Isn’t it great to attend college and not worry about borrowing a loan for your tuition? Yes, it would be a great option to choose over a student loan. Students must always begin to aim at winning a scholarship as early as high school to avoid the burden of debts. Even Though, the student loans borrowed in 2019 were at peak, you still have time to apply for the best scholarships according to your requirements. Education websites such as scholarships.com, Studentaid.gov, The College Monk, CollegeBoard give you precise information on several scholarships and you could find the right ones among them.
What are scholarships?
Scholarship is a monetary reward given to students exclusively based on their performance in standardized tests. The best part about scholarships is that it doesn’t need to be repaid unlike student loans. Winning a scholarship could be overwhelming which requires hard work and capabilities. Scholarships could be awarded on various criterias such as the academic performance, area of study, financial needs and merit and also certain fields such as academic, athletic, artists, minority students, military families, writers, LGBTQ, and more.
How to Find the Right Scholarship?
Finding the right scholarship you may apply based on your qualification, field, capabilities could be confusing. Firstly, you must start researching on the various scholarships while still in high school and planning to enroll for a degree. Scholarships are also provided by resources such as non-profit organizations, private organizations, schools and foundations.
Most times, the information regarding scholarships are not listed on the college websites, hence you might contact your counselor or advisor to find the right help. There could be a number of scholarships that could match your profile, but we suggest you narrow down your options to save time and get better chances.
What Makes for a Good Application?
Now you’re aware about the type of scholarships available to you, you must select the ones you have most chances of winning. Keep In mind, the application process is different for every scholarship and Hence, when you apply for many, you could find yourself lost in the sea.
Building a strong application is a key factor in this process which demonstrates the skills, academic achievements and the right abilities of the candidate. You could also prepare drafts of applications and get your counsellor and advisors to review and give feedback.
Things to know before Applying for a Scholarship
There are many facts and essential information you must focus on before applying for the scholarship. Here are some listed below,
1. Strategies to Search for the Scholarship
There are diverse opportunities provided to students to pay for their tuition. Hence, you must choose the scholarship that fits the best. To save time on searching, you could first list out your skills, experience, academic achievements, fields of interest and other. Later search as a team involves parents, family, advisor, mentor and other guides. Finding the right one that aligns with your skill sets and interest. Be aware of the search websites that sell your student’s information.
To start off early you could look for Scholarships for High School Seniors while you’re still in high school to reduce your burden of managing the cost of tuition.
2. Compose a Strong Essay
An essay is submitted along with your application hence the essay must be written thoughtfully. By giving solid examples that represent your skills and goals gives an assurance that you are the right candidate to choose. Instead of starting with ‘I Am…’, include experience about your leadership, initiating skills and how you face challenges which most of the scholarship judges are looking for in applicants. Preparing a unique essay is important and could play a major role in the selection process.
3. Scholarships are Available Throughout the Year
There is no particular season for scholarships however there are deadlines to accept your scholarship applications. But a private school doesn’t follow similar schedules and can have deadlines throughout the year. Told before, there are private organizations and foundations that provide scholarships at any season. So don’t stop your quest and never take a break even after getting into a college.
4. Reuse Scholarship Applications to Save Time
Most of the scholarships come up with similar questions to candidates. Hence, reusing your previous application and the essay to submit for a future scholarship by modifying it can give better results. For instance, you wrote an essay with a strong example presenting your leadership and skills for our previous application. You could use the same example by modifying the content to attach with the next application.
5. Strong Letter of Recommendation
Approach in the right way for people who write letters of recommendation for you. After preparing the essay you must attach a strong letter of recommendation to complete the application and prepare to follow up within 2-4 weeks.
6. Focus on the Mission of the Scholarship organization
Once you settle on the scholarship options and before you start working on the application, you must research the mission of the scholarship organization. Students must learn about what the organization is looking for and how your career goals align with the purpose of the scholarship being provided to have greater chances of winning.
Conclusion
Your ideas to win a scholarship must have the right approach. Scholarships are given directly to the students to manage their finance over book supplies, accommodation, and other. The flexibility to use reward is what really makes winning the scholarship worth the efforts. Also you must know that the scholarship provided could affect the amount of federal aid you could qualify for. With all the misconceptions regarding the scholarship process, it could be the best option among several opportunities to pay for your education. So keep yourself motivated while digging for the best fit scholarship and you’ve got everything together.