Why Do The Same Students Win All Of The Scholarships?
If you have ever attended a senior awards ceremony at a high school, you will usually see the same few students being called to the stage over and over again to accept scholarship award after scholarship award. So, why do the same students win all of the scholarships?
Are they the top students?
In some cases, the students who earn all of the scholarships could be the top students. But this is not always (or even usually) true. I'll address the "top student" phenomenon below, but first, let me tell you about some other students who "won all of the scholarships."
Talon is an average student and an average kid. That's how his mom, Audria, described him. Talon likely would not have qualified for much merit aid from any 4-year colleges, as those types of scholarships ARE awarded to just top students. However, as a high school senior, Talon earned more than $100,000 in private scholarships. Today, he's attending a 2-year college and will be transferring to a university to earn an engineering degree. Thanks to the private scholarships he earned, and his 2+2 college plan, he's on track to pay absolutely NOTHING for college!
Madeline (the daughter of Sarah, quoted in the above image) was a good student in high school, but not her class valedictorian. Yet, to date, she has earned 18 scholarships!
Then, there is Crystal, whose daughter, Maya, won the most scholarships by a single student at her high school's awards event, earning more scholarships than the students ranked above her academically.
My son, Sam, earned 23 private scholarships between his junior year of high school and the time he graduated from college. However, he was not at the top of his graduating high school class. Yet, his name was called for more scholarships at his senior awards night than the class valedictorian, the class salutatorian, and the dozens of other students ranked above him combined!
So, how did these "non-elite" students earn so many scholarships? I'll explain what they had in common below. But first, let me tell you about a top student who had great scholarship success - but not in the way you might have expected...
Victoria was her class valedictorian. So, she was a shoo-in for lots of merit aid from her choice of college, right? WRONG! The college that Victoria thought she would attend only offered her a $1,000 scholarship. However, by applying to another school and by having the same thing that those above-mentioned "average" students had, Victoria (high school Class of 2025) has earned more than $185,000 in scholarships to date, covering her entire four-year tuition expense, plus a substantial chunk of her room, board, and other college expenses.
So, what did Talon, Madeline, Maya, Sam, and Victoria have in common?
A compelling Personal Narrative. In my many years of experience coaching students to help them earn scholarships, I have found that this is the one common denominator when it comes to scholarship success. A compelling Personal Narrative is a far greater predictor of scholarship success than a student's GPA, SAT score, or even how many extracurricular activities they are involved in.
But, here's one more thing that these scholarship-winning students had in common: Parental support. Yes, Talon, Madeline, Maya, and Victoria all worked with me. And, based on their parents' comments, my coaching made a significant contribution to their success. But, I also have to give their parents credit as well. While I taught their students how to write compelling scholarship essays based on their Personal Narratives, their parents were there to encourage them. None of these students earned the first scholarship they applied for. Earning scholarships takes time and involves numerous rejections. Parental encouragement and support is the other 'secret sauce' for scholarship success.
If you have read this far, then I'm confident that your student has the parental support they will need for scholarship success. However, if you need help building your student's compelling Personal Narrative, would like a third-party to assist with scholarship essays, or require guidance in finding the right scholarships, I would be delighted to serve as your family's scholarship coach.
The Scholarship Navigator programs are built for students based on their year in school. Scholarship GPS offers a Scholarship Navigator program for college students, as well as programs for high school seniors in the Class of 2026, juniors in the Class of 2027, and high school sophomores and freshmen. The Scholarship Navigator programs include:
-Access to the Scholarship GPS course, where I share my scholarship knowledge, tips, and best practices. The program also provides samples of winning scholarship essays.
-A personalized list of scholarships for the student to apply for, based on the student's unique profile.
-Personalized help with scholarship applications and essays in the form of reviews, suggestions, and editing.
-Direct access to me, Dave the Scholarship Coach, for your scholarship questions.
-The programs for high school students also include regular client-only webinars where I present on a timely scholarship topic, and students and parents can ask me their scholarship questions.
The Scholarship Navigator programs are budget-friendly and paid for on a monthly basis. So, while I hope you'll stick with the program long-term, you can cancel at any time.
If you have any questions about the Scholarship Navigator programs, please feel free to email me at Dave@NoDebtCollege.com. Or, click here to get started today!
-Dave the Scholarship Coach
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