Best Advice on How to Win Scholarships

Imagine if you knew all tips on winning scholarships? Would you keep them for yourself or share with the community? Mark Kantrowitz is a nationally recognized scholarship and financial aid expert who knows all the secrets. Luckily, he has agreed to share them with us.

Here is some useful advice from Kantrowitz on winning a scholarship:

1. Start searching for a scholarship ASAP and do not postpone it until your high school senior year. Otherwise, you might miss a deadline. Traditionally, there is a variety of scholarships available for middle school students, not just high school seniors. Moreover, you can even find scholarships for K-8 students. So, it is recommended to continue your search even if you already attend a college.
2. Answer as many as possible optional questions at scholarship websites.
3. Try using free scholarship matching websites (for example, Fastweb.com). The database of Fastweb.com is updated on a daily basis, and you will get the email notifications about new scholarships that match your individual criteria.
4. Search for local scholarships on the library’s careers and jobs section, bulletin boards near the financial aid offices or alike.
5. Apply for any scholarship programs for which you are eligible to register. Try pursuing even less competitive scholarships, such as essay contests and small awards contents since they will help you win bigger scholarship programs, and they are much easier to win. In any case, you might get additional income.
6. Make sure to meet the deadline! Be organized and keep track of your calendar and checklist records.
7. Tailor your application to the goals of the sponsor. Follow all the instructions thoroughly.
8. If it is difficult for you to write an essay, try answering the questions in orgal, then record yourself, and transcribe the recording. The majority of people find speaking easier than writing. Try creating an outline to organize your thoughts more efficiently.
9. Be passionate and personalize your essay. Write about the field of your interest. Tell about how you changed the world. Make your paper stand out from the crowd. Be specific and provide examples.
10. Ensure you have a professional profile. Google your name, and use a professional email address, such as name.surname@gmail.com. Clean up the content of your social media accounts and remove any immature and inappropriate posts.
11. Proofread the application and your essay for grammar and spelling errors.
12. Before mailing your application, make a photocopy of it. Send the application by mail and make sure to receive a delivery confirmation.

As you can see, winning a scholarship is not that difficult. It all depends on your motivation. However, if you do not have enough experience, it is crucial to devise and follow a detailed step-by-step guide on how to win a scholarship.