Sometimes, it seems like living life in reverse, sort of like the fictional Benjamin Button, would be helpful. Because of their youth and inexperience, many high school students fail to understand just how difficult student loans are going to make their lives. Because of that, too many students fail to apply for scholarships so that they can minimize or avoid student loans altogether. That’s a problem I’ve discussed numerous times. However, there is another way in which high school students are at a disadvantage when it comes to scholarships: many students have never previously applied for anything, including a job. And, those with job application experience have typically only applied for entry-level jobs, often at fast food restaurants, where the skills I’m about to discuss usually don’t come into play.
Research the Company
As adults, we know that when we apply for a job, we need to research the company we’re applying to. We need to know what the company does, what its products are, who it serves, the company’s mission, and so forth. We need to tailor our resumes and our interviews to match the mission, values, and goals of the company we hope to work for.
This same principle applies when applying for scholarships. Before filling out an application or writing a scholarship essay, students need to take a few moments to learn about the organization that is offering the scholarship. What does the organization do? What is its mission? Who do they serve? What are the organization's values? Understanding these things will allow the student to tailor their scholarship application and essay in a way that matches what that scholarship is looking for in an applicant.
Understand Why They Are Offering “Free” Money
Organizations that offer scholarships will usually fall into one of three categories: Colleges and other institutions of higher learning, non-profit charitable organizations, or for-profit businesses. No matter what type of organization is offering a scholarship, they are doing so for specific reasons. Sometimes those reasons will be explicitly stated on the scholarship website. However, other times, the student may need to do a little bit of research and inferring to understand the organization’s motivations for providing a scholarship. Whether it’s explicitly stated or has to be inferred, tailoring your application and essay to match the organization’s goals and purpose of the scholarship will increase your odds of winning.
Do your skills, interests, and experiences match the organization’s mission and values?
Just like applicants must meet certain basic requirements to be considered for a job, students must meet certain requirements to be considered for a scholarship. At a basic level, most scholarships list certain requirements for applying, such as minimum GPAs, citizenship requirements, age or grade in school, and other levels of experience. However, those types of requirements are just the minimums.
Students need to demonstrate that they are a match for the scholarship’s mission and values. Most students and parents fail to understand that scholarships are rarely awarded based on a student’s past achievements. Most scholarships want to assist students in achieving their future goals and plans. A student’s past accomplishments and experiences only serve as a kind of “proof” that the student is on track to achieve their stated goals. Scholarship winners have usually demonstrated, through their application and essay, that they are on a path that aligns with the sponsor organization’s mission and values.
Repeat Back Their Messaging
One way to demonstrate that you have done your research and that your vision aligns with the sponsor’s mission and values is to repeat the organization’s marketing messaging in your application. When you see a word or phrase repeated on a scholarship sponsor’s website, you can be sure that it’s important to this organization. For single words or common phrases, it’s fine to incorporate those exact words into your scholarship essay. Sometimes it can be effective to quote the mission statement from the sponsor organization in your essay. When doing that, you will most likely want to put that phrase in quotation marks to indicate to the judges that you are acknowledging that you are borrowing their phrase, speaking to them in their own language, and not simply plagiarizing.
Be enthusiastic
No matter how great the applicant is, no matter how much the applicant’s goals align with the sponsor’s mission, and no matter how impressive a student’s achievements, it is unlikely a student will win a scholarship if they come across as uninterested, unenthusiastic, or boring. Now, most scholarships don’t begin with an interview, so we’ll leave that topic for another day. Most scholarships begin with an essay (although some scholarships today offer video entry in lieu of an essay - in which case, “face-to-face interviewing skills” are more pertinent). Scholarship applicants must come across as excited about their future plans and their past achievements. If the applicant isn’t excited, how will the judges be excited to award this person a scholarship?
They Are Looking For An Ambassador
Just like employees are representatives of the company they work for, scholarships are looking for their winners to be ambassadors. Most scholarships will post the names and a short bio of their winners on their websites. Other scholarships will send out press releases about the scholarship and their winners. Some scholarships even ask their winners to do public interviews or to read their winning essays in public forums. For example, the 2023 VFW Voice of Democracy Contest winner, Sophia Lin, read her award-winning essay at the VFW’s annual Washington Conference, which is promoted on numerous websites.
Sophia serves as a role model for any student wishing to have scholarship success. Her winning essay is a textbook example of how to incorporate the sponsor’s message, values, and mission into a scholarship essay. Sophia was kind enough to provide an exclusive interview, which is included in the Scholarship GPS Program. Her interview can be found in the lesson titled, “The Scholarship that ALL High School Students (Grades 9-12) Should Apply For” in The Scholarships (Almost) Every Student Should Apply For Module.
Because the VFW’s essay prompt is topical and not about a student’s experiences, achievements, or future plans, what you don’t know about Sophia is that she has an impressive resume. While students with modest achievements can absolutely win scholarships, building a solid resume based on my 5 Pillars methodology will unlock so many more scholarship opportunities. Students who are high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and even younger students will benefit from the lessons in the Scholarship GPS Program on the 5 Pillars so that they can build a resume that can help them win more scholarships.
Applying for a scholarship is a like applying for a job. The more you can present yourself as aligned with the goals, mission, and values of the scholarship provider, the better your odds of winning the scholarship.
Introducing Scholarship GPS, an innovative online course that provides you with the knowledge and skills needed to secure valuable scholarships. The course features concise video lessons designed to seamlessly fit into your busy schedule, allowing you to learn at your own pace. Throughout the course, you'll acquire essential scholarship skills, including:
- How to identify the best scholarships based on your student's profile
- Tips and best practices for scholarship applications, essays, and projects
- The importance of crafting your student's Personal Narrative, a key element in winning scholarships
Additionally, you will have access to helpful tools such as:
- A scholarship tracking tool preloaded with quick and easy no-essay scholarships for immediate application
- A scholarship checklist template to ensure completion of applications
- An activity log to track your student's volunteer experiences
In addition to the valuable scholarship information, what sets Scholarship GPS apart is the inclusion of bonus lessons from trusted professionals, offering expert insights into college admissions, test preparation, and other crucial aspects of college readiness. By enrolling in this program, you will gain valuable information about scholarships and a comprehensive overview of college preparation.
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