Top 3 Scholarship Search Mistakes
Students Should Avoid by Jean O’Toole
Students are often eligible for many more scholarships than they initially think. Here are three mistakes you can avoid to find and win more money for college.
T
he scholarship search process can be frustrat- ing for many students. As a scholarship con- sultant, I have many families that reach out
to me because they can’t find scholarships that are right for them. The pursuit of scholarships from dif- ferent companies, organizations, and foundations can be overwhelming with everything that’s out there. With so many opportunities, it’s difficult to know how to navigate the search process to find scholarships that align with your past accomplishments and future goals. There are three common mistakes students make when looking at eligibility descriptions for schol- arships. Avoiding these mistakes can expand the po- tential awards that you qualify for exponentially.
Mistake #1: Limiting your search to your specific career goals Searching for scholarships that relate to your career
field of interest or chosen academic major is an abso- lute must, but most students make the mistake of not expanding their search beyond this. It’s a common mistake to search with only career goals in mind—that is, after all, the end goal. But students should look at the larger picture of their career goals. For example, a student majoring in Nursing should pursue scholar- ships related to nursing as well as health care in gen- eral—health care scholarships are a whole other cat- egory of scholarships from nursing scholarships. On the other hand, a student pursuing a degree in Finance should apply for scholarships in finance as well as business, entrepreneurship, management, and com- merce. A student majoring in Advertising can apply for advertising-related scholarships as well as mar- keting, business, graphic design, and social media management. For your major of interest, ask your- self, “Does my career goal fit into larger fields?” If so,
Articles & Advice
expand your search and expedite more scholarship applications.
Mistake #2: Making assumptions about a scholarship based on the title When scanning scholarship posts, alerts, and sites, it’s common for students to quickly identify scholar- ships they think they should apply to. Many students make the costly mistake of skipping opportunities be- cause they assume a scholarship isn’t a good fit for them based on the title alone. For example, the AES Engineering Scholarship is open to students of all fields of study. Many students may skip over this schol- arship because they assume it’s only for students pursuing Engineering. The Web Design Scholarship from Lounge Lizard is a similar example; submitting a web design file is a required component to apply for this $1,000 award, but majoring in Web Design is not.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88
