What Do You Need to Do to Prepare for a Scholarship?
The earlier one can prepare for scholarships, the better. Reading scholarship applications and recognizing the qualifications and criteria necessary for many scholarships are a great way to begin preparation, and make for a less stressful senior year in high school. Preparing for scholarships early on in a student’s high school education gives the student the ability to begin applying for scholarships immediately once senior year starts. The bigger and more lucrative scholarships tend to have early application dates because of the large number of applicants. Prepared students will be ready to meet these deadlines and can then turn their attention to college applications and coursework necessary to complete the final years of high school.
From Freshman to Senior…Keep Preparing!
Even if a student has not begun preparations early on during high school, there are still plenty of ways to prepare and to create a great scholarship application. A student’s grade point average is generally the first number a scholarship selection committee will review. A student who has put thought into scholarship preparation from the start will naturally realize that good grades are often key to gaining a good scholarship. However, a student who does not have an above average grade point average or straight A’s is not disqualified. Many scholarships and selection boards like to see a strong improvement over a student’s high school career. A rising grade point average shows strong motivation and dedication on the student’s part and a good work ethic. It also shows a student’s level of maturity has risen or, perhaps, that student has had to overcome hardship or difficult events during high school. Whether you’ve been a straight A student all along, or have come through high school with marginal or average grades, boosting your grades up during senior year shows improvement and shows a selection committee you are serious about further education.
Not Just Grades Count…
Whether a student has great grades or not, the second important number a selection board wants to see is a good standardized test score. Most scholarships require SAT or ACT scores. A student with great grades and a poor SAT score may have the same chances as a student with marginal grades and an excellent SAT score. Fortunately, the SAT and ACT are tests a student can study for and improve on. Because all high schools are different and grade point averages among the various applicants may not reflect those differences, the SAT score is the best way for a selection committee to compare the various applicants for the scholarship and rank the applicants accordingly. Try to begin SAT preparation early with a practice test, taken in test-like settings. If your school offers a practice test, take it. Buy a book of SAT practice tests and try to improve your score with each test you take. If you can afford it, many SAT courses are available and offer a guaranteed raise in score after completion of the course. While such courses may seem like a strain financially, the money a student saves by gaining a scholarship can exceed the cost of an SAT course by thousands of dollars.
How Unique Can You Be?
Finally, selection committees like to see diversity among the applicants and to pick a student who offers some unique traits or characteristics not shared with other applicants. If every student played a varsity sport, was a member of student council and volunteered at the animal shelter, it would be very difficult for a selection board to determine why any of those students deserved a scholarship. Rather than trying to join a number of clubs and sports because you think it will look good on an application, participate in activities you truly care about and believe you can excel in. Doing extremely well in one or two activities will show your level of commitment and motivation far more than participating in many activities without showing any strong skills or talents.
Reaping the Benefits
Scholarship preparation can be hard work, but the payoff is considerable in the end. Achieving good grades and a good SAT score while engaging in activities you enjoy not only looks great on your scholarship application, but looks great on college applications and on resumes for future employment. Begin now, and the money you save will make your hard work well worth the effort.