Scholarship Search Secrets

Some scholarship search tips and hints.
Tip #1: This is a numbers game!
Numbers matter in the grand scholarship game. The more awards you apply for, the more awards you are likely to receive. As in sales, it’s a question of ratios. Ultimately, the goal is scholarships awarded, so for every scholarship you are awarded, you have to apply for 10. For every scholarship you apply for, you’ll need to find 10 you qualify for, or 100 eligible scholarships. For every eligible scholarships, there needs to be at least 10 prospects, or 1,000 awards. Happily, at last count there are approximately 2.4 million scholarships available, worth approximately $14 billion in aid.
The bottom line: to get more, apply for more.
Tip #2: Small = Big
Small = big. A seemingly contradictory statement, but a true one. If you are awarded 10 scholarships for $1,000 or one scholarship for $10,000, the net effect is the same - you don’t pay that money out of pocket or in loans. Every scholarship for which you are eligible is worth applying for, because a bunch of small scholarships will add up to a big one.
Tip #3: A portfolio is a time-saver.
We’ll get to the construction of your scholarship portfolio in the next issue, but it’s important to know what one is and why to build one. Each scholarship application asks for information about you. Questionnaires, essays, quizzes, and forms all want information about you, the prospective award winner. Rather than re-invent the wheel all the time, develop a portfolio of materials that you can draw on, time and time again. As you write essays for scholarships, fine tune them so that the essay which was rejected out of hand for award #1 is a first place winner by the time you get to award #6. Have friends and family review your portfolio and offer insight and advice. If you don’t know anyone who is a strong writer, check with your school or English teacher. Which brings us to the next point...
\nTip #4: The Devil is in the Details\nWhat’s the number one killer of scholarship applications? If you guessed \nsimple, preventable mistakes, you’d be right. Attention to detail is vital for \nscholarship applications, from when to meet deadlines to the format in which you \nsubmit your application. This is a great time to invest in a notebook or day \nplanner, whether it’s on a computer or it’s a paper one. If you want to win, you \nhave to get organized from the very beginning and stay organized!\nTip #5: Scholarship Search is a year round sport.\nScholarship deadlines are scattered throughout the year, and as such \nscholarship searches should be performed throughout the year. As you’ll see \nlater on in this guide, there are ways to automate part of the process of \nscholarship search so that you can have agents working on your behalf - for free \n- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Be sure to set aside time each day - even if \nit’s only 5 minutes - to review new scholarship opportunities. As fishermen say, \ndon’t let the big one get away because you weren’t ready!\nTip #6: There are scholarships for everyone.\nWhile it may seem that a great many scholarships are intended for the very \ntop academic performers or the poorest students, the reality is that there are \nscholarships for everyone. For example, the Duck Tape Brand duct tape prom dress \naward for students who attend their prom wearing nothing but duct tape doesn’t \nrequire to be the valedictorian, merely someone who shows up at the prom in a \nnice duct tape outfit. While that sounds absurd, the $5,000 scholarship that \ncomes with it is deadly serious.\nTip #7: It’s never too early or too late to search!\nWhen is the best time to start searching for scholarships? Right now - and \nnever stop until you’re out of school and debt free. There are even scholarships \nwhich will help you pay off school debts, so keep searching. The best time to \nstart is always right now, even if you’re halfway through your last year. \nObviously, the earlier you start, the better, but better late in the game than \nnot playing.",1]
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Tip #4: The Devil is in the Details
What’s the number one killer of scholarship applications? If you guessed simple, preventable mistakes, you’d be right. Attention to detail is vital for scholarship applications, from when to meet deadlines to the format in which you submit your application. This is a great time to invest in a notebook or day planner, whether it’s on a computer or it’s a paper one. If you want to win, you have to get organized from the very beginning and stay organized!
Tip #5: Scholarship Search is a year round sport.
Scholarship deadlines are scattered throughout the year, and as such scholarship searches should be performed throughout the year. As you’ll see later on in this guide, there are ways to automate part of the process of scholarship search so that you can have agents working on your behalf - for free - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Be sure to set aside time each day - even if it’s only 5 minutes - to review new scholarship opportunities. As fishermen say, don’t let the big one get away because you weren’t ready!
Tip #6: There are scholarships for everyone.
While it may seem that a great many scholarships are intended for the very top academic performers or the poorest students, the reality is that there are scholarships for everyone. For example, the Duck Tape Brand duct tape prom dress award for students who attend their prom wearing nothing but duct tape doesn’t require to be the valedictorian, merely someone who shows up at the prom in a nice duct tape outfit. While that sounds absurd, the $5,000 scholarship that comes with it is deadly serious.
Tip #7: It’s never too early or too late to search!
When is the best time to start searching for scholarships? Right now - and never stop until you’re out of school and debt free. There are even scholarships which will help you pay off school debts, so keep searching. The best time to start is always right now, even if you’re halfway through your last year. Obviously, the earlier you start, the better, but better late in the game than not playing.
\nScholarship \nSearch Secret - Who are you? # \n1\n"Who are you?" is a fundamental question not only of life, but of scholarship \nsearches. You see, scholarships are essentially gifts to students from \nindividuals or groups who want to help a certain group of people achieve their \nhigher education goals. The sponsors of scholarships very often choose criteria \nwhich mirror either their own characteristics or the characteristics of the \nperson they wished to be. As such, it\'s vitally important that you determine who \nyou are in great detail - that detail will be essential to finding scholarships \nspecifically tailored to your background.\nWhat\'s special about scholarships tailored to your background? In addition to \nmaking connections with individuals or groups that are like you, the more \nspecific your scholarship search is, the better your chances are of being \nawarded a scholarship, because you will face less competition. Everyone and \ntheir cousin can apply for a Pell Grant, for example, but a significantly \nsmaller part of the population can apply for a Pennsylvania Resident Left Handed \nMennonite Scholar\'s Award.\nSo what should you know about yourself? Here are some key questions, \nquestions that will help you to find scholarships. Make note of them on a \nseparate sheet of paper or in a separate document on your computer. A word of \ncaution: you may be tempted to skip this step or gloss over it. Don\'t. The work \nyou do now will pay off later, and if you skip this step or the details in this \nstep, it will definitely hurt you in your search later!\nQuestion 1: What have you done so far in life?\nMake lists of different things you\'ve done, different hobbies, sports, \nactivities, events you\'ve attended, places you\'ve been or lived, grades and \nawards achieved in school so far. All of these seemingly trivial details will \ncome in handy during your search, so be thorough. Even things that seem \ninconsequential, like a club you belonged to when you were very young such as \nthe Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts is important.",1]
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Scholarship Search Secret - Who are you? # 1
"Who are you?" is a fundamental question not only of life, but of scholarship searches. You see, scholarships are essentially gifts to students from individuals or groups who want to help a certain group of people achieve their higher education goals. The sponsors of scholarships very often choose criteria which mirror either their own characteristics or the characteristics of the person they wished to be. As such, it's vitally important that you determine who you are in great detail - that detail will be essential to finding scholarships specifically tailored to your background.
What's special about scholarships tailored to your background? In addition to making connections with individuals or groups that are like you, the more specific your scholarship search is, the better your chances are of being awarded a scholarship, because you will face less competition. Everyone and their cousin can apply for a Pell Grant, for example, but a significantly smaller part of the population can apply for a Pennsylvania Resident Left Handed Mennonite Scholar's Award.
So what should you know about yourself? Here are some key questions, questions that will help you to find scholarships. Make note of them on a separate sheet of paper or in a separate document on your computer. A word of caution: you may be tempted to skip this step or gloss over it. Don't. The work you do now will pay off later, and if you skip this step or the details in this step, it will definitely hurt you in your search later!
Question 1: What have you done so far in life?
Make lists of different things you've done, different hobbies, sports, activities, events you've attended, places you've been or lived, grades and awards achieved in school so far. All of these seemingly trivial details will come in handy during your search, so be thorough. Even things that seem inconsequential, like a club you belonged to when you were very young such as the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts is important.
\nQuestion 2: Who do you know in life?\nAgain, make lists of people you know, famous or not, as well as companies you \nor your family do business with, groups or organizations of which you are a \nmember, friends, family members, service providers, even silly things like who \nyour doctor or dentist is. Don\'t leave out organizations that you may not be a \npart of, but your immediate family is, especially your parents. Everything is in \nthe details.\nQuestion 3: Where are you going?\nIn life, in school, in all things. If you have strong feelings about the \ndirection of your life, your education, and your future, make note of them. Is \nthere a career or a selection of careers that you are interested in? Is there a \nhobby you love so much that you would love to make a career out of? Is there a \nschool you\'ve visited in your travels that really resonated with you, that felt \nalmost like a long lost home? Make notes on these items. \nMake a list of things that drive you, that motivate you, things that keep you \nawake at night. What\'s always on your mind? What do you have dreams about? \nEnding poverty? Fighting injustice? As always, make a list.\nQuestion 4: What\'s so interesting?\nThis will probably be the hardest question to answer, and also the most \nrewarding, at least scholarship-wise. Name five things about you that, as far as \nyou know, are unique to you and only you. If you have trouble with this, get \ntogether with some close friends and ask them.\nQuestion 5: May I see your papers?\nThis is where things get organized - take all of these lists and combine them \nwith all the papers and tidbits you\'ve gathered so far - report cards, \ncertificates, business cards, etc. Do you have a comprehensive picture of your \nlife so far? Organize what you\'ve gathered into a few major categories - the \nfive A\'s: academics, activities, athletics, achievements, and associations.",1]
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Question 2: Who do you know in life?
Again, make lists of people you know, famous or not, as well as companies you or your family do business with, groups or organizations of which you are a member, friends, family members, service providers, even silly things like who your doctor or dentist is. Don't leave out organizations that you may not be a part of, but your immediate family is, especially your parents. Everything is in the details.
Question 3: Where are you going?
In life, in school, in all things. If you have strong feelings about the direction of your life, your education, and your future, make note of them. Is there a career or a selection of careers that you are interested in? Is there a hobby you love so much that you would love to make a career out of? Is there a school you've visited in your travels that really resonated with you, that felt almost like a long lost home? Make notes on these items.
Make a list of things that drive you, that motivate you, things that keep you awake at night. What's always on your mind? What do you have dreams about? Ending poverty? Fighting injustice? As always, make a list.
Question 4: What's so interesting?
This will probably be the hardest question to answer, and also the most rewarding, at least scholarship-wise. Name five things about you that, as far as you know, are unique to you and only you. If you have trouble with this, get together with some close friends and ask them.
Question 5: May I see your papers?
This is where things get organized - take all of these lists and combine them with all the papers and tidbits you've gathered so far - report cards, certificates, business cards, etc. Do you have a comprehensive picture of your life so far? Organize what you've gathered into a few major categories - the five A's: academics, activities, athletics, achievements, and associations.
By now you should have a personality and history profile of yourself that is \nastonishingly, and perhaps even alarmingly, complete. You know who you are to a \ngreat degree, and you know in general what you are thinking about doing with \nyour life, and why. If you haven\'t completed these lists, stop. Put down the \nrest of this guide. Put away all other distractions and go do these lists!\nScholarship Search Secret - Meet Your New Best \nFriend # 2\nYes, Google is your friend. Obviously, you can use other search engines for \nscholarship search, and you should, but for the purposes of this guide, we\'re \ngoing Google all the way. Start at... well, where else but www.Google.com.\nNow, as a lesson, let\'s just type in scholarships, click Search, and see what \nwe get.\nThat\'s somewhat less than helpful. What\'s wrong here is the inverse pyramid \napproach, which is not the right kind of search we want to be doing. Inverse \npyramid is simply this: starting broad and narrowing down. The problem is that \nthe number of results from a super broad search make it nearly useless, plus \nit\'s "contaminated" with a bunch of commercial services that obscure what you\'re \nafter - actual scholarships.\nSo, let\'s try something to at least filter out the commercial searches for \nnow. Type scholarships foundation and click search.\nSomewhat better, but that\'s still a lot of results to sift through.\nSo, what\'s next? Simple. Get out your lists of things about you. Let\'s say, \nfor sake of example, that you\'re a prospective student at Boston University, \nyou\'ve been involved with Shotokan karate since you were 8 years old, and you \nwant to look into a career in criminal justice. Let\'s take one of these terms \nand plug it in, like Boston University scholarships.\nGet out another sheet of paper or start another document on your computer. \nWe\'re now going to construct a list of questions (queries) to try in Google. \nWhat\'s going to be important here is to start searching for scholarships based \non relevance to you. For example, based on the information we provided above, a \nreasonable search is (as shown) Boston University scholarships. We could also \nuse shotokan karate scholarships and criminal justice scholarships.",1]
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By now you should have a personality and history profile of yourself that is astonishingly, and perhaps even alarmingly, complete. You know who you are to a great degree, and you know in general what you are thinking about doing with your life, and why. If you haven't completed these lists, stop. Put down the rest of this guide. Put away all other distractions and go do these lists!
Scholarship Search Secret - Meet Your New Best Friend # 2
Yes, Google is your friend. Obviously, you can use other search engines for scholarship search, and you should, but for the purposes of this guide, we're going Google all the way. Start at... well, where else but www.Google.com.
Now, as a lesson, let's just type in scholarships, click Search, and see what we get.
That's somewhat less than helpful. What's wrong here is the inverse pyramid approach, which is not the right kind of search we want to be doing. Inverse pyramid is simply this: starting broad and narrowing down. The problem is that the number of results from a super broad search make it nearly useless, plus it's "contaminated" with a bunch of commercial services that obscure what you're after - actual scholarships.
So, let's try something to at least filter out the commercial searches for now. Type scholarships foundation and click search.
Somewhat better, but that's still a lot of results to sift through.
So, what's next? Simple. Get out your lists of things about you. Let's say, for sake of example, that you're a prospective student at Boston University, you've been involved with Shotokan karate since you were 8 years old, and you want to look into a career in criminal justice. Let's take one of these terms and plug it in, like Boston University scholarships.
Get out another sheet of paper or start another document on your computer. We're now going to construct a list of questions (queries) to try in Google. What's going to be important here is to start searching for scholarships based on relevance to you. For example, based on the information we provided above, a reasonable search is (as shown) Boston University scholarships. We could also use shotokan karate scholarships and criminal justice scholarships.
\nIn the words of a famous TV chef, now we\'re cooking. You can see that just by \nstarting a little more specifically, we already get better results.\nScholarship Search Secret #3: Start narrow!\nGet out another sheet of paper or start another document on your computer. \nWe\'re now going to construct a list of questions (queries) to try in Google. \nWhat\'s going to be important here is to start searching for scholarships based \non relevance to you. For example, based on the information we provided above, a \nreasonable search is (as shown) Boston University scholarships. We could also \nuse shotokan karate scholarships and criminal justice scholarships.\nNow, that would give you a heck of a beginning for a scholarship search. \nLet\'s, as the TV chef says, kick it up a notch, shall we?\nScholarship Search Secret #4: Magic Words\nThere are good words, bad words, and then there are magic words. What are \nmagic words? Simply put, magic words are the words you swap in and out of \nqueries to get different results. In our case, they\'re synonyms for \nscholarships, and once you\'ve got a list of search queries based on who you are \nand what you want to do, you can substitute these words in for potentially \ndifferent results. What are the magic words? Here we go.\nScholarship, scholarships (yes, they are different, singular and plural - you \nshould assume from here on that any term which appears in singular should also \nbe tried plural, and vice versa), gifts, grants, award, financial aid, \nendowment, prize, foundation, fellowship, honorarium, bequest, aid, tuition, \ntrust, and stipend. Not all of these will yield results, but they\'re worth a \ntry.\nFor example:\nBoston University criminal justice scholarship Boston University criminal \njustice fellowship Boston University criminal justice grant\nScholarship Search Secret #5: Red Alert\nWe will assume from the previous step that you\'ve now got a list, a solid \nlist, of about 25 - 30 scholarship queries which return results that are \nrelevant to your personal details. Maybe by this point you\'ve even started to \napply for some of the awards you\'ve found. Something important to remember, \nthough: scholarship search is a year-round sport. You can\'t afford to take time \noff from your search if you want to maximize your chances of financial aid.",1]
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In the words of a famous TV chef, now we're cooking. You can see that just by starting a little more specifically, we already get better results.
Scholarship Search Secret #3: Start narrow!
Get out another sheet of paper or start another document on your computer. We're now going to construct a list of questions (queries) to try in Google. What's going to be important here is to start searching for scholarships based on relevance to you. For example, based on the information we provided above, a reasonable search is (as shown) Boston University scholarships. We could also use shotokan karate scholarships and criminal justice scholarships.
Now, that would give you a heck of a beginning for a scholarship search. Let's, as the TV chef says, kick it up a notch, shall we?
Scholarship Search Secret #4: Magic Words
There are good words, bad words, and then there are magic words. What are magic words? Simply put, magic words are the words you swap in and out of queries to get different results. In our case, they're synonyms for scholarships, and once you've got a list of search queries based on who you are and what you want to do, you can substitute these words in for potentially different results. What are the magic words? Here we go.
Scholarship, scholarships (yes, they are different, singular and plural - you should assume from here on that any term which appears in singular should also be tried plural, and vice versa), gifts, grants, award, financial aid, endowment, prize, foundation, fellowship, honorarium, bequest, aid, tuition, trust, and stipend. Not all of these will yield results, but they're worth a try.
For example:
Boston University criminal justice scholarship Boston University criminal justice fellowship Boston University criminal justice grant
Scholarship Search Secret #5: Red Alert
We will assume from the previous step that you've now got a list, a solid list, of about 25 - 30 scholarship queries which return results that are relevant to your personal details. Maybe by this point you've even started to apply for some of the awards you've found. Something important to remember, though: scholarship search is a year-round sport. You can't afford to take time off from your search if you want to maximize your chances of financial aid.
\nWhat if there were a tool that could search for you every day, every minute, \nkeeping an eye on everything, and alerting you when new scholarships based on \nyour needs became available? Wouldn\'t that be an incredibly powerful tool?\nThere is such a tool. And believe it or not, it\'s free, too. It\'s called \nGoogle Alerts, and they\'re about to become your next best friend.\nGet started by surfing over to http://www.Google.com/alertsand \nif you don\'t already have a Google account, now is the time to set one up. \nYou\'ll need a working email account that can receive mail, and if you have spam \nfilters set up, you\'ll want to allow all mail from alerts@google.com to get \nthrough.\nOnce you\'ve logged into your new Google account, you\'ll want to get your list \nof searches from the previous steps handy. Start entering them into the \ninterface, adding an alert for each search. One thing that\'s important here with \nalerts is that Google alerts scan through both news and the Web, so you\'ll want \nto make sure you select both. You\'ll probably also want alert messages once a \nday, rather than as they happen, or you will have a very full mailbox.\nGoogle Alerts will surf the Web and news for you, and bring to your attention \nany new scholarships or awards that fit your criteria. This is an incredibly \npowerful tool in your quest for financial aid, so take the time to enter all \nyour queries - even the ones that didn\'t generate good results in the previous \nsteps.\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\nThank you for contacting Admission Source.If you want to have one on one interaction with Mr. N.B.Singh with his undivided attention and to keep your correspondence confidential than please hire our consultancy ",1]
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What if there were a tool that could search for you every day, every minute, keeping an eye on everything, and alerting you when new scholarships based on your needs became available? Wouldn't that be an incredibly powerful tool?
There is such a tool. And believe it or not, it's free, too. It's called Google Alerts, and they're about to become your next best friend.
Get started by surfing over to http://www.Google.com/alertsand if you don't already have a Google account, now is the time to set one up. You'll need a working email account that can receive mail, and if you have spam filters set up, you'll want to allow all mail from alerts@google.com to get through.
Once you've logged into your new Google account, you'll want to get your list of searches from the previous steps handy. Start entering them into the interface, adding an alert for each search. One thing that's important here with alerts is that Google alerts scan through both news and the Web, so you'll want to make sure you select both. You'll probably also want alert messages once a day, rather than as they happen, or you will have a very full mailbox.
Google Alerts will surf the Web and news for you, and bring to your attention any new scholarships or awards that fit your criteria. This is an incredibly powerful tool in your quest for financial aid, so take the time to enter all your queries - even the ones that didn't generate good results in the previous steps.