Save Money During COVID-19.  Seek Money for College.

Seeking additional money to pay for college? Then this is an opportune time to apply for scholarships and grants. 

It’s here where you’ll find that a well-crafted essay is critical to your success. Submitting a quality narrative along with your application allows the funding provider to understand the real you behind the application. It will increase your chances of winning the award. 

This process sort of mirrors the one you engaged in for your college application in that it provides you with a chance to stand out from all the other applicants. But writing can be a challenge, particularly if you’re feeling the urge to procrastinate coming off of the COVID stay-at-home orders. 

Here at Kollege Kampus, we get it and would like to help. Let’s look at some helpful tips to get you moving

1. Get an early start.

Your first objective should be to carve out some time just to get started. Be sure to look for the application deadline, allowing yourself plenty of time to write a successful essay.  Pick a day where you’ll begin to create an outline and build a roadmap for what you’ll be saying. Once you’ve completed this you’ll be ready to write. 

2. Clarify the scholarship’s mission and objective.

Each scholarship is looking for applicants that fit the criteria they’re seeking. So it’s important to write a brief narrative about an experience or interest that is in alignment with the mission and objective. Bringing your energy and passion out regarding this in your writing is the key. 

3. Follow the instructions.

There is nothing worst than being knocked out of contention for college monies because you simply didn’t follow the instructions. So, word to the wise: Be sure to carefully follow the timelines and directions when submitting your essay and application. We’ve seen instances where some amazingly bright students blow their opportunity to earn scholarships and grants simply because they failed to pay attention to this important step.

4. Be positive in your approach.

While there are certainly plenty of things to complain about this year, we encourage you to steer clear of them in your essay. Know that scholarship committees would rather see stories regarding your achievements along with how you overcame obstacles and failures in life. 

5. Be open

Share something about who you are. Be a little vulnerable. Telling your story with a sense of openness and genuineness ultimately makes your essay more memorable to the scholarship committee.

6. Seek feedback

Ask friends, family members, teachers, and counselors for feedback on your essay. Because there is a tendency to become too attached to what we’ve written, this unbiased input can greatly strengthen your final product. 

7. Have Outside Eyes Review It

Grammar and punctuation mistakes compromise your overall message and can reflect poorly in front of a scholarship committee. So prior to submitting your final essay have someone with an editorial eye proofread your essay from beginning to end.

8. Persist

Just the thought of writing an essay may seem torturous. But as a famous person once said, “persistence wears down resistance.” So we encourage you to forge forward and feel that adrenaline rush from having competed it. And if you get discouraged or stuck with anything from the outline to completing the final draft, reach out to us here at Kollege Kampus. We’ve got years of experience and are happy to help. 

source: The Scholarship Course| Photo credit: Damian Zaleski