3 answers
Alena
Student
Anchorage, Alaska
2
Questions
Asked
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what are some motivation to keep applying to scholarships?
what did you do? I have applied to countless of scholarships, lots of easy ones and lots that I put in all my effort for sometimes weeks but yet I still have received nothing but no's in return. #scholarships #scholarship #motivation
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3 answers
Kenneth Williams
Education and Workforce Development
4
Answers
Washington, Washington
Updated
Kenneth’s Answer
Hi Alena,
Securing funding for college can be very difficult. While in college, I was able to receive a little over $160,000 in scholarships by putting a process to make things a little easier. Here are a few things you can do.
Set a Goal:
The first step you need to take is to identify how much you need to raise in order to pay for school. Not only for the upcoming semester but for your entire academic duration. How many years will it take you to graduate? Have you considered all the educational expenses you will need to cover? (Tuition, Room & Board, Books, Price Increases?) Visit www.collegecost.ed.gov to get a better understanding of the cost to attend different post-secondary institutions.
Develop Your Personal Brand:
Just like Nike, Apple and Coca-Cola have brands associated with their products, you need to develop your own personal brand. What do you want to be known for? (Community Service, Academics, Outstanding Leadership etc.) Once you identify you want to be known for, start to brainstorm different activities you can do to strengthen your brand. This is very important, but you need have something talk about to make yourself stand out in scholarship applications. Something that can help is to look at the previous winners of the scholarship applications to see what they did. You shouldn't do the exact same activities as them, but it will get you a better understanding of what the scholarship committee is looking for.
Identify the Low Hanging Fruit:
Finding the right funding opportunities is no easy task. There are many search engines out there and students are always questioning whether the scholarships on these sites are a good fit for them. While some of these sites can be helpful, there are many other places you can look for funding that you have a higher chance of receiving. Your institution’s alumni association, local community foundations and professional associations typically offer scholarships that are only available to students in a specific region or city. Also, once you receive your financial aid package from the school, consider writing a financial aid letter of appeal. This is a letter the value you plan to bring to the institution and requesting that they increase your financial aid package. I have seen students receive up to an additional $5,000 just for writing a letter!
Write Competitively:
Throughout school, we have been taught that bragging is not a good thing. This is true most of the time, but writing a scholarship essay is not the time to be humble. This is your time to show the committee why you stand out. What makes you great? How have you positively impacted others? Why should they invest their money in you? Before you start writing, take the time to identify the strong points that you believe will make you stand out.
I hope these tips help. I know this can be a frustrating process, but don't get discouraged!
Securing funding for college can be very difficult. While in college, I was able to receive a little over $160,000 in scholarships by putting a process to make things a little easier. Here are a few things you can do.
Set a Goal:
The first step you need to take is to identify how much you need to raise in order to pay for school. Not only for the upcoming semester but for your entire academic duration. How many years will it take you to graduate? Have you considered all the educational expenses you will need to cover? (Tuition, Room & Board, Books, Price Increases?) Visit www.collegecost.ed.gov to get a better understanding of the cost to attend different post-secondary institutions.
Develop Your Personal Brand:
Just like Nike, Apple and Coca-Cola have brands associated with their products, you need to develop your own personal brand. What do you want to be known for? (Community Service, Academics, Outstanding Leadership etc.) Once you identify you want to be known for, start to brainstorm different activities you can do to strengthen your brand. This is very important, but you need have something talk about to make yourself stand out in scholarship applications. Something that can help is to look at the previous winners of the scholarship applications to see what they did. You shouldn't do the exact same activities as them, but it will get you a better understanding of what the scholarship committee is looking for.
Identify the Low Hanging Fruit:
Finding the right funding opportunities is no easy task. There are many search engines out there and students are always questioning whether the scholarships on these sites are a good fit for them. While some of these sites can be helpful, there are many other places you can look for funding that you have a higher chance of receiving. Your institution’s alumni association, local community foundations and professional associations typically offer scholarships that are only available to students in a specific region or city. Also, once you receive your financial aid package from the school, consider writing a financial aid letter of appeal. This is a letter the value you plan to bring to the institution and requesting that they increase your financial aid package. I have seen students receive up to an additional $5,000 just for writing a letter!
Write Competitively:
Throughout school, we have been taught that bragging is not a good thing. This is true most of the time, but writing a scholarship essay is not the time to be humble. This is your time to show the committee why you stand out. What makes you great? How have you positively impacted others? Why should they invest their money in you? Before you start writing, take the time to identify the strong points that you believe will make you stand out.
I hope these tips help. I know this can be a frustrating process, but don't get discouraged!
Steward "Tony" Pacheco
Minister, USMC Vet, John C. Maxwell Cert. Coach, Trainer, Speaker, Teacher, Straight Shooter
117
Answers
Kyle, Texas
Updated
Steward "Tony"’s Answer
Keep this in mind! Every NO brings you closer to a YES, so do not give up.
Know your schools, what they represent and expect them to be looking for a certain student mentality, so answer questions, giving them what they want in order to appease their grant writers and bean counters.
Approach every app with a prayer from the heart.
I would also print out what Kenneth Williams stated and memorize it. Its Good Stuff!
Know your schools, what they represent and expect them to be looking for a certain student mentality, so answer questions, giving them what they want in order to appease their grant writers and bean counters.
Approach every app with a prayer from the heart.
I would also print out what Kenneth Williams stated and memorize it. Its Good Stuff!
Lakisha Jarrett, MBA
Admin
2
Answers
Hampton, Virginia
Updated
Lakisha’s Answer
Hello Alena. This is a very good question that I found myself asking when I was applying to college. The best motivation I could give you that I gave my younger self is to never give up. That is with anything in life. Look at it like this: there are millions of young scholars like yourself that share some of the same goals and that is to be admitted to college with little to no out of picket expenses. There are millions of scholarships opportunities out there as well. The key is engaging your family, mentors, friends, church members, and etc. all in the scholarship process. Fill out as many as you can, efficiently, and hope for the best. I filled out countless amount of application before I was selected for only two of them but that's ok. I gave it my all and it was worth it! It also helps to build character because it gives you the ability to withstand when times get tough or you get frustrated. Never give you, keep striding! Best of luck to you!