MOST OF THESE TIPS HAVE COME FROM THE ARTICLE “HOW TO APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS” AND EXTRA TIPS CAN BE APPLIED TO APPLYING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS.
Even when applying regular decision, colleges still pay attention to when an application is submitted so it is always best to submit ANYTHING (college, job, scholarship) applications at the earliest moment. It may not drastically impact your chances of admission but it is still something useful to take into account.
Don’t wait until the last minute.
Don’t rush through applications.
Don’t exaggerate/lie about accomplishments.
Don’t plagiarize.
Get to know your counselor. You’ll probably need them to fill out some recommendations for you.
Double check your own application (including essays) and have someone look over (max of two people).
Contact teachers for recs ahead of time with your resume ready and thank them after they submitted your rec.
Use pen to fill out applications but try to type if possible, typing looks more professional/neater.
Save or copy all of your applications/essays before you send them or have digital backups. Scholarships often times use the same topics and you can always reuse essays to save labor.
Don’t be afraid to reuse recommenders, chances are they have your rec. saved already.
Use teacher from your junior year as recommendations, they are the most recent teachers to have known you the longest so they are prepared to give you a more thoughtful and detailed rec.
Try to use at least one teacher from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) subjects and one teacher from humanities (English, Language, Fine Art, Social Studies) subjects.
When writing essays/reusing essays, try to tailor the essays to the college itself (if possible keeping the subject of the essay relevant) - think of the audience reading your essay (do your research on the values/background of the college- this could come in handy when preparing for interviews).
Make sure you answer all questions on an application and answer the prompt thoroughly.
Have items saved already/on hand that many scholarships will constantly ask for (have electron copies/scans of your transcript, test score reports, FAFSA, recommendations, etc.)
Make folders either on your computer, flash drive or online storage system (google drive) to organize the different applications/essays/etc. that you are applying for. (ex. One folder for science essays, one folder for community upbringing essays, etc.)
Do not go over the essay word limit.
Do not send extra material that the institution didn’t ask for.
Contact the institution if you are unsure how to answer a question.
If mailing a scholarship, consider paying a little bit extra to track the application to make sure it arrives at its destination.
DON'T STOP APPLYING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS AFTER APPLICATION SEASON - EVEN IF YOU GOT A FULLRIDE. THERE MAY BE EXTRA COSTS TO BE COVERED (travel, books, clothes, etc.).