Preparing the Scholarship Application
Preparing months, and even years, ahead can maximize a student’s chance of winning a scholarship, particularly if that student recognizes the basic criteria scholarship committees strive to find within their applicant pool and if the student then meets that criteria. Even more impressive is a student who can meet the required criteria, exceed those standards and display the unique and diverse characteristics the student has setting them apart from the rest of the applicant pool.
Be Unique
The diversity of a student body is a phrase often employed by college admissions boards and it is not used any differently by scholarship committees. Colleges do not want every student to be alike with the same interests, same background and same grades, and scholarship application reviewers want to choose a student who deserves the award because of something unique to that student, and not commonly found among other applicants.
Keeping Those Scores High
The first and most obvious preparation to winning any scholarship is achieving good grades and receiving a good score on the SAT. Good grades does not necessarily mean straight A’s. A unique and diverse background can counteract an average grade point average. However, keep in mind that many scholarships require a minimum grade point average to even apply, and those applications not meeting the minimum qualifications will be discarded before a student’s other qualities are taken into account. Additionally, a student whose record shows his or her academic performance has become stronger with each passing year and shows improvement may receive as much credit as a student who has received excellent grades throughout school. Trying to improve your grade point average with each successive term is one of the best forms of preparation.
The SAT score is another number that often ranks high with scholarship application reviewers and is a score which can be raised with studying, practice or through a review course. Students should begin their preparation for the SAT by taking practice tests, either at home or, if available, when offered through the school. Buying a book with sample SAT’s is a great way to practice and improve a student’s chances of excelling on the SAT. Taking a review course is often costly, but many programs guarantee your score to go up and even ten or twenty points on an SAT score can make a difference to scholarship reviewers. Planning on taking the SAT during the spring of a student’s junior year is often a wise idea. If the scores are not as high as the student expected, he or she may take it again during the fall of senior year and be in a position to select the best scores to send.
And Then Include All the Rest
Aside from grades and SAT scores, a student’s interests and activities are often just as important. A student excelling at a sport, or in a student leadership position shows qualities that a scholarship committee cannot discern simply by looking at grades or SAT scores. It is also a good idea to pick activities which interest you and in which you think you will excel. A student who has a myriad of extracurricular activities and plays a variety of sports, but does not really shine in any of them, may be overlooked as a student just trying to put together a good application. A scholarship selection committee wants to pick a student who truly cares and is passionate about the activities and interests in which the student is involved. If you have a unique interest or one not commonly heard of, getting involved with that activity is a great way to show not only your diversity but also your level of commitment and ability to perform well in areas where others may not.
Focus, Prepare and Work Towards Your Goal
Keep your focus strong in your endeavors to prepare for scholarship applications, and remember to make yourself stand out as a prospective candidate. Improving your grades, working on your SAT scores and showing a high level of commitment in your activities are a great start and will not only look good to a scholarship review board, but will look good to college application committees and future employers.