Tips on how to create a great scholarship package
How do you win a scholarship? Perhaps the easiest way if you have an essay is to enter the eduify.com Wunderkind Scholarship contest. Beyond doing what you can to get the most votes for the essay you submit to the eduify scholarship contest, you can also win other scholarships by taking the application process seriously. Put your best effort into winning a scholarship and you raise your chances significantly. Don’t send generic, canned scholarship applications out. Scholarship admissions committees can tell when an applicant is half-heartedly applying or not taking the application process seriously enough, so why risk losing a scholarship for lack of effort?
How do you take the scholarship application seriously? We’ve already shown you how to write a stellar scholarship essay. Now, we’ll show you how to put together a great scholarship package.
Prepare
Preparation is essential to creating a well-crafted scholarship package. Many scholarship applications require the same things: strong, academic letters of recommendation (which we have shown you how to score), a copy of your transcript, a list of your extracurriculars, a personal statement, and a photo of yourself. It might be beneficial, before scholarship application time rolls around, to pick up some additional extracurricular activities in order to show yourself to be a more well-rounded student. It might sound deceptive, but it’s actually a smart idea. Preparation is key, so get the things you need together, well in advance, so that you have more time to focus on your essays (the most important aspect of the whole application process).
Research
A key aspect of finding scholarships is to do research. You can research for scholarships online or in books like The Ultimate Scholarship Book of 2009 which lists scholarships you might be eligible for. While you are researching scholarships, make sure you actually qualify for them. Read the fine print. Nothing is more a waste of time than to spend hours creating a scholarship package that you don’t actually qualify for — and trust me that this happens more than you’d think. Read all the rules and regulations of your scholarship before you send anything off.
Stay organized
Before embarking on your quest for a scholarship, write down all the key dates that you need to know. You don’t want to automatically disqualify yourself from a scholarship by sending out your information too late — or even too early. Dates are important, and you should always have your eye on the scholarship application timeline. Another great tip is to keep your different scholarships filed away separately. You don’t want to mix up your scholarships and send out the wrong applications to the wrong places. Put everything away in separate folders, label your scholarships with post-it notes, or put your applications in a filing cabinet — whatever works for you, as long as you stay organized.
Put your best foot forward
Represent yourself well to scholarship committees. When writing, make sure you keep a meticulous eye on grammar, spelling, and style. Put work into craft well-written, solid essays. Add some extracurriculars to your schedule to appear more well-rounded. Prepare yourself for your scholarship interview, and practice wht you’re going to say. Whatever you do, just put your best foot forward. A little effort goes a long way in winning that scholarship money for college.
