How Can You Be Competitive
for Scholarships?
GRADES
There is a misconception out there that only students who have a 4.0 (straight A's) grade point average will be able to win scholarship money for college. This just simply is not the case for a couple of reasons:
1. Scholarship committees are looking for a well-rounded student. If you have no time to do anything else because you want a 4.0 GPA, you are probably not well-rounded. A student with a 3.5 GPA who has been involved in community service and student government is more likely to win scholarships. However, if you can maintain a 4.0, as well as be involved in other things, go for it...as long as you are getting enough sleep at night to stay awake in your classes!
2. There are a few scholarships committees who don't even ask for grades. They may give a scholarship on the basis of community service, leadership, athleticism or a hardship endured.
TAKE THE HARD COURSES
Scholarship committees are looking for students who are not afraid of a challenge. They are not likely to give their money away to a student who has drifted their way through high school, always taking the easy way out, because that student is not likely to persevere in college when things are difficult. These committees ask for your transcript, and they look to see if you have taken the upper level courses: College Algebra, College Trig, College English Comp, College English Literature, College Music Theory, Physics and Chemistry.
LEADERSHIP
Are you a leader among your peers? Most scholarship recipients are students who have exhibited leadership in one way or another throughout their high school years. What are some venues in which you can be a leader?
1. Student Council: After you finish your freshman year in high school, you should consider running for Student Council. Student council is the group entity that represents the student body and makes important decisions about what the school year will look like, i.e. retreats, banquets, fund-raisers, etc. Student Council plays a big role in whether the year is exciting or a bust! Even if you don't get voted onto Student Council, you can volunteer to "help" them with the events they plan. That shows real leadership and a true desire to be involved!
2. National Honor Society: Each year, the faculty invites students who have at least a 3.0 GPA to apply for National Honor Society. If you are inducted into NHS, this immediately shows scholarship committees that you are a leader because one of the qualifications to make it into NHS is leadership.
3. Athletics: MOST athletics are team sports, and team sports need leaders. Each year, coaches choose a student to be "Team Captain" who has exhibited leadership qualities among his/her peers.
4. Worship Team: If you are a musician, and willing to help lead chapel on Wednesday mornings, you are a leader!
5. Church Youth Group: Many church youth groups have a group of leaders, much like a school student council. You can show your leadership qualities in your youth group.
6. By the way you live: We all lead by example; either we are a poor example or a good example. If you are the kind of student who leads with positive behaviors, don't think it goes unnoticed! Many people who write recommendations for students mention this kind of leadership: "Megan is the kind of young lady I want my daughter to grow up to be! She is respectful, looks for ways to help and goes out of her way to be a friend to everyone." Scholarship committees will not miss this when they read your recommendation letters.
MAKE A STORY!
Scholarship committees are made up of people, and people like stories! While it is true that often the kids who write essays that "pull at the heartstrings" of the committee members win scholarships, EVERYONE has a story! YOU have a story! However, how you live your life in high school will determine whether or not you have an interesting story. If your high school years are filled with hours of TV or Facebook or video games, you probably will not have a very interesting story. But if you get out of your comfort zone, and try new things, you WILL have a story worth telling! Why not play a sport, run for student council, go on a mission trip, learn to hunt or backpack, or mentor a younger child who could really use a big sister or a big brother? Go out on a limb, try something challenging, and you will have a story!
GET EXCEPTIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Toward the end of your Junior year in high school, your Guidance Counselor will guide you in putting together your portfolio, which you will use your Senior year to apply for scholarships. Some of the most important items in that portfolio will be recommendation letters from three people of your choosing. As you start thinking about who you will ask to write recommendations for you, consider these things:
1. How well does this person know you? You want to ask people who know you well, and can attest not just to the things you have done, but to your character.
2. What makes this person a reputable recommender? In the letter, the writer needs to say how they know you. If someone writes, "I know Susie from working with her at McDonalds", their letter probably won't be taken very seriously. Whereas, if the recommender is your employer, a faculty member at your school, or a professional in some role, their recommendation will hold more clout.
3. Is this person capable of writing a well-written recommendation? Recommendation letters with poor spelling and grammar will not make a good impression!
BE A GOOD WRITER!
Almost every scholarship application will ask you to write an essay on a specified topic. By the time you are a senior, you should be able to write a "killer" 5 paragraph paper! You should also know by your senior year that good papers are not written in a short time! They are written and edited and written again and edited again until they are "perfect". Your essay will win or lose a scholarship! If you want to win scholarships, you need to be willing to put the time in on your essays that will make them the BEST writing you have EVER done! If you are having a tough time recalling the steps to writing a good five paragraph paper, click the link below to take you to Mr. Leiter's "Review of Essay Rules".
COMMUNITY SERVICE
If you are not involved in community service throughout your high school years, you WILL NOT win scholarships! EVERY scholarship application asks for information on what you have done to serve your community. They want to give their money to kids who don't have the "it's all about me" attitude. The majority of your community service needs to be "self-initiated". That means you should be volunteering on your own, not just through school or church projects. What kinds of community service can you do?
1. Volunteer for any non-profit organization in your community.
2. Adopt an elderly person in your community. Spend time with them and help them with chores.
3. Adopt a younger child you know who may not have a dad or mom, or who may just really need a big sister or brother.
4. Organize a fund raiser for a non-profit organization.
5. Tutor some younger students who need help in their school work.
6. Organize a community clean up.
7. Design and carry out an anti-bullying campaign in your school.
8. Volunteer as a worker at a summer camp.
9. Run or walk in local charity races.
For more ideas, click the link:
DO WELL ON YOUR COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS!
(More information coming soon!)
