Scholarship Application Strategies

Successfully applying for and winning a scholarship requires following a certain number of tried-and-true strategies. And while it might seem like luck is the most important factor in winning an award, so many things are in your control when you’re applying for scholarships.

However, if you don’t know what those strategies are, then you won’t be able to maximize your chances of winning as many awards as possible. Read below for the best scholarship application strategies to follow.

Don't Limit Your Search to Sweepstakes and Contests

Busy students may be tempted to apply for no-essay scholarships. Sure, these are quick and easy and worth the 3-4 minutes it takes to apply. However, they are much less likely to end up working out in your favor. These types of sweepstakes scholarships get a huge number of applicants, possibly hundreds of thousands, so your odds of winning are extremely low. The easier a scholarship is to apply for, the lower your odds are.

You’re much better off focusing a signifcant portion of your scholarship searches and applications on scholarships that require a bit more work on your part but are much more likely to bear fruit.

Don’t Skip the Small Awards

Also, try not to ignore smaller scholarships. Sure, it might seem like a wast of time to apply for a $500 scholarship when that might only cover one semester’s worth of books, but you have a much better chance of winning these small awards. If you win 3 or 4 of these, or even more, you will see how they tend to add up.

Also, if a small award is renewable for multiple years, then suddenly it becomes a much more significant award. For example, winning a $500 scholarship that you may renew for an additional three years, it’s actually a $2,000 scholarship. Wouldn't you agree that's worth applying for?

Find Your Niche

When you hear about students winning lots of scholarships, it often comes down to one thing: they’re applying for the right awards. Instead of focusing on generic scholarships, winning students choose scholarships that are a great fit for them.

You can simplify this by inputting all your personal details on your Scholarships.com account. The more that you mention, the more niche awards you’ll find.

Having trouble figuring out what makes you special? Sit down with a friend, family member or anyone who knows you well and ask them what makes you really stand out.

Focus on the Essay

Some students and parents think that the key to winning a scholarship is to have a diverse resume, a high GPA and excellent test scores. And while all those factors will help, a bad essay can knock you out of the running. On the other hand, a less-than-stellar GPA or SAT score can be overcome with a compelling essay.

Have an English teacher, writing coach or other qualified adult look at your essay before you submit. You can also ask them to help you brainstorm if you’re stuck on a particular question. While crafting a well-written essay can take hours, you can often reuse some essays for other scholarships. Just make sure that you modify or edit any essays you are able to reuse if necessary before using them.

Keep Applying for Scholarships in College

Once a student gets into college, they often forget that they’re still eligible for scholarships. In fact, college might be the best time to apply for scholarships, especially if you hadn’t picked a major in high school. You can use the same scholarship sites that you used previously.

Also, don’t forget to apply for scholarships through your school, which may be a great resource for awards. Talk to your academic advisor about potential awards - you’ll often have to apply for them separately or need a professor to nominate you.

Apply Year-Round

There is no set application period for scholarships - they’re available all year long. That means you can keep looking for potential awards at any point.

If you find yourself with a bit of extra time, like winter or summer break - use that as a chance to apply for scholarships. Remember, you can apply for scholarships as soon as the application is available, which is sometimes weeks or even months before the deadline.

Apply for Scholarships Several Times

Many students think that if they do not originally win a scholarship, they’re no longer eligible. But that’s not necessarily true. If you didn’t win a scholarship one year, you can apply again the next cycle, provided you still qualify. For those only available to high school seniors, for example, you would just have one opportunity to apply. If a scholarship is also available to undergraduate students, you can apply again your freshman year in college.

Stay Organized

The students who win the most scholarships aren’t always the most talented - sometimes they’re just the most organized.

First, you need an organizational system, whether that’s a notebook, a Google or Excel spreadsheet or a whiteboard. Write down the scholarship name, amount, deadline and list of requirements (essay, recommendation letter, and transcript, etc). Create a column for notes, too, so you can input thoughts or reminders about the scholarship.

Organize the scholarships by deadline. If there are multiple scholarships with similar due dates, focus on the ones with more requirements.

Second, you should try not to procrastinate. For example, if a scholarship is due in a month, but you need a recommendation letter from an adult and a brand-new essay, then you actually have to get started now. Why? You should give each teacher or coach at least two weeks to write a recommendation letter. It can also take you a few weeks to write an original essay.

Waiting until the last minute also means that you’re more likely to make basic mistakes, like typos in your application or including the wrong version of your essay. Sometimes even a minor error can cause you to be disqualified, especially if there are hundreds, or thousands of applicants.

Take Advantage of Any Optional Sections

Sometimes a scholarship will have an optional section where you can explain something that you didn’t mention in your essay, transcript or application. For example, if you had a semester where you got all Cs because your grandmother passed away, you can use this section to explain that.

This isn’t the place to make excuses, but it does let the scholarship committee see a reason your grades declined. As many scholarships are likely to have a minimum GPA requirement, it is important to disclose this information if you otherwise qualify for the award. Another example would be if you struggled academically until junior year because you weren’t diagnosed with a learning disability until then. Often, there will be consideration for circumstances that negatively impacted your academic performance.

Remember, if you did struggle with something, you should also show how you overcame that obstacle. This will demonstrate your resilience and strength to the scholarship committee.