{"id":24246,"date":"2023-01-04T08:29:44","date_gmt":"2023-01-04T08:29:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/?p=24246"},"modified":"2023-01-04T22:02:48","modified_gmt":"2023-01-04T22:02:48","slug":"6-tips-to-win-scholarships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/pre-college\/6-tips-to-win-scholarships\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 6 Tips to Win College Scholarships"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Paying for college might be one of the most confusing and frightening parts of applying. In addition to filling out the FAFSA, which will help you secure financial aid, you may consider college scholarships. Remember, financial aid largely depends on your family\u2019s income and other factors, but many college scholarships are awarded based on your merit or interests. Follow these six tips to win college scholarships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>[ RELATED READING:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/study\/college-prep\/college-admissions-the-complete-guide-to-fafsa-and-financial-aid\/\">FAFSA &amp; FINANCIAL AID ULTIMATE GUIDE<\/a><strong>]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_heading  avia-builder-el-first  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP TIP 1: Start researching early. <\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start researching scholarships as soon as possible so you don\u2019t miss important deadlines. Check your potential colleges, high school guidance office, religious institution, community center, parents\u2019 workplace, and anywhere else you can. Your high school\u2019s website may include scholarship recommendations, and both College Board and ACT offer scholarships. Don\u2019t think that unimpressive grades mean you don\u2019t qualify for scholarships or awards. Do your research and see what scholarships are out there; you may be surprised by what you find.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some popular college scholarships are listed below:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalmerit.org\/s\/1758\/start.aspx?sid=1758&amp;gid=2&amp;pgid=61&amp;cid=160\"><b>National Merit Scholarship:<\/b><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qualified high school students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT\/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT\/NMSQT\u00ae) at the specified time in high school, usually in your junior year. Learn more about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/study\/psat\/how-to-become-a-national-merit-scholarship-finalist\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how to become a National Merit Scholarship Finalist<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bigfuture.collegeboard.org\/pay-for-college\/bigfuture-scholarships\"><b>BigFuture Scholarships:<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> These College Board scholarships reward you for planning for life after high school. BigFuture makes it easy to enter monthly drawings with no essay and minimum GPA, test score, and citizenship requirements.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/equitable.com\/foundation\/equitable-excellence-scholarship\"><b>Equitable Excellence Scholarship:<\/b><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This future-focused college scholarship is awarded to high school seniors who have made outstanding achievements in non-academic activities in their school or community. In addition to the scholarship money, Equitable will also offer development opportunities and engagement programs to award recipients to support their first year of college.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gmsp.org\"><b>Gates Millennium Scholarship Program: <\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This scholarship program is funded by a grant from the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation and provides outstanding African American, American Indian\/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American students the opportunity to complete an undergraduate college degree in the discipline of their choice. One thousand new Gates Millennium Scholars are selected each year.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coca-colascholarsfoundation.org\"><b>Coca-Cola Scholarship:<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Coca-Cola Scholarship has been around for over 25 years. It is an achievement-based scholarship recognizing students for their capacity to lead and serve their schools and communities. Financial need is not a factor to qualify for a Coca-Cola Scholarship.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Looking for more college scholarship options? Check out <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bigfuture.collegeboard.org\/pay-for-college\/scholarship-search\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">College Board\u2019s scholarship search tool.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_heading  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP TIP 2: Investigate everything. <\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can get a scholarship for having all sorts of qualities. Of course, grades and test scores are key components, but they\u2019re not the only thing that scholarship committees look for. Some applications will require you to write an essay, submit recommendations, or send a resume. Brainstorm a list of activities you participate in or talents you have and look for awards in those areas. <\/span><br \/><div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_heading  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP TIP 3: Follow all steps and instructions.<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many people ignore this critical piece of advice. It pays to follow the rules, and it\u2019s noticeable when you don\u2019t. That includes submitting all requested information in a timely fashion, which may mean you need to work closely with your guidance counselor or teachers who are writing recommendations for you. Keep an eye on deadlines to ensure you don\u2019t disqualify yourself from a college scholarship you could have won.<\/span><br \/><div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_heading  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP TIP 4: Be confident and self-assured.<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you are filling out your application, writing your essay, or going on interviews, it\u2019s important to have a good self-image, confidence in your abilities, and pride in your past achievements. Practice giving an \u201celevator pitch\u201d with some high-level talking points; in 30 seconds or less, convince the audience that you deserve what you\u2019re asking for\u2014or at least convince them that you deserve a chance. This is one time when it\u2019s okay to brag about yourself. Don\u2019t downplay your strengths and achievements. <\/span><br \/><div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_heading  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP TIP 5: Thank those who have helped you. <\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A handwritten thank-you note goes a long way and is often remembered. You\u2019ll want to do this in the future when you go on job interviews as well. If you don\u2019t have time for a note right away, send them a quick email; then, do your best to follow up with a written note in the next week or so. Expressing thanks in written form helps reinforce that your supporters have made the right choice in advocating for you. It also lays the groundwork for you to reach out to them for future references.<\/span><br \/><div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_sidebar  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP TIP 6: Do not pay anyone to do this work for you. <\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, there are many scholarship scams out there. Avoid identity theft and paying money to a scammer by doing your research and only applying to legitimate scholarship foundations. A good rule of thumb is to be wary of those that charge you a fee to apply; you shouldn\u2019t have to give money to get money. A list of fraudulent scholarship companies and other information you should be aware of are available at <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">www.ftc.gov<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div  class='avia-builder-widget-area clearfix  avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_heading  avia-builder-el-last '><div id=\"text-74\" class=\"widget clearfix widget_text\">\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p><span data-sumome-listbuilder-embed-id=\"abcf7e42f95202964683adf111250b7472e96ead15100d520b72eb4609e079e8\"><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><div id=\"text-75\" class=\"widget clearfix widget_text\">\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p><span data-sumome-listbuilder-embed-id=\"8fdc0a662abaec34c4fe4aec6c26b99c898b65c7c231689a40e329ebfaf6a105\"><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paying for college might be one of the most confusing and frightening parts of applying. In addition to filling out the FAFSA, which will help you secure financial aid, you may consider college scholarships. Remember, financial aid largely depends on your family\u2019s income and other factors, but many college scholarships are awarded based on your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[129],"tags":[127,128,151,152,153],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24246"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24246"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42206,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24246\/revisions\/42206"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}