Scholarship Talk

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Within the scholarship world, judging a quality application from one that’s merely so-so may seem very mysterious. How do scholarship judges determine the winners? What criteria do they base their selection on?

 Unfortunately, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what judges are looking for when it comes to a scholarship application, because different organizations use various methods to determine the winners. Thankfully, there are a few general characteristics to keep in mind when you’re applying for a scholarship.

If anything, these tips will help you understand what scholarship judges are looking for when they evaluate the hundreds of applications they receive each day.

The Elimination Process

Obviously, scholarship panels cannot accept every application they receive for a final review. There are simply too many applications received each day, and while the thought may be distressing, the elimination process is oftentimes very harsh.

In order to decrease applications to a manageable size, scholarship judges have to perform an elimination process. What does this mean for you? Well, during this time, judges will get rid of any applications that do not qualify for the scholarship. Oftentimes, they compare your application to a list of criteria they have. If your application misses the mark on any front, it’s liable to be thrown in the “rejected” pile before they even read your well-crafted essay.

What can you do to improve your chances of making it past the first stage? The answer seems deceptively simple – proofread! Surprisingly, many applications are initially rejected based on the fact that the entire form isn’t filled in; there may be spelling or grammatical errors, or people didn’t follow the directions completely.

This can easily be avoided by double-checking your work! If you have to, have another person look it over as well – they may catch mistakes you didn’t notice beforehand. Even if a particular question on the scholarship application doesn’t apply to you, it’s best to fill out that it’s “Not Applicable” rather than leave it blank. Judges don’t have time to figure out why you may have left a question blank, and your application will end up in the reject bin if you don’t follow directions.

Take heart – for those who may not have the best GPA in the world, you still have a large advantage working for you if you take the time to proofread and ensure you’re turning in the best application you possibly can!

Competition

If you’ve made it past the first phase, you haven’t seen anything yet. The next stage of the judging process requires intense scrutiny from judges and a competition between your application and the others they didn’t immediately reject.

Depending on the type of scholarship you’re applying for, they’ll begin to rank the applicants based on various factors. For example, if the scholarship you’ve applied for places a heavy emphasis on academic achievement, they may compare GPA’s for selected applicants, and eliminate those who fall below a certain point they’ve deemed appropriate.

Even if the scholarship only required applications with a 3.0 GPA, if there are many candidates who apply that have a 3.5 GPA, the lower numbers could get eliminated. A daunting fact, perhaps, but a necessary part of the elimination process for scholarship judges.

However, many scholarships do not demand excellent grades or stellar academic performance. Oftentimes, a well-crafted, unique essay will earn the judges’ attention, and hopefully you a spot on the proverbial winner’s podium. The mistake many scholarship applicants tend to make is sending in a cookie cutter essay that looks and sounds just like everyone else’s. Those applications are sure to be rejected.

In order to stand out and let the judges know you’re worthy of their award, you have to be able to connect with them on a personal level – don’t write down a bunch of formulaic lists because you think that’s what they want. They don’t. If you can write an authentic, real essay, you’re much more likely to gain the favor of scholarship judges’ and increase your chances of winning the award.

Winning

If you’ve made it this far, consider yourself lucky. Out of the thousands of scholarship applications these organizations receive each day, very few make it all the way to the final round. Unfortunately, the competition isn’t over yet, and the judges have to eliminate even more applications in order to make their final selection.

This time, a scholarship panel will most likely be judging the remaining applicants based on which person they like the best. Voting during this stage is highly subjective, and probably takes the longest to come to a viable conclusion among all judges. At this stage, they’ll be looking for people who shine through their application packets – people who are truly worthy of the award.

Again, a cookie cutter application package will not get you into the winner’s circle. Your extracurricular activities, leadership skills, and other academic achievements can, if they truly present you as a unique individual. If scholarship judges are able to understand where you’re coming from, and believe you have something to offer within the educational field, you have a much greater chance of surviving the final cut.

In the end, the winner (or winners) will have essentially followed directions to the letter, passed the neatness challenge, and shown the judges through their application that they are truly worthy of the award. If you play your cards right, that could be you!

If you are a little daunted by all of this, take heart – not every scholarship opportunity judges so critically. Oftentimes, an organization that offers a scholarship wants to help as many people as they can. Since that’s not usually the case because of limited funding, they have to pick the people who are most deserving of the award.

However, by reading the above guidelines you’ve already given yourself an important advantage over someone who slaps together an application without truly knowing what they’re doing. By understanding the scholarship process, you are well on your way to finding success.

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