College is hard, but paying for college is harder. Tuition fees are high, and as a high school student, you are thinking about applying for aid to make things easier for you and your family. The solution is college scholarships!
Getting one might seem impossible, but it isn’t if you apply using certain steps. Scholarships make it easy to focus because getting a scholarship means you don’t have to hustle to find college tuition.
Take your scholarship search seriously, and apply for as many scholarships as you can.
Even when you apply, it’s hard to win a scholarship because of how competitive scholarships are. Every bursary has guidelines that you need to follow to stand a chance at winning that scholarship.
As a prospective college student, getting a free scholarship payment for school should be a goal. Here are ways to get school scholarships for college...
Know What You Want
Before you start your search, you want to be sure what type of scholarship you want and which offer you most likely have a higher chance of getting. There are a variety of financial aids intended for different students:
Academic Scholarships
These are based on academic excellence. They are the most competitive kind and are usually awarded to students with high scores in their GPAs, tests, and transcripts.
To be shortlisted for these, you have to rank amongst the top in your graduating class.
Sport Scholarships
As a student with excellent athletic skills, this might be perfect for you. Search for schools that prioritize the sport you play and are willing to help further your career. Full scholarships are often rare in this category, and you might have to settle for grants.
Intervention Scholarships
These are for students who lack funds to further their education. There are millions of people worldwide who fall into this category, and these are a form of financial aid to give them a chance. Applications would be thoroughly reviewed, so be sure you fall under this category.
Start Your Search Early
You should not wait till it’s time for admissions before you start your search, as this delay will cause you to miss several deadlines in the year. Your scholarship search should start in time, while you still have time to review and meet the offer requirements before sending in your application for the year.
Your search should be extensive, and here are a few tips to help:
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Start from your schools. Students have academic counselors, and in times like this, they help advise you on what scholarships are available based on your grades.
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There are also hundreds of local scholarships that go unannounced every session. Take advantage of these types because they are less competitive than national scholarships.
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Go online and look for scholarships that you are eligible for. Be keyword-specific in your research, or you’ll be bombarded with too many options that are not viable.
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What university is your top choice? Go on to their website and check if they have any information on available scholarships or aid. You can also give their financial aid office a call to ask any questions you might have concerning this.
Prepare in Advance
“You can’t win what you don’t prepare for. To get a good chance at winning any scholarship, you have to prepare harder than the next candidate,” says one of our writers at papersowl.com. After going through the different lists of scholarships online, you already know the requirements. Do you meet those? If your answer is no, how do you prepare?
Preparing requires you to do more than boost your grades. You need a resume, a cover letter, a letter of recommendation, and other resources.
Build good relationships with your teachers as you would need their help in your application. Depending on your desired programs, you might also need to sit for SAT, PSAT, or ACT.
This is also a good time to start volunteering or applying yourself to community services, as this would help boost your chances of winning these scholarships. You can also use the internet to practice test questions and write sample essays to expand your knowledge.
Do not be afraid to ask your teachers for a great letter of recommendation. This step is crucial as it tells the scholarship board what type of student you were and your personality.
Stand Out
What makes it so hard for scholarship organizations to pick a winner from the thousands or millions of students who apply? Everyone is doing the same thing and following the same steps. It makes them roll their eyes, yawn, and grudgingly pick a winner.
So what do you want to do? You need to stand out from the crowd. Let your application speak volume and be different from the rest. Figure out what everyone else is doing, and then do something different.
Here is how:
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Your resume has to be solid before you can earn the winning spot. To add that uniqueness, you should volunteer and do some community service. When this goes on your resume, it tells the organizers what kind of person you are outside the classroom.
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Your letter of recommendation is critical, and because of this, you need to start building a healthy relationship with your teachers and tutors now. When it’s time, politely meet them, and ask.
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When writing your essay, be unique. Think about what every other person might likely write, then make sure you write something smarter.
Work Hard
You have properly heard this call to action more than enough times in your life, but here it is again. You need to work hard.
Think about it. Getting a scholarship means your tuition and every other important fee is being paid for without anything being expected in return. It sounds great to you and a million other students like you who need that money. Prepare hard, and aid yourself with all the materials you need.
Also, since you are applying to so many different scholarships simultaneously, it can get tricky for millions of people worldwide to stay organized. Try to keep everything in order. Make a list so as not to miss any deadlines.
Conclusion
In your urgency to win any scholarship, try not to get swindled. No respectable scholarship board would ask you to pay money or spend resources to get your application reviewed by their members. Scholarships are free awards and are based on merit. Be careful when searching for available ones on the internet.
