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Antonella
Student
Elizabeth, New Jersey
1
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How can I increase my chances in winning scholarships?
I recently got accepted into four colleges, the thing is I applied for FAFSA very late. Can I get some tips?
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Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1842
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California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Antonella with the cost of school on the rise each year, scholarships are becoming more and more important. Unlike student loans, scholarships don’t need to be paid back and they offer free no-strings-attached money. Winning scholarships can significantly reduce (or even help you completely avoid) the burden of student debt and increasing interest rates after graduation.
⏰ MORE TIME LESS COMPETITION
If the thought of writing an essay or tracking down personal recommendation letters feel overwhelming. Many scholarship applications are designed to take a few hours to complete, so use that to your advantage. The fact that several applications take a long time is actually a good thing. The more that is involved in a scholarship, the less competition you might have, since others might not have the patience to complete all of the steps.
🧭 GOING LOCAL
While national scholarships generally get more visibility and press online, local scholarships usually offer better chances. You’ll only be competing against other students in your area rather than thousands of students all over the nation. Not only that, but you’ll be supporting local initiatives in your community that represent awesome causes. Your high school guidance counselor or college admissions office should have plenty of information on local scholarships that apply to your situation.
🧩 FIND YOUR UNIQUENESS
Scholarship providers spend countless hours reviewing scholarship applications and essays that are responding to the same prompt. Unsurprisingly, a hefty majority of applications are forgotten. The memorable have the best chance of winning. Just like in marketing, search for what gives you an advantage over your competition and use it. Start by creating a list of your strengths. What are you good at. Then, figure out how to highlight your strengths throughout your application, specifically in the short answer and essay questions. Show the scholarship committee why your skills make you the perfect candidate for the award. Your life experiences can also make your applications stand out. You’ve likely experienced events or challenges that are different from others: brainstorm a list and use it to your advantage.
🌎 SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH ENGINES
College students can find millions of scholarships with the help of scholarship finders. Here are some of the best scholarship websites to assist you in your search.
1️⃣ SCHOLARSHIPS.COM
With Scholarships.com, you’ll get A comprehensive database of 3.7 million scholarships worth roughly $19 billion in financial aid. You can search the website’s directory without a profile, but you’ll need to create one to determine if you qualify. To create a profile, enter your current year in school, birthdate, ZIP code and email address. Once set up, you can search for and get matched with scholarships based on your eligibility and interest..Scholarships.com also provides information about student loans and other resources. You can even search for colleges if you’re not sure yet where you want to attend.
2️⃣ FASTWEB.COM
The Fastweb database includes 1.5 million scholarships worth more than $3.4 billion. Once you create an account, you can log in and discover matches based on the information you’ve shared. The site even allows parents to create separate accounts to maximize potential earnings..If you can’t get enough funds to pay all of your educational expenses, Fastweb can also connect you with one of nearly 10,000 part-time jobs and internships. You can also search for deals and promotions that top retailers offer to college students.The website also provides a college search function and lists resources about other forms of financial aid and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for college students and their parents.
3️⃣ APPILY.COM
Appily claims to have more than $44 million worth of scholarship options available. Before you sign up, you can search the directory based on deadline, ZIP code, gender, ethnicity, school year and other factors. You can even weed out lower-paying scholarships by setting a minimum dollar amount for your search. To apply for a scholarship, you’ll need to create an account, which requires basic information about yourself to help match you with scholarships. Appily also provides resources to help you decide on your major, learn about transferring to a different school and apply for financial aid.
4️⃣ NICHE.COM
The Niche scholarship finder is unique because it rewards you simply for opening an account. As soon as you complete the process, you’ll be entered to win a $2,000 scholarship that doesn’t require an essay. Just provide your name, birth date, email address and year in school. Scholarship categories are broken down into new or popular scholarships, aid based on your state or major, scholarships for minorities and more. Students and parents can also search for colleges, including graduate school, based on specialties, test scores, college type, student body size, acceptance rate and religious affiliation.
5️⃣ BIG FUTURE.COM
Backed by The College Board, the BigFuture scholarship database allows students to narrow their search in various ways, including their profession or career field of interest. While a free College Board account is needed to apply for awards, BigFuture retains application information and includes a data syncing option to make applications for multiple awards – and reapplication, when applicable – easy. This site also offers tools for estimating your family contribution toward college costs and guides to qualifying for other types of financial aid.
Hope this will be helpful Antonella
⏰ MORE TIME LESS COMPETITION
If the thought of writing an essay or tracking down personal recommendation letters feel overwhelming. Many scholarship applications are designed to take a few hours to complete, so use that to your advantage. The fact that several applications take a long time is actually a good thing. The more that is involved in a scholarship, the less competition you might have, since others might not have the patience to complete all of the steps.
🧭 GOING LOCAL
While national scholarships generally get more visibility and press online, local scholarships usually offer better chances. You’ll only be competing against other students in your area rather than thousands of students all over the nation. Not only that, but you’ll be supporting local initiatives in your community that represent awesome causes. Your high school guidance counselor or college admissions office should have plenty of information on local scholarships that apply to your situation.
🧩 FIND YOUR UNIQUENESS
Scholarship providers spend countless hours reviewing scholarship applications and essays that are responding to the same prompt. Unsurprisingly, a hefty majority of applications are forgotten. The memorable have the best chance of winning. Just like in marketing, search for what gives you an advantage over your competition and use it. Start by creating a list of your strengths. What are you good at. Then, figure out how to highlight your strengths throughout your application, specifically in the short answer and essay questions. Show the scholarship committee why your skills make you the perfect candidate for the award. Your life experiences can also make your applications stand out. You’ve likely experienced events or challenges that are different from others: brainstorm a list and use it to your advantage.
🌎 SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH ENGINES
College students can find millions of scholarships with the help of scholarship finders. Here are some of the best scholarship websites to assist you in your search.
1️⃣ SCHOLARSHIPS.COM
With Scholarships.com, you’ll get A comprehensive database of 3.7 million scholarships worth roughly $19 billion in financial aid. You can search the website’s directory without a profile, but you’ll need to create one to determine if you qualify. To create a profile, enter your current year in school, birthdate, ZIP code and email address. Once set up, you can search for and get matched with scholarships based on your eligibility and interest..Scholarships.com also provides information about student loans and other resources. You can even search for colleges if you’re not sure yet where you want to attend.
2️⃣ FASTWEB.COM
The Fastweb database includes 1.5 million scholarships worth more than $3.4 billion. Once you create an account, you can log in and discover matches based on the information you’ve shared. The site even allows parents to create separate accounts to maximize potential earnings..If you can’t get enough funds to pay all of your educational expenses, Fastweb can also connect you with one of nearly 10,000 part-time jobs and internships. You can also search for deals and promotions that top retailers offer to college students.The website also provides a college search function and lists resources about other forms of financial aid and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for college students and their parents.
3️⃣ APPILY.COM
Appily claims to have more than $44 million worth of scholarship options available. Before you sign up, you can search the directory based on deadline, ZIP code, gender, ethnicity, school year and other factors. You can even weed out lower-paying scholarships by setting a minimum dollar amount for your search. To apply for a scholarship, you’ll need to create an account, which requires basic information about yourself to help match you with scholarships. Appily also provides resources to help you decide on your major, learn about transferring to a different school and apply for financial aid.
4️⃣ NICHE.COM
The Niche scholarship finder is unique because it rewards you simply for opening an account. As soon as you complete the process, you’ll be entered to win a $2,000 scholarship that doesn’t require an essay. Just provide your name, birth date, email address and year in school. Scholarship categories are broken down into new or popular scholarships, aid based on your state or major, scholarships for minorities and more. Students and parents can also search for colleges, including graduate school, based on specialties, test scores, college type, student body size, acceptance rate and religious affiliation.
5️⃣ BIG FUTURE.COM
Backed by The College Board, the BigFuture scholarship database allows students to narrow their search in various ways, including their profession or career field of interest. While a free College Board account is needed to apply for awards, BigFuture retains application information and includes a data syncing option to make applications for multiple awards – and reapplication, when applicable – easy. This site also offers tools for estimating your family contribution toward college costs and guides to qualifying for other types of financial aid.
Hope this will be helpful Antonella