Scholarships Grants

Sun Tzu once wrote: “The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him.”

Although his words refer to the context of warfare, there is still an important lesson to be learned that echoes beyond the battlefield. That lesson is about the importance of being prepared. And that lesson can never be truer for scholarship applications.

Preparation is a virtue that applicants need to have if they want to bag a scholarship. You always have to keep in mind that the competition for scholarship awards is very stiff. Thousands of students will be vying for the same awards, and many of them will have the similar academic and extra-curricular records. In order to differentiate yourself from the rest, you must make sure that your application is as exceptional and well-prepared as it can be.

Preparing well is synonymous to preparing early. If you wait for the last minute, you will compromise your opportunity to dedicate enough time and effort to your application requirements. And mind you, scholarship requirements can be burdensome if you have your SAT and final exams to think about as well. If you plan to submit during that time, chances are, your application will seem rushed, almost as though you volunteered to eliminate yourself right from the start.

If you want to make it easier on yourself, start searching for scholarships as early as your sophomore or, if possible, even your freshman year.

There are other benefits if you search for your scholarships early in your high school life. For instance, by allotting more time for scholarship applications, you also give yourself more room to apply to more scholarships. The more scholarships you aim for, the more chances you have of bagging at least one award.

Of course, you must only apply to scholarships that you’re qualified for. Otherwise, you’ll only be wasting your time. This is another reason why preparing early is a must. By preparing early, you get to have more time to research for the scholarships you’re eligible to apply for.

In addition, by doing your research early, you will also be able to familiarize yourself with the different requirements that scholarships will be asking of you. Hence, you will have the edge of knowing exactly what you need to do if you want to broaden your chances of eligibility for more scholarships.

For instance, some scholarships have participation conditions that require applicants to be affiliated to a particular club for at least a year or two. With that knowledge, you may choose to join the specific organizations in such a way that you meet the requirements of certain scholarships. As a result, you get to increase your application options.

If you hope to win scholarship awards to finance some, if not all, your college tuition, then it is always best to prepare well by preparing early. Remember, success only comes to those who are willing to work hard. Scholarship hunting is definitely no exception to this rule.

Unless you are blessed with wealth that allows you to pay for your college education, chances are, you’ll look for student financial aid to support your dream of attaining higher education. Among the types of student aids, scholarships are one of the most sought after, since scholarships provide financial support with no strings attached to the recipient.

But because scholarships are in demand, winning them is not the easiest thing to accomplish. In order to increase your chances of winning, it is still advisable to apply to as many scholarships as possible.

However, scholarship application requirements are also lengthy. More often than not, you’ll find yourself facing a tough challenge: how do you submit as many application requirements as possible without diminishing the quality of your submissions? Remember that you are competing with other students for the same prize, so it’s important that you do not sacrifice the quality of your submissions.

This is where efficient essay writing comes into play. Essays are one of the most common requirements for scholarship applications. Usually, the applicant is asked to answer a very specific question within a certain amount of words. The essay’s length may not be long in itself. But the process of trying to come up with the best and most proficient answer can be quite a challenge. Doing so for every application will surely eat up a lot of your time: probably more time than you could ideally spare.

Fortunately, there is a way to get around this dilemma. The key is learning how to be efficient with your essay writing. Here are some of the ways to maximize the efficiency of your essay writing:

1)      One essay may be sufficient to answer more than one scholarship requirement.

Many essay questions for scholarship applications delve on common subjects like ‘giving back to society’, ‘sustainable development’ etc. There is a good chance that essay questions and requirements from one scholarship can overlap, just as though different people asked you the same question with different sets of words. In any case, one answer will still suffice.

You might want to gather the different scholarships application forms that you have and compare their essay questions. Ask yourself which questions are similar and see if you can write essays that can be used for more than just one scholarship before writing one essay per scholarship application. Remember that time is of the essence. The less you need to write, the more time you can save. If you can hit two or more birds with one stone, do so by all means. The time that you save can be used for making sure that the essays that you do write are of top quality rather than rushing to finish one essay just so that you could write the next one.

2)      Use the internet and get inspiration from scholarship websites.

Many scholarship providers have their own websites. Take time to explore these sites and get to know their company values and their mission-vision statements. In doing so, you will have an idea of what different scholarships value in a candidate. Mold your essays in such a way that it fits the company values of scholarship providers.

Sometimes, scholarship websites also post the essays of past winners. Read these entries so you can have an idea which writing styles work, how specific examples were used to answer the question, and also to get other tips on how you can compose your essay well. Reading the essays of past winners may help you conceptualize the general structure of your essays.

3)      Don’t forget to follow the format

Sure, you may have well written essays. But all your efforts might come to waste if you failed to follow the format. Always double check the format requirements of each application. Be extra cautious if you’re using one essay for different submissions. Sometimes, we instinctively print our work based on the number of copies we need. Don’t get caught off-guard by the force of habit. Look at the essay instructions first and modify the format of your essay if needed before printing your work.

There are so many types of scholarships available out there with different eligibility standards or requirements for a wide variety of applicants. These scholarships range from academic scholarships, merit scholarships, corporate scholarships, need-based scholarships, or even scholarships based on ethnicity and religion. With thousands of scholarship options, students shouldn’t have a hard time qualifying for these scholarships, right?

But despite the staggering number of scholarships offered year after year, many of the students who are eligible to apply fail to do so. This is because a lot of people aren’t sure about how to seize the scholarship opportunities that are available to them. Perhaps they think that scholarships will always require high grades, or that they’re open only to the school’s best athletes. Because of this limited perspective, many students miss out on potential student aid opportunities that they could actually benefit from.

This myth should be put to rest. The reality is that searching for scholarships has never been easier, thanks to a great number of scholarship websites, all of which provide important information about thousands of scholarship programs offered by companies, organizations, or institutions. In order to widen your eligibility chances, all you need to do is create a detailed, up-to-date, and comprehensive student profile whenever you browse through these sites.

If you’re thinking of getting financial aid through a scholarship, you should also be aware that eligibility requirements can be very specific. Some programs may require applicants to be affiliated with certain organizations or groups. Other awards will consider applicants only if they have been in leadership positions or if they’ve done some community service. Other eligibility requirements may include achievements in specific fields, such as sports, science, mathematics, history, or literature.

In other words, it’s important to list all the pertinent activities and organizations you’ve participated in. It would also be good to list your interests, hobbies and special skills, since some scholarships target a particular group of students and will most likely have some unusual eligibility standards. The more detailed your student profile is, the more opportunities and options you’ll get. If you learn a new skill or develop a new interest, be sure to update your profile.

Of course, a student should have been active in school in order to have something to write about in the student profile. If a student simply went through high school accomplishing only the minimum allowable standard, that student will have diminished scholarship chances. Remember always that scholarships aren’t looking for ordinary students — they want to help those who show great potential and a lot of excellence. If you truly want to take advantage of scholarships, beef up your student profile by being the best you can be.

In  his book, “How to Go to College Almost for Free: The Secrets of How to Win Scholarship Money”, Benjamin R. Kaplan gives his very own testimony on how he was able to win scholarship money amounting to $90,000, covering nearly all of his College expenses.

While Kaplan’s testimony is very inspiring, there are still many people out there who believe that financing college through scholarships is nothing more than a ‘myth’. There are still a lot of people who claim that although there are billions of dollars offered for scholarship programs each year, the competition is just too stiff to make scholarships a reliable source of college funding.

So why is it that scholarships work for some and not for others? Why is it that some people win, others win more and some just can’t seem to win at all?

People who think twice about applying for scholarships usually think that scholarship hunting is just like the lottery: they just don’t have enough luck to win.

Winning scholarships, however, is not a matter of blind luck. Although it is true that competition is stiff and winning is not guaranteed, bagging a scholarship is far from impossible. With a good application strategy along with hard work, scholarships will be accessible.

For starters, it is good to understand how scholarships work. As a general rule of thumb, the chances of winning depend largely on how well you meet the standards of eligibility and, for merit based scholarships in particular, how well you do in your application. Your application strategy will be based on these two guidelines.

When considering your scholarship options, make sure that you consider eligibility requirements to the letter. If you don’t match the requirements exactly, don’t bother applying at all because you will only be wasting your time and effort. Instead, you have to focus your energy on scholarships that you are eligible for. Try to find as many scholarships that you qualify for and apply to those scholarships. Spotting scholarships that suit your interests and/or special skills will boost your chances of winning, as well.

Of course, your main concern as a student would be to increase your chances for eligibility. That is why students are always encouraged to be proactive in school. Study well and aim to get consistently high GPA’s. Join extra-curricular activities and volunteer for community service programs.

But finding scholarships that you are eligible for is just the beginning. The quality of your application is what wins the vote of scholarship reviewers.

The most common application requirement would be the scholarship essay, so it is wise never to answer essay questions for the sake of answering essay questions. Construct your ideas thoughtfully. Write in a clear and efficient manner. More importantly, make your point by giving specific examples of your accomplishments. This is where your experience in community service programs or extra-curricular activities can help you greatly, since these activities provide you with very concrete examples of your competence for your essays.

Another common application requirement will be your letters of recommendation. For your sake, avoid asking relatives and friends to give you a letter of recommendation. You have to choose referrers who can express your strengths and accomplishments as a student, and who have a good idea of what your skills and potential are. Professors, community program heads, and organization advisors are all ideal contacts for letters of recommendation, so it is wise to maintain your good ties with them.

In order to do well in your application, you must also be willing to work hard and be active as a student to ensure that you have something notable to write about in your application.  In the end, it all comes down to one thing: scholarships are won by those who work the hardest for them.

“Apply to as many scholarships as you can!” This has been one of the most common recommendations for college hopefuls who need student aid to pursue their higher education.    And for those of you who aren’t sure of making the cut, one thing you can do is apply to as many scholarship opportunities out there as you can.  By expanding your pool of scholarship providers, you boost your chances at bagging at least one scholarship to finance your education.  

Applying for multiple scholarships shouldn’t be a problem, since tons of opportunities are out there for you to consider.  Unfortunately, searching for the right scholarships is still a little difficult for many students. Because although thousands of scholarships are up for grabs out there, a lot of college aspirants are still confused about which ones they could actually qualify for.

Part of this confusion stems from a myth that scholarships are based on academic or athletic merit. Because applicants are immediately eliminated by such a limited scope of eligibility in traditional scholarships, people tend to think that their options are likewise limited.

But this isn’t the case at all. Not only are there so many scholarships available each year, there are also so many types of scholarships offered as well. Chances are, you will find a scholarship that accommodates your unique strengths and is willing to help you pursue a college education. All you need to know is where you can look for scholarships that match you and your professional goals.

 One of the most reliable sources of information would be your high school guidance counselor. More often than not, guidance counselors have useful information regarding different types of scholarships offered in different colleges. Discuss with your guidance counselor where you plan to apply and which course you are planning to take, and then ask what your available scholarship options are. In addition, your guidance counselor would probably know your best attributes as a student and can therefore provide insights on what scholarships are tailored for you. High school guidance counselors may also give you advice on what you need to do to improve your chances of winning a scholarship award.

But guidance counselors aren’t the only valuable sources of information in your high school. Club advisors in the organizations that you are a member of may also be knowledgeable in scholarships that put special emphasis on the extra-curricular activities you participate in. It could help you a lot if you ask for their advice as well. By doing so, you can have a better idea about which scholarships are available to you based on your strengths and interests as a student.

Now that you have a basic understanding of where you can start looking for scholarship opportunities, it’s time to do the gritty work. Although you already have an idea of what scholarships are offered by the colleges you are interested in, don’t limit yourself to the scholarships offered by academic institutions.  Look for other scholarship providers that aren’t as well-known so the competition isn’t too stiff.  There are many more sources that offer various types of scholarships, such as foundations or organizations like the Rotary Club or your local Masonic Lodge.

Of course, there are other general types of scholarships that are given based on sociological background such as need, heritage, ethnicity, religion etc. Understand which demography you belong to so you can see if there are more scholarships available to you. These scholarships may also be searched online. If you wish to, you may also contact your local government for more information regarding need based government student aids.

As long as you know where to search and how to search for scholarships that suit you, your options won’t seem limited at all. For the current generation, searching and applying for different scholarships has become more convenient than ever, thanks to online resources that yield promising scholarship results with just a mouse-click.  The rest depends on you and on how much you’re willing to work to land a scholarship perfect for your own skills and talents.