Scholarship Tips and Suggestions

There are several things you should be aware of when you are selecting and applying for scholarships because it will help you be more succesful in getting the college scholarships you want.

1. Make sure that you meet ALL of the scholarship requirements. If you aren't qualified for the scholarship, then don't apply. You will be wasting your time and the time of the scholarship committee.

2. Be sure that you have checked and double checked the scholarship application deadline. Scholarship applications that are even one day late will not be considered. Don't procrastinate, get your scholarship application submitted way before the deadline.

3. Organize all of your scholarship applications by the deadline when they are due. You should also make a list of all the information the scholarship applications require. In many cases, the requirements will be very similar and will usually include the following:

     * A scholarship application form either a paper form or a downloaded form from the Internet.

     * Your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASA) or your personal financial information.

     * Your GPA and school transcripts.

     * The ability to show that you have been accepted for admittance or are enrolled in the school.

     * Your education goals and how that relates to the scholarship you are applying for.

     * Personal and professional references that have correct phone numbers, email, and addresses for each of the references.

     * Your community and educational achievements.

     * Your commitment to a service obligation. Some scholarships require that if you are awarded a scholarship that you will commit to some community service or other obligation.

     * Have an original and very well written essay.

4. Make sure that you give your references plenty of lead time to prepare and write well written reference letters. If you don't give them enough time, you might get a sloppy letter that wasn't given much thought.

5. Taylor each essay that you write to the specific scholarship you are applying for. If you are applying for a lot of different scholarships, you can edit the essay you have already prepared, just modify it for that particular scholarship.

6. Check and proofread your scholarship applications and scholarship essays for spelling and errors in gramar. If you are using copying another application or essay that you have prepared, be sure to change the name of the scholarship so it is appropriate.

7. Make sure that your scholarship application package is accurate and complete. Don't include additional information that the scholarship application didn't request.

8. Be sure to make copies of all parts of your completed application. You don't want to have gone to all this work and have your application get lost and you not have a copy.

9. Submit your scholarship application packet early. Don't wait until the last minute.

10. Make sure that you contact each and every scholarship sponsor to verify they have received your scholarship application package. Check with them before the deadline is past. If you have submitted your scholarship application online, double check that you got an email that verified your submission.