If you are a student that is planning on attending college, you might be thinking about applying for a scholarship to reduce the impact of college costs in your pockets. So choose one wisely if you want to deal with less financial strain in the future.
However, as most current students know, it can be a challenge to land a scholarship, especially if you are looking for a scholarship to cover your full college education for the next four years.
This guide will go over the 8 ways you can stand out when applying for the scholarship opportunities you want. There are plenty of scholarship programs, each with its unique eligibility requirements and different amounts of scholarship money.
We understand that it may be hard to decide which one is best for you and, more importantly, to accurately assess your chances of getting merit-based scholarships, financial aid awards, or other types of college scholarships. Let’s take a look now at the following list of ways you can stand out below with your scholarship application.
1. Find scholarships that will apply to you
First, you’ll want to pay attention to the scholarships that you may be interested in. It’s essential you check out the eligibility requirements for each type of scholarship that may be available to you. This way, you can start getting ready for the scholarship of your choice as soon as you start high school because you can make sure you’ll get the best grades and check all the requirements in time to meet the admissions application deadline.
Some scholarships require you to major in a specific program like business, political science, or whatever major you’re interested in. See if they have an online application available. Also, find out the scholarship deadlines so you can mark them on your calendar. Work each day toward achieving this goal!
If you start early, you will have the chance to apply before the other students. It will also give you enough time to gather all the required materials. This includes letters of recommendation, school transcripts, and others. You may also need a copy of an application for admission to your school of choice.
2. Get letters of recommendation early
Letters of recommendation are a must for prospective students applying for an academic scholarship. You’ll want to get these as early as possible. As a rule of thumb, consider asking a teacher, advisor, peers, coach, or anyone that may write one a few weeks in advance.
You want them to have enough time to complete the letter. You can provide them with relevant information, such as any academic awards you might have, activities you’ve participated in, or anything else that might be of interest to them. If a scholarship does not require a letter of recommendation, getting one might give you a leg up.
3. Make your essays unique
As part of the process, you’ll need to write a scholarship essay. Admission essays can sometimes make or break a student’s application. Make sure you practice answering essay prompts to write a convincing scholarship essay.
However, if you want to make the most of your chances of getting a scholarship, try to keep your essay original for each type of scholarship. Do not use the same essay over and over again. The reason for this is that each scholarship application will be unique in terms of what the scholarship providers want in the essay.
4. Make sure your essay applies to the right audience
You’ll want your essay to apply to the right audience. That is why it is important to do your due diligence on who you are writing for, what institutions they are associated with, and more. The more you know, the more personalized your essay will be.
You’ll want to know about things like their mission statement, the donations the institution has made, or some other details that will help you write a relevant essay. If you are applying for a private scholarship sponsored by a corporation related to your major, talk about why you want to work in that specific field.
5. Mix professional with personal
You’ll want to be professional in your essay. You should keep it professional even when you are speaking to the scholarship provider. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t throw in some personal details as well.
Specifically, you can explain why you want to enter a specific field after college. You can talk about who inspired you to pursue the field you’re interested in. You might consider business management because you are the son or daughter of a small business owner.
Point out your personal positives and talk less about any negatives. If you have a story about the challenges you’ve faced, talk about what they were and how you were able to conquer them.
6. Talk about what makes you unique
Uniqueness is what makes each person interesting. You can discuss the activities you have done inside or outside of school. You can talk about any sports you’ve played or the part-time job you work on the weekends.
Incoming students will always have a story about what they have accomplished. Even international students looking to study in the U.S. come from different walks of life. But their goal is to get the best education possible, which means applying for scholarships is one of their most important missions in life.
7. Proofread your essay
After you have written your essay and gathered the needed documents, you can submit the application package. Before you do, you’ll want to edit your essay. To do this, you can look it over or even read it out loud to see if it flows well.
If you’re working with Morzep college coaches, you can be sure they will proofread it for you and suggest ways to improve it if need be. Fix any mistakes. After the finished product is complete, submit it and wait for any further updates.
8. Send a thank you note
Whether you get the scholarship or not, sending the scholarship provider a thank you note will always be a great idea. A little can go a long way. You can thank them for taking the time and consideration to look over your application.
Make the most of the scholarship offer
If you are considering a scholarship for a university or even a community college, applying for one right now will be a good idea. Finding competitive scholarships like national scholarships can be great for those who have an excellent academic record and have excelled outside of the classroom.
You can also consider other types of scholarships, such as need-based scholarships or institutional scholarships. Some institutions have their own scholarship programs and are looking forward to meeting exceptional students. If you have any questions, you can ask the school’s admissions department, the financial aid office, or better yet, one of our college counselors.
In case you may not qualify for scholarships, you may want to consider bookmarking the FAFSA application online. This way, you’ll have an alternative plan to fund your college education.
Get in touch with Morzep college coaches for your scholarship
Morzep college coaches are familiar with the surprisingly impressive variety of scholarships available to current college students and will make sure to help you choose the scholarships that resonate with both your academic performance and goals.
We will also help eligible students fill in and send their scholarship application forms and do our best to increase their chances for scholarship consideration. We know how scholarship committees think and what they want to see in a scholarship application.
Morzep college coaches have all the necessary scholarship search tools, insights into the application process, and experience to help you get into the academic scholarship program. Furthermore, we can show you additional scholarship opportunities that you haven’t thought of and make it easier for you to find ways to cover the costs of your college education.
