In This Issue Scholarship Sources   The search for scholarships  Scholarship Information  Requesting scholarship information  Matching Students and Scholarships Matching scholarships with students Scholarship Criteria  The scholarship selection process The Scholarship Application Preparing the perfect application Scholarship Decisions Packaging your application for success Return to the Front Page Return to College Planning Network Home

Preparing the Perfect Application Scholarship applications usually require a general information form, a list of activities and honors, an essay, several letters of recommendation and an official transcript. The general information form and transcript are easy. The general information should always be typed neatly and transcripts should remain sealed in 'official' envelopes. Activity and honors lists can be prepared in advance and updated as necessary. This list should not exceed one page and should only include listings from high school years. Letters of recommendation should be requested from people who know you best and at least four weeks in advance. It is best to balance recomendations with one from school and one from outside school. You should read these letters before they are sent and never send a poorly-written or generic letter. Give the writer an outline of the points you would like covered. The essay is often the key item in scholarship applications. This is where the committee can 'visualize' the real you, your goals and accomplishments. Write several drafts and share them with teachers, family and friends. Begin and end with strong statements that capture the reader's attention and leave a lasting impression. Use personal anecdotes or experience to illustrate your points. Committees may read 50 or 100 essays, make yours memorable. Individuals who serve on scholarship selection committees know that few applications really stand out as superior. Often the applicant may be just who the committee is seeking but the application is average or poor. The following are tips to make your application, one the committee will remember.   Be personal on scholarship essays, avoid any general statements. Use your unique experiences to illustrate educational goals or career choices. Tell stories or relate anecdotes in your essays. Don't repeat information. Often applicants list activities on the application, repeat them on an activity list and write about them in their essay. If you've said it once, that's enough. Make sure that everything in the application and attachments is easy to read. Committees must read your material quickly. If it's hard to read, it probably won't be read. Avoid any hand-written materials. Choose who will write recommendations very carefully. The best letters of recommendation come from the people who know the student best. The credentials or position of the writer are less important than the content of the letter. Each letter should be a strong, personal statement about the student's goals and accomplishments. Add some meat to your activity and honors list. For each item in the list, provide a one-to-two sentence description of the activity or honor and your level of involvement. Follow directions carefully. Often 10 to 15% of the scholarship applications received are not reviewed because they are incomplete. Double check to make sure nothing is missing prior to mailing.