Scholarships. They seem so attainable, but then you actually start applying for them. Applying to scholarships is in fact, quite simple, but there are a few crucial aspects that most candidates overlook.
First, what you do will never be as important as WHY you did it.
Scholarship essays are simple topics. However, those topics are not meant to assess your accomplishments, they’re meant to assess who you are as a person. What you’ve done and why you’ve done it is especially important because they’re an extension of you. And you will be the one who wins the scholarship.
In addition to your essays, another very crucial aspect of winning scholarships is your REFERENCES.
Having someone — a teacher, coach, mentor, or boss — who can speak to your abilities and characteristics with confidence makes the difference between you or somebody else winning the scholarship. Additionally, if your scholarship requires a reference section, carefully consider who you ask to be your reference. They’re the ones who will be vouching to the person you’re presenting in your application.
Lastly, when applying to scholarships, don’t doubt yourself.
Thinking about whether or not you’ve done enough? This is part of the cycle that you’ll go through during your application, but somebody has to win the scholarship and it won’t be you if you don’t try.
Everyone is different and that is what most scholarships are looking for in their candidates: differences that grow into strong characters. So don’t be hesitant about yours. Speak with confidence because it comes off in your applications.