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Scholarship Tips
Where to find scholarships
• School counselor & financial aid office
• Federal, State, and local government sponsored programs
• Private scholarships offered by business & organizations
• Online scholarship directories
• Your employer or parent's employer
• Affiliations with community organizations or clubs
Scholarship application
• Understand why the organization is sponsoring the scholarship and create an application that complements it.
• Don't be afraid to brag - be proud of your accomplishments.
• Point out leadership qualities and contributions you have made.
• Provide all requested materials.
• Meet application deadlines.
• Type or neatly print information on application and other materials.
• Don't leave anything blank. If you have questions, call the sponsor for clarification.
Avoid scams
• Services that require payment to match you up with potential scholarships.
• Avoid free informative seminars offering "secret" scholarship strategies.
• Any offer that guarantees you a scholarship but requires a registration, disbursement or redempton fees, money up front, or asks for your credit card number.
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Mistakes you DON'T want to make
• Proofread EVERYTHING for misspellings and typos.
• Don't waste time by applying for scholarships you are not eligible for. If the scholarship requires a 3.5 GPA and you have a 3.0, you won't qualify.
• Use adequate postage when sending in your application materials.
• Do not send materials or documentation that is not requested.
• Do not submit an incomplete application package.
• Avoid fancy fonts - use a standard, easily readable font (arial, helvetica, times) in standard sizes and with correct spacing and margins.
• Do not submit your essay on brightly colored paper to get the attention of the scholarship committee. This is not only annoying, it also makes your essay more difficult to read. Let your words get their attention, not the fluorescent paper. If you want to add a special touch, select a high-quality bright white or ivory paper.
Be prepared
• Have ready all materials that you might need for application such as federal aid documents, parents financial data, transcripts, standardized test scores, etc.
• Be organized - Keep records of your applications, submissions, and deadlines.
• Keep copies of everything. If materials get lost, it will be easier to resubmit.
