Some scholarship applications are better than others.
- You might be surprised (unless you have done any of the following) how many students:
- Apply for a scholarship when they do not meet requirements
- Miss the deadline for applying
- Do not follow instructions on the application
- Leave parts of the application blank
- Do not bother to proofread their application
- Write a personal statement unrelated to
- what is asked for on the application
- Get lukewarm letters of recommendation
Doing these things jeopardizes or even eliminates your chance to win the scholarship. If you
spend a great deal of time filling out an application but do not provide the grantor complete
information about how to notify you, then you will have completely wasted all your effort. If you
cannot devote enough time to do it right, better to not spend any time at all on the application.
Count on many hours over the course of several weeks to complete your applications and
double-check them. (See “Plan of Action” section.) The least competitive scholarships may require
less time and the most competitive may require more.
If you’re thinking that “many hours” is a large amount of time to spend on something you have
no assurance of obtaining, you’re right. But if you meet or exceed requirements and put together
mistake-free and convincing applications, your chances are often quite good. Spending extra time
to double-check completed applications can make the difference between winning and losing the
money.
