The ScholarshipExperts Blog: Your Scholarship Voice

Have you ever applied to a scholarship and were absolutely sure you would win? Let me give you some advice; don’t count your chickens before they hatch! Sure, when I first started applying for scholarships, I was a bit cocky and secretively thought people would start throwing money my way because of my grades and obvious talent, but that’s not quite how it panned out. In fact, I applied to 25 scholarships before I ever won my first award. What was I doing wrong? As it turns out, nothing; you just have to understand that many scholarship programs are subjective, especially those that include an essay. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Apply for Scholarships, Top Ten List, winning a scholarship
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It seems more and more scholarship programs are advertising ‘no essay needed’ in an attempt to draw in more applicants. What many students fail to realize is that many of these ‘easy’ programs receive tens of thousands of applications for a single scholarship award. With odds like that, you might as well be playing Mega Money or power ball lottery. I know that creating a winning scholarship essay can seem like an impossible task, and some of you may be intimidated by the high word count required for some scholarship competitions, but submitting an essay just might be your greatest advantage when it comes to winning scholarships. Think about it. If you and another applicant have similar grades and extra-curricular involvements, the essay will likely be the deciding factor. So, how does someone write a great scholarship essay and win that scholarship money? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: essay writing tips, scholarship essay, winning a scholarship
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Recently, I’ve heard students talking about how scholarships are “only for valedictorians” or a “waste of time.” Let me set the story straight: scholarships are definitely not a waste of time and they are for EVERYONE! I can say this with full confidence — I have been there.

In 2004, I made the decision to go to college in pursuit of an English degree. I had been out of high school for a while, already had children plus a part-time job. My husband had a decent (but not great) job, so we made too much money for me to qualify for a Pell grant but not enough for me to cover the cost of my college tuition and fees. This left me with two options; I could find ways to cover my expenses or resign myself to having a lot of student loan debt at graduation. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: how to find scholarships, scholarships are for everyone, winning a scholarship
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