Your Education
Being selected is just the first step. Here are some final pointers to help you maximize the value of scholarships.
Claim and Activate Awards Properly
- Follow instructions from scholarship providers about acceptance paperwork, thank you letters, or other requirements needed to officially claim your award.
- Contact the financial aid office at your school immediately to provide details to ensure scholarships are applied properly to tuition and expenses.
Continue Eligibility Requirements
- Many scholarships require you maintain certain GPAs, enrollment levels, or areas of study. Know the terms and ensure you fulfil all requirements to avoid issues.
- Promptly complete and submit any progress reports required by scholarship providers, detailing your ongoing activities and academic record.
Inquire about Renewal Opportunities
- See if scholarships you receive can be renewed for subsequent years. This can save you time from having to reapply.
- Ask what renewal typically entails – maintaining grades, expressing continued interest, formal application, etc. Start any renewal process early.
Send Thank You Notes
- Always send thank you notes to scholarship providers, both when initially selected and upon completion.
- Share how the scholarship made a difference in furthering your education and future goals. Maintain a relationship, as they may provide references or professional connections down the road.
Wrapping Up
Winning scholarships takes more than getting good grades and writing strong essays. Utilizing preparation, application, differentiation, and follow-up scholarship secrets can give you an advantage over the competition. Be proactive, highlight your strengths, and demonstrate your passion. With hard work and smart strategies, you can maximize your scholarship funding and investment in your future.
