How to Get a Scholarship?
School can be expensive. With college costs on the rise, it is becoming harder and harder to find a way to pay for education. Students are left stretching themselves thin working during school. After school, they find themselves buried in a huge debt. Scholarships are a way to lessen that burden on students.
Every year, BILIIONS of dollars are given out to students who apply for scholarships. There are millions of scholarships available, this article will lend some tips on how to get a scholarship! Below are the top 5 ways we suggest getting a scholarship!
Work Hard!
Easier said than done, right? Well, like it or not working hard is important. A large majority of scholarships will be based on test scores and GPA, as well as extracurricular activities. The four years of high school will be huge to get yourself set up for an opportunity to earn a lot of college scholarships! Don’t forget to work hard and get a head start on getting a scholarship!
Give ‘Em What They Want
Read. The. Scholarship. Rules. And. Guidelines. It’s that simple. If you don’t follow what the scholarship directions say, you might as well just throw your application in the garbage!
Most scholarships get hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants. If you don’t follow the instructions, the judges will see you as lazy and most likely will not even consider you for the award. Make sure to read, and reread, the instructions so you can ensure you are doing everything exactly right!
Go Above and Beyond
Are there optional application sections? Consider them not optional. If they are saying you can submit something, you NEED to. You are applying for real money, and you need to seem serious in doing so. If you and another applicant have the exact same resume, but you did the optional essay, you will get that scholarship every time. While it may take a little extra time, the money and scholarship is more than worth it in the end!
Search Smarter
There are so many scholarships out there, it can be overwhelming. Using a search engine designed to help you find scholarships is a great way to take away some of the pain in looking for scholarships. Most sites can even filter by your information to only show you scholarships you are eligible for! Some of the best sites include:
- Scholarships.com
- Fastweb.com
- CollegeData.com
- CollegeBoard.com
Using these sites are a big advantage to find every scholarship you can, which brings us to our final tip.
APPLY, APPLY, APPLY!
It’s simple, if you’re able, you need to apply. Scholarships are a numbers game, as you won’t win as many as you lose. If you can apply you have no excuse not to. The more you apply for, the better chance you have of getting a scholarship!
Hopefully, after reading this, you have a better idea on how to get a scholarship. What are you waiting for? Go apply for some free money right now!