Many students begin the scholarship applying process with hopeful hearts and positive attitudes only to realize just how much work goes into completing scholarship applications.
Here’s the deal, the scholarship committees want to weed out those that are just looking for free money without putting in the work. Scholarship applying is not about getting a free ride but rather is a time for you to showcase your grades, extracurricular activities, character, community involvement, financial need, and desire to pursue higher education. Often in an attempt to cut down on how many scholarship applications a student will apply for, students decide to apply for high dollar scholarships. You would think this would work well but it actually back fires. Here’s how…the competition for high dollar scholarships typically is pretty steep. So, where there may only be two $10,000 scholarships available, there might be one hundred $200 scholarships available.
One smart way to get awarded scholarship money is to apply for several low dollar scholarships. Your chances are better and those scholarships begin to add up! Your time might be better invested. If there is a high dollar scholarship that you know has your name written all over it, then by all means, apply for it!! But, if you are on the fence about applying and want to make the most out of your time, then definitely apply for many of the low dollar scholarships ($50-$500).
We are proud of you! Keep pushing! It will be worth it in the end!