Seventy percent of students who enroll in college each year may be among the 20 million students who rely on loans to cover their educational expenses. While taking out a loan could be a quick fix, by the time you graduate, you might owe nearly $30,000.
A far better choice is to apply for scholarships for higher study. Scholarships are available to students from a range of age groups and socioeconomic backgrounds. If someone can apply and be successful, then why aren’t more individuals doing so? The process of applying for scholarships can be discouraging for a lot of people. They have different requirements and need a great deal of time and work.
Even with the challenges, you shouldn’t turn off the opportunity to get free money for schooling. To aid you in the process, we have included a step-by-step tutorial on how to locate and apply for scholarships.
How to Find Scholarships for Applying?
You can easily find and apply for hundreds of scholarships using the many search engines and online tools available on the internet. Here we will go over several common resources that you and your parents can use to find scholarships to apply for.
Search Engines
Everyone adores Google, am I right? You can find anything, even college scholarships, naturally. With a quick search, millions of results can be found.
This may not be the best place to start, even though it may seem like a smart approach. You won’t be affected by most of the findings. You will lose a great deal of time reading through page after page of useless content. If you’re going to utilize a search engine like Google, try to be as specific as you can with your queries. This will help you narrow down your search and find more relevant scholarships.
Before starting your scholarship search, give yourself some time to think about your identity. Who then are you? Which qualities do you have? What sets you apart? Mentioning your gender, race, place of residence, disability, family situation, characteristics, assets, and weaknesses in addition to your interests is a smart idea. You can use this information as a guide when you search for scholarships.
Websites for Scholarships
Scholarship websites are usually the first place that people advise looking. Thousands upon thousands of scholarships are available on these generally accessible websites. Scholarship websites have significantly improved in recent years with options for simple sign-up, filtering, and search results tailored to each student’s profile.
One disadvantage is the intense rivalry found on scholarship websites. There are links on several of these websites to external, national scholarships, some of which are awarded through a lottery. Certain websites continue to list scholarship programs that are no longer in operation due to insufficient updates or poor quality control.
Apps
Using mobile applications and mobile-friendly scholarship websites is an easy method to search for scholarships. Being able to apply for and maintain scholarship applications while traveling is a big benefit. You may alter the search results in most programs.
Going Merry’s mobile-friendly scholarship application allows you to focus your search for local scholarships, create a list of the colleges and scholarships you’re interested in, and examine the scholarships you’re eligible to apply for. We plan to release both iOS and Android mobile apps by the start of 2020!
School
There may be scholarships available from your college, where you will be attending next year, or from your high school, from which you are graduating. Colleges may provide scholarships funded by the government, a nonprofit or for-profit company, former students, or the university itself in any scenario. Certain scholarships (GPA, sports) will be awarded to all students, while others will be given out based on merit or certain qualities (like leadership).
How to apply for Scholarships?
Do your research
Start your research as soon as possible to avoid putting yourself under pressure and possibly losing out on a fantastic scholarship. You’ll have more alternatives the more time you can dedicate to your scholarship hunt. To research scholarships, get information and application forms, and submit your application by the deadline, you’ll need time. There’s even a chance that some scholarships end before the school year begins.
Check if you are eligible
Finding out what scholarships you are truly eligible for is another crucial step that you should take into consideration as soon as possible, as some will have certain requirements. After you’ve determined which scholarships are best for you through rigorous study, you may dedicate some time to preparing your application.
Be organized
When working on your scholarship application, the organization pays off. To conveniently keep track of them and remember any deadlines, start by making a list of the scholarships you intend to apply for.
Additionally, it’s a good idea to organize all of your scholarship materials into a different folder. In this manner, you can ensure that the information in it is current and you will always know where it is.
Include all required information
You could believe that applying for multiple scholarships is more beneficial than focusing your efforts on a select handful. You might, however, exclude some important information from your application if you do this. Ensure that your application contains every piece of information the selection panel has asked for. Especially if these are things they have specifically asked, an incomplete application does not present the best image.
Think about presentation
A job interview and a scholarship application are extremely similar. Spelling errors and unreadable writing don’t look good if you want to leave a favorable impression. Make sure you take the time to review these, and if a form asks you to fill it out in a specific manner, make sure you do. Get a friend or member of your familyProvide correct information
Provide references/referees
Referees or references may occasionally be required for your application. Since a lot is riding on this application, it is crucial to pick these individuals wisely. Notifying your references of your scholarship application and providing them with information about the qualifications you must meet is also necessary. This allows them to carefully craft a reference that emphasizes the aspects of your application that you would like to make stand out.
Don’t miss the deadline
When applying for a scholarship, always allow yourself an additional few days. If you’re waiting on a referee’s confirmation or are having your application professionally printed, you could need this. Keep in mind that incomplete submissions will typically not be reviewed.