by Willette Coleman ©2014
You’ve met the deadline. Your
scholarship application is now in unseen hands. Judges. You might
wonder: Who are these people? Will they evaluate my
application fairly? Judges, usually, are a panel or reading committee of
college admissions counselors and high school college advisors. Some committees include professionals from
various disciplines (e.g., law, the arts, business, medicine, etc.).
Following is a peek at the average scholarship application review
process. {NOTE: Since committees may
differ from education institution to education institution and foundation to
foundation, the process may not necessarily occur in the following order.}
Round 1 Judges determine whether you met the basic requirements:
a)
Did applicant dot all “i’s and cross
all “t’s” in the application and essay? Judges
check for
·
poor grammar,
·
incorrect spelling,
·
sloppy handwriting (whenever cursive
or hand printing is allowed),
·
missing documents,
·
incomplete answers to some questions
or failing to answer questions entirely, and
· neatness.
With applications now being
submitted electronically, neatness and coffee, tea, or food stained
applications are non-issues, BUT, where a hard copy is still preferred, make
sure your application is LEGIBLE and CLEAN.
b)
Does the applicant’s GPA match the
scholarship provider’s requirement?
If the provider specifies that
applicants must have a 3.0 GPA, applicants with a 2.5 should not apply.
{BUT: Hundreds
of scholarships are available for students with GPAs as low as 2.0.
Check www.fastweb.com/ and other scholarship directories
for a list, or do an Internet search for “scholarships for 2.0 GPA.”}
Round 2 Judges evaluate essays and separate applications into
“average” and “great” categories.
·
Great applications
contain thorough and thoughtful answers to questions.
·
Great essays
a) are focused, forthright and insightful;
b)
stay
within word-count limits -
Some scholarship providers stipulate
a limited number of words for essays. Applicants that submit an essay
with a single word over the limit won’t get past this round. Remember, Word Count, counts!
c)
stay
“on subject” -
If a scholarship provider tells
applicants to submit an essay on: “How
you would help reverse the dire effects of global warming?” don’t write about
panda bears giving birth, unless you can show how the panda’s birth rate is
impacted by global warming and how you would help. In other words, stay
on subject; don’t write about oranges when the provider asked for apples,
unless you can show a clear correlation.
Round 3 Judges narrow selections by evaluating your ~
·
Course Load
Is it challenging? How well do you perform in those
courses?
·
Leadership
Were you president, treasurer, record keeper of your class, or neighborhood
or school book club; writer and/or editor
of your school’s newspaper or newsletter; coordinator of fundraising drives or community
cleanup/environment events; organizer
of a community sports team, arts program and so on? Did you sell comic
books as a child, or manage the age-old lemonade stand? Leadership shows initiative – a trait
judges admire.
·
Creativity
Do you play an instrument, sing
(i.e., in a church choir), write poems or stories, blog, draw/paint pictures,
sew/design clothes or jewelry, invent word or picture puzzles, act in or write
plays, dance (tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop), design websites, develop video
games? Tell the judges.
·
Skills
Are you a “fixer”/like to repair
things – electronics, machinery, home items; a budding IT guru, website
builder; good at scrabble, chess, monopoly, etc.? Tell the judges.
·
Internships (Paid or Unpaid)
Did you intern for a television or
radio station, magazine or newspaper publisher; at a grocery store, book store,
library, museum, hospital, corporate or nonprofit office? If you interned
at a barbershop or beauty shop, you can tell the judges what you learned about customer
service, grooming and grooming products.
Tip:
For paid
internships, click here.
·
Volunteering
Did you volunteer at a church or
local adoption or homeless service nonprofit; volunteer to shovel the snow off
your older neighbor’s driveway each winter; read stories to younger children,
even your siblings, to help them improve their reading skills; tutor peers and
younger students in math; help with voting registration? Tell the judges.
·
Special
Circumstances:
Have you overcome any obstacles?
Tell the judges how you did it to show your “can do” and
“follow-through” spirit. Overcoming obstacles (poverty, bullying, gangs,
illness, etc.) shows determination, commitment and perseverance.
Tip:
See Special Circumstance scholarships,such as scholarship
providers for orphan/parentless students, or students of a deceased parent, and more at http://www.schoolsoup.com/
and fastweb.com.
·
Awards
Were you recognized for any activity, including jumping
rope, spelling bee, growing the best rose bush in your community or in a sport
like bowling?
Tip:
Yes, bowling scholarships exist here.
Judging scholarship applications “is
tedious work” said Mark Davis, President of the Coca-Cola
Scholars Foundation that receives “thousands of applications from high
school seniors.” According to the foundation’s website, they “review
every one carefully.” Get an overview of Foundation’s judging process
here. Awards range from $1,000 to $20,000.
Thanks for reading.
Magic, Miracles & Blessings,
Willette
