Scholarships

Preparations for Applications

Well-known scholarship awards such as the Truman, Goldwater, Fulbright, and Rhodes prizes should be planned for. Being competitive for a selective scholarship requires the same kind of preparation necessary to be competitive for admittance to a strong school. Such preparation requires that applicants recognize the domino effect of their actions and that by laying a strong foundation for the career that they intend to pursue, they will likely be good candidates for scholarships in that chosen field of study.

Preparation also includes the need to start early in preparing to compete for scholarships. Some scholarships require extra preparation, and applicants may need several months in advance of submitting the actual award application to complete the application package. Students should make appointments to meet with school counselors, teachers, administrators, past recipients, and college recruiters to discuss scholarship opportunities early in the school year and create a personal timeline for application preparation and submission for the academic calendar year.

To be an eligible scholarship candidate and maximize chances of receiving an award, it is necessary to develop and follow a plan for targeting and pursuing scholarships. Although most scholarships may be open to applicants, some scholarships require nominations for consideration. In these instances, interested applicants may want to consider approaching a teacher or administrator for consideration. To prepare for comprehensive scholarship applications, students may choose to start and keep up a “resume” folder that provides a place for them to store and reference their activities and reflective experiences that they may choose to cite in essays that ask applicants to write about their learning experiences. Applicants may also want to compose and regularly revise their personal written goals. This allows for ongoing reflection as well as inputs that may be used in creating essay responses.

Because some applications require references, applicants should think of three to five people with whom they have close relationships to serve as references for them. References should know the applicant well to write a letter that will be meaningfully revealing to the scholarship selection committee.

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