Winning scholarships can be a crucial step toward achieving success in college or university. But, before you even start the process of applying for scholarships, it’s a good idea to understand the most common mistakes students make.
In the following two sections, we’ll break down these common mistakes. First, we’ll discuss what you should avoid when looking for scholarship opportunities. Then, we’ll cover common pitfalls to avoid when you apply for scholarship awards.
To be clear, finding scholarships and applying for scholarships are different processes.
In this ultimate guide of what to avoid as you head on your scholarship journey, we’ll empower you to sidestep common errors. We’ll help you avoid wasting time. And, we’ll help position you to succeed in finding money for college tuition and education expenses. Ultimately, we’ll encourage you to take control of your financial destiny and graduate with less student debt.
It’s never been more important to know how to win in the scholarship game. Scholarships help students immensely. So, let’s understand how to win.
Part I: Common Mistakes to Avoid When Searching for Scholarships
In this section, we’ll cover what to avoid in the scholarship search process.
Avoid Scholarships with Lots of Competition: The Power of Smaller Scholarships
One of the biggest obstacles to winning a scholarship is competition. Luckily, there are strategies you can use when researching scholarships so that you can avoid applying for awards with loads of competition.
One easy way to assess how many applicants a scholarship may receive is to examine its eligibility requirements. Typically, the more specific the criteria, the less competition. It’s that simple.
If a scholarship is open to all students attending any college or university in the United States, the potential pool of applicants is huge. However, many scholarships use more specific criteria in order to determine eligibility.
For example, there are specific scholarship opportunities for women in STEM fields, scholarships for military veterans, scholarships for minority students, school-specific scholarships, scholarships based on major, and many more.
Awards with very specific criteria tend to be less in value. However, there also tends to be less competition because of the fact that many students are ineligible to win. This means that if you’re eligible for one of these scholarships, you have a greater chance of being the successful recipient.
The advice here is simple: Don’t waste your time applying for scholarships you’re unlikely to win. When you start your scholarship journey, search for scholarships with less competition.
Avoid Scholarships You Don’t Mesh With
Another thing to consider when examining scholarship opportunities is the mission of the award. In some cases, you might meet the eligibility requirements of a scholarship, but not match well with the priorities of a scholarship provider.
For example, if the mission of a scholarship program is to invest in students who have a history of exceptional leadership and you think that you may win the scholarship prize because you won a national chess competition, there’s clearly a disconnect. Despite being impressive, your profile doesn’t match well with the spirit of the scholarship prize, and it may be wiser to focus time and energy on a different scholarship competition.
Similarly, a merit-based scholarship invests in students with exceptional grades or test scores. Common requirements are that students have a 3.0 GPA or higher for these prizes. However, it’s likely that competition will be fierce and winners will have a stronger GPA – higher than 3.5.
While you may have grades that meet the minimum requirement, they may not be high enough to help you stand out from the crowd. If this is the case, don’t worry. There are many types of scholarships and the right one is likely out there for you.
Avoid Sticking to the First Results on Scholarship Lists or Scholarship Databases: Go Deep in Your Scholarship Search
When searching for scholarships you may want to avoid staying on the first page of various scholarship lists, scholarship databases, or scholarship search engines. You should probably assume that the ease in finding these awards will make them an easy option for many other students, too.
Without question, scholarships that are easy to find (e.g., the first page of google) will have greater competition than those which require some digging. So, in your search, navigate as far and wide as possible. The deeper you go into the pages of search engines, the less likely it will be that others find the same prizes.
If you need some motivation on this front, treat this like a digital treasure hunt with scholarship money as your prize. The even bigger endgame is graduating from college with fewer student loans, credit card debt, or other forms of financial aid that you have to pay back.
Scholarship Scams
Unfortunately, there are some illegitimate scholarship websites and opportunities that exist. These operations typically ask for some form of payment to apply, ask you to click links that install malware on your device, or simply ask for your email for spamming purposes.
Let’s be clear. You should never pay to apply for scholarships or services to help you find scholarships. Scholarships do not have fees and if you’re looking for awards, there are many free scholarship finders online.
One of the most obvious signs that a scholarship is not real is when there are daily or weekly cash giveaways. It’s unlikely that a scholarship fund has the capacity to give away $1,000 per day. So, exercise caution and think about whether an offer is too good to be true.
Always remember, there are many real scholarships available to students. If something seems off, it probably is. In this case, pivot to the next prize and get to work on that application!
Part II: Things to Avoid When Applying for Scholarships
In this section, we’ll cover what to avoid when applying for scholarships.
Missing Deadlines When Applying for Scholarships
Every scholarship application has a deadline. Be sure to record it and submit materials early!
Quite simply, you cannot win a scholarship if you don’t apply on time. In fact, most scholarship opportunities will say this clearly in the terms and conditions.
After spending time creating an application, don’t hurt your opportunity to win by failing to submit it on time. For scholarship committees, these rules are non-negotiable.
Additionally, it’s a good idea to submit materials early to avoid any technical issues or submission errors. It’s not uncommon for a scholarship website to crash on deadline day because of high volumes of traffic. Often, these types of system glitches won’t be taken into consideration if you submit after a stated due date.
Submitting a Generic Answer to a Scholarship Essay Question
One of the most avoidable mistakes many students make is submitting an application and essay that contains generic information. This typically happens when someone finds a scholarship they want to apply for; then they cut and paste the content from a previously submitted application into the new one.
While this is fast and efficient, it typically doesn’t meet what scholarship committees look for.
Always remember that people will be reading your application. The best applications will take this seriously.
Personal essays should be authentic and catered to a specific audience. The more you’re able to do this, the better it will resonate with those choosing the winner of a competition.
Cut and Pasting from ChatGPT or other AI Writers
The ease of using platforms like ChatGPT and other AI writers makes them attractive. It’s no secret that these writing tools have powerful capabilities that may entice many students to use them.
However, if these tools aren’t used correctly, the results tend to be generic, and even worse, similar to other submissions.
Consider this example. Imagine you decide to submit a scholarship application asking for a personal essay on why you deserve the prize. You sign into an AI writer and ask it to construct an essay in response to this question. It creates a 500-word response that notes your work ethic, perseverance, and academic record.
Well, if other students approach their application in the same way, it’s likely that their answers will be very similar. This will likely get you immediately disqualified from the competition. And if you’re not disqualified, it’s unlikely you’ll win.
Scholarship essays should always be personalized with examples from your life (where applicable). While artificial intelligence has amazing capabilities, it must be approached with caution when used as a scholarship aid.
Summary: Avoid these Common Mistakes when Searching and Applying for Scholarships
By implementing the strategies and insights shared in this guide, you can position yourself to win in the world of scholarships. With determination and a solid plan, you can overcome the challenges outlined above. Take control of your future and seize the opportunities that scholarships provide. Your dreams are waiting to be realized, and scholarships can be the key that unlocks the doors to your academic and personal success. Start your scholarship journey today and pave the way to a brighter future. Good luck!
Summary of major points above:
- Avoid scholarships with lots of competition and focus on smaller local awards.
- Bypass scholarships whose mission or eligibility requirements you don’t mesh well with.
- Try not to stick only to the first results you find in a scholarship search.
- Stay away from scholarship scams. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
- Record deadlines and submit materials early.
- Avoid cut and pasting generic answers from other applications.
- Use AI tools with caution as they tend to answer questions in very similar ways.
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