The College Series: 10 Tips when Applying for Scholarships
I was lucky enough to get a decent amount of scholarships for my college of choice when I was a high school senior. A small scholarship for this, a larger scholarship for that. Some were just a one-and-done deal, while others were intended for my entire post-secondary education. Now all I needed to do was maintain a certain GPA and good grades to maintain those scholarships. I thought I was set with the scholarship package that I had received. It didn’t cover everything, but it helped nonetheless.
Then at some point during my 4th year (I was in a 5-year program), I overdrafted my checking out...not only once but a few times. Foolish me didn’t have my bank account set up so that the transaction would automatically be declined or pull from a savings account or anything. I ended up racking up a lot of money in overdraft fees and for what? A bagel here. An Arizona iced tea there. I was embarrassed to have overdrafted multiple times over dumb little purchases that pushed me over the edge, and thankfully my mom bailed me out. If I didn’t have 5 dollars then, what made you think I could suddenly pay $35? Meanwhile, the financial hardships hit harder because I needed to take out more loans to cover some of my tuition and room and board costs. I ended up not only with a few federal loans but also a few private loans. I was trying to stay afloat, but I knew I was racking up debt.
My sisters tried to whip me into financial shape so I could take things a little more seriously now that I was accumulating debt and couldn’t even manage my own checking account (yikes!). They told me that I should try to apply for more scholarships to help cover some costs. Wait, I can get more scholarships? For whatever reason, I thought scholarships were just awarded on special occasions. I also only thought you could get scholarships during a transition period, like when you’re first enrolling into a program. It never occurred to me that you can get scholarships as a junior or senior -- or at any point of your college years even upon graduating. I also only associated scholarships with the college itself or maybe a back-to-school giveaway, so I didn’t even think about unaffiliated awards throughout the year.
I started compiling a spreadsheet of scholarships opportunities. I tried to organize them in a way that made sense to me. By level of application difficulty. By sponsor. By award amount. Etc.
Easy scholarships were the ones where I could just sign up or fill out a simple form. Moderate ones involved some form of writing (essays, questionnaires, etc) that would take more time. The difficult applications were ones that needed extraneous content, from recommendation letters to video applications and more. Some were strictly for tuition use, while others were a little more lenient about use, like for general college expenses on campus, or just as a cash bonus. I didn’t necessarily apply to all of them, but I was learning a lot about what hidden money opportunities were out there.
The College Series: 10 Tips when Applying for Scholarships
Now I will admit, for the handful of scholarships I did muster up the energy to apply to, I didn’t win any awards. I could only imagine that I probably would have had a better chance of winning something had I applied to scholarships consistently and throughout my entire college education. I couldn’t believe I wasn’t taking advantage of other scholarships before. I came out of undergrad and grad school with about $33k in student loans, and that was after some assistance from my parents and generous scholarships from the school itself. Any scholarship would have helped.
So, don’t be like me! Whether you’re an incoming freshman, someone in the middle of their prime college days, or a graduate student, give it a chance and apply for scholarships! Scholarships, awards, grants, etc., can get overwhelming, but there are ways to help streamline the application process.
Here are some of my scholarship-related takeaways and tips:
1) Sooner is better than later, but trying is better than not at all.
Whether you’re a freshman or a senior, you should always look for new scholarship opportunities. There is a world of free money opportunities for all stages of the student. If you’re an incoming freshman or transferring to a new school, don’t just settle for your scholarship package as your only means of financial/scholarship assistance. Just because you are graduating soon, doesn’t mean there aren’t scholarships out there for you to help with your post-grad debt. If you’re anywhere in between, trying is better than nothing at all! Be persistent. Trying is key.
“It never occurred to me that you can get scholarships as a junior or senior — or at any point of your college years even upon graduating.”
2) Prioritize your scholarships.
Be mindful of easy-to-apply scholarships to ones that require more of your time. You can prioritize by the level of effort, the award amount, the deadlines, or even the company/cause that is hosting the scholarship. By prioritizing your scholarships, you can figure out how many you can realistically apply to and which ones are more important. This way you can maximize the number of awards you are applying for.
3) Stay organized.
It’s very easy to lose track of all your scholarship applications and deadlines, so while you prioritize your scholarships, don’t forget to keep track of all the different requirements and their due dates. I personally just used an Excel spreadsheet to keep track, but you can keep it digital (Excel, Google calendar, Notion, etc) or go analog (paper/pen, physical calendar, Post-It notes). Keeping your deadlines in mind, don’t forget to plan ahead if you need extra time for more involved applications. Sometimes it will take time to receive a transcript or to get a recommendation letter from someone.
4) Apply to scholarships with lower award amounts.
I understand that if you’re going to take the time to apply to extraneous awards, you’ll want to aim high -- go big or go home. However, you’ll probably cover more ground if you consider and apply to scholarships of various or smaller award amounts, as well as scholarships that seem less popular. Sure, it seems enticing to only apply to scholarships that are over $1000, but don’t disregard the smaller scholarships, it can all add up. Money is money!
5) Recycle and repurpose your essays.
Many applications, particularly the essay portion, can be repetitive. Tell me about a time you faced adversity. Why did you pick your major? How is pursuing XYZ helping your future goals? How will this monetary amount help you out? The questions they ask can be similar, if not the same, so keep on hand your answers to these general questions. Use it as a base to apply to multiple scholarships quickly. In some cases, you may be able to just copy and paste. In other instances, you can use your base response and tailor each application accordingly.
6) Recommendations Matter.
For more in-depth applications, have the right recommenders ready. When I was initially applying to colleges in 2013, my first two recommendation letters came from English teachers. I didn’t love English as a subject, but I was good at it and had a rapport with a few of the staff. But I was applying to mostly STEM schools or more technical programs, so I couldn’t just send recommendations from people in the liberal arts department. That’s when I figured I had to ask my physics teacher. I wasn’t great at physics, but I had a good relationship with the teacher and he knew I tried. It might not seem like it, but there’s actually a person that reviews scholarship submissions - that’s right, a real scholarship committee might be reviewing your application. While any teacher, professor, boss, or coworker can vouch for your work ethic, not all of their kudos to you will be relevant. Be mindful of the scholarship you are applying for and what they may be looking for. Don’t forget to thank your recommender for taking the time!
7) Follow the Application Directions.
Scholarships vary and require different deliverables. Sometimes it’s as easy as filling out a form, but sometimes you need to provide additional items, including but not limited to essays, recommendation letters, a copy of a transcript, a resume, etc.
While the requirements for each scholarship can get repetitive (Name, Address, School, Personal Statement, etc), the parameters can actually vary and many applications aren’t even considered because the applicant didn’t follow directions. Maybe the essay is too long or too short. The person didn’t send in a photo. Incomplete essays and applications. If you need to send or upload an application as a PDF, don’t send a Word document. If you need a file to be under 2GB, don’t send one that’s 4GB. Compress it. Following the directions on the application ensures you’ll at least have your scholarship move to the review stage.
8) Don’t be discouraged by rejections or no responses.
If you don’t win, you don't lose out on much, but some of your time. You asked for money but didn’t get it, but you’re not going to get penalized for it. You may never hear back from some larger competitions because the application pool is too large. Some companies may have the decency to tell you your application is under review, or possibly rejected. It’s okay! If this scholarship is awarded yearly, you can try again next year.
If you are able to, it doesn’t hurt to request feedback on why you didn’t get something. I’m reminded of a story that The Space Gal shared about applying for the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship for research. She applied as a junior and didn’t get it, so she asked how she could have made her application better. They said she had a lot of great research experience but lacked research leadership experience so before the next application cycle, she took on more research leadership positions and received the scholarship on the 2nd try.
9) Apply to the obscure.
Go out of your way to find scholarship opportunities that you may have never heard of. You’ll be surprised by how many there are via a simple Google search. I didn’t realize how many different scholarships were available. Not everything has to be based on merit, athletics, or even your major. Here are just a few scholarship types that you may be eligible for and should look out for:
Scholarships offered by the company your parent/guardian may work at
Scholarships offered to residents of a certain town, region, or state
Scholarships offered to certain races/ethnicities
Scholarships offered to LGBTQ students
Scholarships offered to certain hobbyists
And more!
I’ve seen scholarships only available to those who are left-handed, to ones where you had to be above a certain height, to my personal favorite the Stuck at Prom scholarship, where students make prom dresses and tuxedos out of only duct tape.
10) You can sacrifice some social time.
Sure, at the moment, it’s annoying to take the time to apply for scholarships when I could be out with my friends or doing anything else, but winning a scholarship or two could make a difference to your financial situation. Sometimes I felt embarrassed that I had to go out of my way to apply for more scholarships, but there’s no shame in finding these opportunities and going for it! Budget some time in your week to do some research, work on your essays, and submit applications. You’ll thank yourself later if you win an award.
As someone who has is now 2 years post-grad, I will tell you that a good chunk of my paycheck goes to pay off student debt. That’s current income being used to pay for the past instead of the present or to save or invest for the future. If I had spent a little more time applying for scholarships, my debt would be lower and I’d have more money today.
There’s money out there for you, but sometimes you just have to look for it! So remember, applying now is better than not applying at all. Good luck!
The College Series: 10 Tips when Applying for Scholarships
