Keep reading, and you should gain all the clarity you need to start your scholarship search.
When To Start Your Search
You don’t have to wait until the last minute to start searching for college scholarships. If you want proof of this, look no further than the fact that there are scholarships for kids who are in kindergarten. While you can start searching for scholarships years ahead, be sure to read the application requirements for age or grade level, so you don’t waste your time.
In short, you should start looking for scholarships the second you start thinking about going to school. The earlier, the better.
How To Start Your Search
Once you decide that it’s time to start seeking money for school, you need to prepare, so you don’t wing it and go through time-consuming trial and error. If you don’t prep, you could miss out on scholarships created specifically for students with your attributes.
Make a list of all of your past accomplishments, plus what you’d like to accomplish in the future.
Add to that list your interests and activities. Since many scholarships require some form of writing when you apply, gather up any past works from your school history, such as poems, essays, projects, or papers that were a hit with your teachers. You could reuse these when applying for scholarships versus having to write something from scratch.
As for why you’re making this long list of accomplishments, goals, interests, and activities, the idea is to start searching for financial aid that links to them. Many schools, organizations, companies, and individuals create scholarships with different types of students in mind. The more specific they are to your profile, the better your chances of winning them.
Where To Find Scholarships
Now that you’re fully prepared to find scholarships, you have to know where to look. Start with the school you’re looking to attend. The financial aid is the most logical stop there, but you can also turn to on-campus alumni offices or the department where you plan to study.
Next, ask friends and family members if they know of any scholarships offered through their professional unions or employers. Once you’re finished looking at personal connections, move on to scholarship book directories that make it easy to find aid tied to your skillset and goals.
Lastly, use the Internet to find scholarships. You can search for scholarships in your field, through your school, or through large scholarship search engines to find what you’re looking for.
Before You Apply
To increase your chances of winning a scholarship, contact the committee or organization behind it. Ask them what they’re looking for in the ideal candidate so you can mold your application to fit that mold. As a bonus, simply contacting them and showing initiative could rule in your favor.
How To Make Your Application Stand Out
Besides doing some research to see what a scholarship committee is looking for, be sure to emphasize the future in your application. For example, if you’re writing an essay, discuss how you plan to use your education to impact other people’s lives in the years to come. Committees look for such statements so their scholarship funds can impact more than just one person.
Even if a scholarship application doesn’t require an essay, try to inject this “Why you?” statement into it somehow. It’ll help you stand out from the crowd and show the committee that their funds will be well spent by selecting you as the scholarship winner.
Section 8 Assist
