Applying for Scholarships? Get the Winning Edge
With more and more students looking for ways to fund college, scholarships have become increasingly competitive. Making your application stand out is essential. Here are seven steps that can help.
1. Type everything if possible. If not, write in black ink so your materials can be photocopied easily by the scholarship selection committee.
2. Provide reference letters from professionals only. Letters of reference from employers and educators are best. References from co-workers, neighbors, etc. can only hurt you (even if they are glowing)...
3. Neatness and organization count. That's worth repeating. Neatness and organization count. Got it?
4. Provide all requested information. Don't be verbose, but do be thorough and complete.
5. Submit the application well before the deadline. It creates a good impression.
6. Clip all of your documents together (neatly!). Do not, under any circumstances, use staples. Then, put your packet in an attractive folder which is unlikely to get destroyed in the mail.
7. Put the folder in a large, sturdy envelope so everything will look as good when it arrives as it does before you mail it.
Obviously, you'll need more than attractively packaged documents to win scholarships. But, do not underestimate the boost an attractive, well organized scholarship application packet can give you.
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