Getting inside the mind of a scholarship winner
I’ve been researching the qualities and attributes of scholarship recipients from scholarship search services such as Fast Web and College Board, and I’ve noticed that there is something different about these students. It’s not that they are home schooled individuals who went to bed dreaming about The Golden Ratio, or didn’t have any friends growing up because they were overly dedicated to their schoolwork. No, that’s a stereotype. What I am talking about are scholarship recipients, who are creative, innovative, out-of-the-box thinkers. These kinds of people will thrive in our culture, because everyone is looking for new ideas so that their business can become bigger, better and more established.
You are a creative, innovative, out-of-the-box thinker
Don’t look over your shoulder, I’m talking to you. Education is one of the ways that shapes us as individuals, shaping an extent of our identity. Be it Math, English, Web Design, Linguistics, or Biology, the ways in which we learn as well as the content we learn expands our mind and teaches us to think differently. A math major will look at the world differently than an English major and a student majoring in Web Design will look at the world differently than a student majoring in Biology. And beyond our education, there is experience which is dense and inevitable. Are you getting my point? We are all unique individuals, just like Mr. Rogers probably said, and we each bring something different to the table. When applying for a scholarship, being set apart is the key. Whether the set-apart-ness is big or small. But we don’t have any excuses if we think we are inept to fulfill this duty. Here’s how to get that free money:
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Answer the question and follow the instructions.
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Be real, and add your own experience to what you decide to write on.
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Be original.
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Be grammatically correct.
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Know that you have a chance.
- Think before you write. Brainstorm some good ideas and create an outline to help you get going.
- Show what you are trying to say through stories and examples, individualizing your essay while demonstrating the point you want to make.
- Know your audience.
- Develop a theme. Don’t simply list all your achievements. Decide on a theme you want to convey that sums up the impression you want to make. Write about experiences that develop that theme.
What the scholarship givers look for:
- A positive and confident attitude
- A clear definition of who you are and who you want to be
- An assessment of your top skills
And here is what NOT to do. And here’s some more of what not to do.
