Scholarship Tips

1. Apply to scholarships that you meet the criteria for. If you don't meet all the criteria, don't apply. Don't waste your time if you will not even be considered for the scholarship.

2. Make sure it is submitted by the deadline.

Know if the scholarship needs to be postmarked by a specific date or received by a certain date.
If it is late, know it probably will not be considered.

3. Follow all the directions and make sure your application is complete, accurate and there is no spelling or grammatical errors. Also ensure that is looks presentable (papers are not folded or spilled on). Omitting information or a section, mistakes and presentation can disqualify you from consideration.

4. Consider your online presence through social media. Clean up your online accounts and remove any inappropriate or immature content.

If scholarship reviewers look to social media to review potential applicants, you want your online presence to be professional.

5. Ask for letters of recommendations early. Not all scholarships require letters of recommendation but some do. Having them ready early on will help you ensure you are meeting all deadlines.

If the scholarship doesn't ask for any, do not attach any. Follow the directions on the number, if any, of letters of recommendation you need to submit.

6. Start the scholarship search process early.

7. Don't discount scholarship awards that are lower in monetary value. They may have less applicants which increases your chances.

You should manage your time, though. If a scholarship is valued at $200 but it will take you 4 hours to complete, you may want to decide if that one is worth your time to complete or not.