4 answers
Fiore
Student
Brentwood, California
1
Question
Updated
1312 views
How much time do you recommend I should put in when applying to each scholarship For instance, if I have to write an essay for the scholarships I'm applying to, should I be worried more about quality of my essays or the quantity of scholarships I apply to??
I'm currently a high school senior who's interested in pursuing engineering with a specialization in technology (I'm learning towards doing computer or electrical engineering.)
Login to comment
4 answers
Mario Ramirez
Leader, Customer Delivery
43
Answers
Mexico City, Mexico
Updated
Mario’s Answer
Hey Fiore, thanks for posting your question!
I really recommend that before you think about quantity or quality, you should figure out what your main goal is. Focus on what will actually help you grow your knowledge and make an impact on your career in the short, medium, and long term.
Plan in phases! If you're just looking for a job to make some cash, try to connect it with what you're studying. If that's tough to find, consider something in customer service. It'll help you build rapport, improve your active listening, and work on teamwork and collaboration—those are super important soft skills you'll use in any job.
Think long term about where you want to be in 5 years, and start from there. That'll help you see if you need to speed things up while still keeping quality in mind.
I really recommend that before you think about quantity or quality, you should figure out what your main goal is. Focus on what will actually help you grow your knowledge and make an impact on your career in the short, medium, and long term.
Plan in phases! If you're just looking for a job to make some cash, try to connect it with what you're studying. If that's tough to find, consider something in customer service. It'll help you build rapport, improve your active listening, and work on teamwork and collaboration—those are super important soft skills you'll use in any job.
Think long term about where you want to be in 5 years, and start from there. That'll help you see if you need to speed things up while still keeping quality in mind.
Teklemuz Ayenew Tesfay
Electrical Engineer, Software Developer, and Career Mentor
517
Answers
Ethiopia
Updated
Teklemuz Ayenew’s Answer
If you are writing an essay for the first time, it is recommended to dedicate six to ten hours for brainstorming, drafting, revising, and final polishing. Focus on clarity, showing how your goals, such as pursuing computer or electrical engineering, align with the scholarship, and highlight your personal story, problem-solving skills, creativity, and passion for technology. Participating in student clubs related to your major, extracurricular activities like science fairs or hackathons, and community service can strengthen your application by demonstrating hands-on experience, teamwork, leadership, and a commitment to making a positive impact.
While quality matters more than quantity, it’s wise to apply widely and ensure you meet the eligibility criteria. Over time, you can adapt strong essays for similar scholarships to save time while maintaining high quality. A second essay usually takes less time, around three to five hours, because you can reuse parts of your first essay while tailoring it to the new scholarship. Brainstorming and planning may take 30–60 minutes, drafting 1–2 hours, revising 1–2 hours, and final polishing another 30–60 minutes. The key is to adapt, not copy, so each essay feels original and closely aligned with the scholarship’s mission.
While quality matters more than quantity, it’s wise to apply widely and ensure you meet the eligibility criteria. Over time, you can adapt strong essays for similar scholarships to save time while maintaining high quality. A second essay usually takes less time, around three to five hours, because you can reuse parts of your first essay while tailoring it to the new scholarship. Brainstorming and planning may take 30–60 minutes, drafting 1–2 hours, revising 1–2 hours, and final polishing another 30–60 minutes. The key is to adapt, not copy, so each essay feels original and closely aligned with the scholarship’s mission.
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach
1085
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Fiore,
Scholarships come in all shapes and sizes and from all kinds of sources. There is no hard and fast rule how many applications you "should" write and how much time you "should" spend on each one.
First of all, decide on a career path and the major you want to pursue. Next, develop a college list of 10 to 15 schools you would be happy to go to including reach, target and safety schools. Check the cost of attendance for each school. Keep in mind factors that would reduce the cost of your education.
You can reduce the cost of your college education by starting out at a Community College before transferring to a 4-year school. Tuition at Community Colleges is usually much less than at 4-year universities. If you have already taken some dual enrollment courses for college credit, that would further reduce the cost.
When you pick a university, stay in-state for lower tuition and/or look for schools that are known to give generous aid. If your stats are good, you might be able to get significant merit aid, especially if your stats are way above the average for the school.
Your first stop looking for financial aid should be the FAFSA. FAFSA gives you access to federal and state financial aid. Many colleges also use it to determine your need as well. Talk to the Financial Office at the college you want to attend too. There might be scholarships you qualify for. Sign up for work-study to get a job on campus, possibly even in your department.
For promising scholarships, look what your state and your hometown offer. Some employers also have scholarship programs for children of employees or for their own employees.
Check out scholarships from professional organizations, e.g. nursing scholarships for aspiring nurses. Research companies that would hire people with the degree you want to get, e.g. big tech companies if you are going into computer science. Check if your local Chamber of Commerce or any businesses have any programs.
Search for scholarships that are for certain demographics, e.g. minorities, women in STEM, tall people, twins and multiples etc.
Some useful websites for your search:
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search
https://scholarships360.org/
https://www.niche.com/colleges/scholarships/
https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Training/find-scholarships.aspx
Now (finally) to your question: I would recommend to be strategic about scholarship applications. Don't wear yourself out by applying to anything and everything. Consider the requirements, the competitiveness and your fit for each scholarship. Make a priority list. Group scholarships that have very similar requirements together - you can send essentially the same application with little additional effort.
A scholarship that is a good fit for you, offers some decent money and where you have a good chance to be considered deserves your best effort. Pick a few large, competitive scholarships but don't spend too much time if you realistically don't have much of a chance. Small scholarships with less competition can add up, so they are worth an application. But don't spend too much time on them.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
Scholarships come in all shapes and sizes and from all kinds of sources. There is no hard and fast rule how many applications you "should" write and how much time you "should" spend on each one.
First of all, decide on a career path and the major you want to pursue. Next, develop a college list of 10 to 15 schools you would be happy to go to including reach, target and safety schools. Check the cost of attendance for each school. Keep in mind factors that would reduce the cost of your education.
You can reduce the cost of your college education by starting out at a Community College before transferring to a 4-year school. Tuition at Community Colleges is usually much less than at 4-year universities. If you have already taken some dual enrollment courses for college credit, that would further reduce the cost.
When you pick a university, stay in-state for lower tuition and/or look for schools that are known to give generous aid. If your stats are good, you might be able to get significant merit aid, especially if your stats are way above the average for the school.
Your first stop looking for financial aid should be the FAFSA. FAFSA gives you access to federal and state financial aid. Many colleges also use it to determine your need as well. Talk to the Financial Office at the college you want to attend too. There might be scholarships you qualify for. Sign up for work-study to get a job on campus, possibly even in your department.
For promising scholarships, look what your state and your hometown offer. Some employers also have scholarship programs for children of employees or for their own employees.
Check out scholarships from professional organizations, e.g. nursing scholarships for aspiring nurses. Research companies that would hire people with the degree you want to get, e.g. big tech companies if you are going into computer science. Check if your local Chamber of Commerce or any businesses have any programs.
Search for scholarships that are for certain demographics, e.g. minorities, women in STEM, tall people, twins and multiples etc.
Some useful websites for your search:
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search
https://scholarships360.org/
https://www.niche.com/colleges/scholarships/
https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Training/find-scholarships.aspx
Now (finally) to your question: I would recommend to be strategic about scholarship applications. Don't wear yourself out by applying to anything and everything. Consider the requirements, the competitiveness and your fit for each scholarship. Make a priority list. Group scholarships that have very similar requirements together - you can send essentially the same application with little additional effort.
A scholarship that is a good fit for you, offers some decent money and where you have a good chance to be considered deserves your best effort. Pick a few large, competitive scholarships but don't spend too much time if you realistically don't have much of a chance. Small scholarships with less competition can add up, so they are worth an application. But don't spend too much time on them.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
Shauna Crisp-Baptist
Associate Director Training Execution
1
Answer
Greensboro, North Carolina
Updated
Shauna’s Answer
Hi Fiore,
Focus on writing high-quality essays for each scholarship, even if it means applying to fewer. Spending 2–4 hours on each essay-based application gives you a better chance of winning than submitting lots of rushed applications. Applying to more scholarships does increase your chances, but if you rush and submit lower-quality essays, your efforts may not pay off.
Short-Form or No-Essay Scholarships typically require 15–30 minutes per application. Identify scholarships that are a good fit for you and prioritize those. Once you’ve submitted strong applications to your top choices, use remaining time to apply for additional opportunities. Quality matters more than quantity.
Prioritize: Rank scholarships by how well you meet their criteria and the award amount. Focus on those first.
Reuse & Adapt: You can save time by reusing and adapting essays for similar prompts but always tailor each essay to the specific scholarship requirements.
Focus on writing high-quality essays for each scholarship, even if it means applying to fewer. Spending 2–4 hours on each essay-based application gives you a better chance of winning than submitting lots of rushed applications. Applying to more scholarships does increase your chances, but if you rush and submit lower-quality essays, your efforts may not pay off.
Short-Form or No-Essay Scholarships typically require 15–30 minutes per application. Identify scholarships that are a good fit for you and prioritize those. Once you’ve submitted strong applications to your top choices, use remaining time to apply for additional opportunities. Quality matters more than quantity.
Shauna recommends the following next steps: