When it comes to scholarship applications, the standard recommendation is to apply early and often. Experts advise students to establish a strategic strategy because there are so many options around the country. For example, the U.S. News Scholarship Finder can help you find prizes. But no one has time to apply to all of the database’s over 15,000 scholarships. Instead, pupils can concentrate on areas for which they qualify.
Make a list of personal strengths to focus on before beginning your scholarships for high school juniors. Students should think about their abilities, passions, interests, and any previous accomplishments or accolades that might lead to future scholarships.
The 15 Step Guide
Make a List of Your Distinguishing Characteristics
Did you know that there are scholarships available for almost anything? Scholarships are available depending on nationality, personal interests, GPA, spoken languages, extracurricular activity, and more! Scholarships are available for swimmers, pianists, fantasy football players, students who overcame adversity as a child. First-generation high school students, LGBTQ people, and so on.
As a result, we propose that you begin by establishing a list of all of your distinguishing characteristics. You could amaze at how many scholarships high schools are available that match your specific abilities and attributes, so don’t leave anything out!
Look for Scholarships Based on These Characteristics
You may begin searching once you’ve compiled your list of distinguishing characteristics. There are tens of thousands of scholarship opportunities available. Many are simple to discover, such as the Gates Millennium Scholars Program and the Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarship, which are popular, high-competition awards. These are huge names with large payouts!
However, many thousands of others, particularly specialist ones and those with less rivalry (when they’re hard to find, they have less competitors! ), can be difficult to locate, so be thorough in your search. Don’t be hesitant to seek assistance from instructors and counselors; they may be invaluable resources!
Make a List of Scholarship Opportunities That Are Most Important to You
Keep a list of scholarships you’re interested in and prioritize them based on numerous aspects, including the deadline, unique fit, and scholarship for junior high school students. Obviously, the upcoming deadlines should take precedence, followed by the type of scholarship (and how well it fits you), and last, the money amount.
Everyone’s list will differ somewhat, but the idea is to apply for all of the greatest scholarships as soon as possible.
Create a Scholarship Calendar
It may seem self-evident, but apply for as many scholarships as you can! Don’t cut corners.
Set aside time to focus only on scholarship applications, and consider creating a scholarship calendar. Every Monday, spend an hour searching for and saving scholarship options and an hour every Wednesday applying for them. Make a decision on what works best for you and stay with it. We’re all busy, but if you set aside time to apply for scholarships, you’ll be glad you did afterwards!
Create a Scholarship “toolbox” to Save Time in the Future
What is a scholarly toolkit, you might wonder? It’s all the tools and information you’ll need to ace the scholarship application process!
You’ll be able to crank out more scholarship applications in less time if you acquire all of the (possibly) essential objects and information for scholarship applications ahead of time.
These items include:
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Letters of recommendation
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Scholarship essays you’ve written in the past
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All of your school’s information
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Most recent transcripts (high school)
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Personal information
Don’t Be Hasty When Applying for Scholarships!
Make sure you’re devoting enough time and thought to each application to make it a good contender. You want your application to stand out and demonstrate your ability to think critically and work hard.
Taking the right amount of time to apply for scholarships entails:
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All guidelines must be read (including the fine print) thoroughly
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Get to know the organization that is providing the scholarship.
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Considering any queries or essays with care
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If you’re applying for a scholarship, you’ll need to write and proof an excellent essay (more on this shortly)
In a word, if you don’t call it in, you’ll have a better chance of getting that free money for high school.
Keep an Eye on Your Scholarship Applications
The more organized you are, the better, and organization is especially important if you’re applying for many scholarships (as we encourage). Search makes it easy to bookmark forthcoming scholarships, stay on top of deadlines, and keep track of the scholarships for high school juniors you’ve applied for (including the ones you’ve won! ), but a spreadsheet works just as well.
Keeping a master list of scholarships and tracking them, regardless of your chosen approach, guarantees that you don’t miss out on any fantastic possibilities. It also aids budgeting by allowing you to see how much you’ve made and how much you still owe.
Stick to the Directions
Don’t break the rules of the scholarship, or you’ll disqualify for a stupid reason.
It may seem self-evident, but it is critical to provide all required materials to avoid getting rejected. Make sure you’ve double-checked all of the criteria and that you’re submitting them correctly!
Always Complete the “optional” Tasks
Okay, we get that no one wants to do more work. However, if a scholarship has any “optional” criteria, you must treat them as “required” and complete them.
Why? Because doing the extra work demonstrates initiative and desire; and it will set you apart from other applicants who may not have provided the extra documents. Go the extra mile!
Write a Scholarship Essay That Will Get You Accepted
The scholarship essay, oh, the scholarship essay. Although not every scholarship demands one, many do, and this is your opportunity to shine. Your essay allows you to demonstrate more depth sides of yourself that aren’t represented in your GPA or test scores.
This is our comprehensive guide to writing a scholarship essay that can help you win big, and it contains pretty much everything you need to know about writing the finest scholarship essay possible.
Don’t Leave it Till the Last Minute to Make a Decision
We encourage that you apply for scholarships as soon as feasible. Why? For one thing, certain scholarships give preference to those who apply early.
Even if you don’t earn additional points for applying early, you’ll have ample time to double-check that your scholarship application is error-free. We’ve all waited until the last possible moment to submit something online, only to discover that the website is down or that there are other “technical issues.”
Scholarship Scams Must Be Avoided
Scholarships exist to provide you with free money, not to steal money from you! So, if scholarships high schools advertise an “application fee,” search elsewhere! Furthermore, strong statements such as “you’ve been pre-selected” or “it’s guaranteed or your money back” are indicators of unethical business practices.
Clean up Your Social Media Accounts That Are Open to the Public
This is a major issue. Scholarship committee members, like prospective employers, will often vet their applicants on social media, so make sure your social media is professional. Many scholarships ask for a connection to a social media presence (of your choice or not), so make sure you include a functional, accessible link.
Look in Your Spam Folder
If you receive a scholarship, you’ll most likely contact through email, so keep an eye out for updates. However, we all know that essential mail may get lost in the spam folder, so keep an eye on it as well.
Never give up! Scholarships Can Change Your Life and Are Well Worth the Effort.
This is possibly the most crucial of all the scholarship advice. You’ll almost certainly get reject. That’s fine! Some scholarships are competitive and costly, but don’t give up! That scholarship money will ultimately add up.
Unigo offers a variety of scholarship opportunities for high school students. Some of the scholarships are for seniors in high school. Scholarships for high school juniors may be available from current schools based on academic accomplishment and financial assistance information from the FAFSA.
But let’s pretend you’re not in the 12th grade. You can still compete for scholarships to get a head start. There are a variety of entertaining, no-essay, and unusual scholarships available. Look it up on the internet! Now is the time to go!
