What Makes a Highly Successful Scholarship Winner?

Review the following habits of scholarship winners for tips on how you can
make your scholarship quest successful. * Successful students always remember the five P’s – Prior preparation prevents
poor performance. Prepare for the scholarship search early. Do not wait until
your senior year.


* Successful students do not rely on their parents to do all the work.


* Successful students vigorously avoid mistakes on their essays and
applications. They always spell-check, proofread, and allow one other person
to proofread their applications and essay for errors.


* Successful students do not ignore scholarships that may be local or those for
small amounts. Scholarship amounts, even as small as $50, can add up.


* Successful students do not rely on only one source such as the Internet for
their scholarship search. They use many resources. Many scholarships on the
Internet or in the free scholarship searches that you find on the World Wide
Web are nationally known and are harder to win due to greater competition.
Local and regional scholarships are not found as easily through an Internet
search, although they may be easier to win because the applicant pool is
smaller. You have to use a combination of resources to find as many
scholarships to apply for as possible.


* Successful students market themselves well. In their applications, they
highlight positive aspects about their lives, especially community
involvement.


* Successful students do not apply to one or two scholarships and wait for the
best. They apply for all scholarships they are eligible to win. They keep
applying until the total they have won exceeds what they need to pay for the
college they want to attend or until they graduate with a degree.


* Successful students are organized. They keep track of deadlines and
materials required to complete an application.


* Successful students are well rounded. They participate in extracurricular and
community activities. They write about these activities in scholarship and
college essays in a descriptive manner. They try to benefit others as well as
themselves with the extracurricular and community activities in which they
are involved.


* Successful students understand that SAT scores and grades alone do not win
most scholarships. Scholarship programs look at many factors such as
community activities, leadership, presentation of your application package,
special or unusual talents or skills, etc.


* Successful students do not look for the easy way out. It is harder for them to
believe in a scholarship scam that promises to do all the work for them. They
understand that those things for which we work hardest often bring the
greatest rewards. Hard work in the scholarship process as a high school
student could result in an easy college life without work later, or a loan-free
life after college.


Avoid These Most Common Mistakes Made on College and
Scholarship Applications

1. Not following directions
2. Not paying attention to the deadline and missing it
3. Not typing your application or sending in a sloppy application
4. Forgetting to spell check and to proofread after you spell check
5. Not including information such as a transcript or recommendation
6. Not answering the essay question or another question asked.