Building Your Toolkit for College Scholarship Applications

If you are in the group of students and families excited about attending college in the near future, you are probably also beginning to plan for the costs. There are several financial resources to explore and it is certainly never too early to begin planning. The most sought-after resource is of course the college scholarship…a financial award you do not need to repay.

In collaboration with the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, we have compiled a checklist and a series of tips to help you create your best college scholarship application.

Begin building your portfolio early – Include all relevant examples of your work

Tip: I previously worked with students in the arts and they often didn’t give themselves enough credit in this area, which may surprise you. I met students wanting to study film and they would tell me they just didn’t have anything to show, because they hadn’t done any film work as of yet. It was true they hadn’t completed any film work, but after a few minutes of conversation I often found they did have a great deal of still photography. My comment was always the same, “this is part of your portfolio”. In other words, think broadly about your portfolio (class projects, work done at camps, volunteer work). The committee reviewing that journalism scholarship you dream of being awarded, may want to see some of your poetry or creative writing. Begin using a central location for all of this work and be sure to inventory your academic records and achievements, as well (e.g. transcripts).

Secure strong recommendations

Tip: Notify your recommenders early! Give them time to write the best recommendation possible, but also don’t forget to set your own reminder. Set a reminder to follow up with your recommender a few weeks prior to the application deadline. Things do change from time to time and if this person can no longer meet the deadline, it is time to move on to one of your two back-up recommenders (which I’m sure you already thought of and have lined up…right?). Give your recommender a generous amount of time to write your recommendation, be polite and positive in your reminder, but do not let a missed recommendation deadline be the reason you weren’t considered for a scholarship.

Bonus tip: Many scholarship applications now give you the option to simply enter the email address for a recommender. (Flashing Red Light) Do not enter someone’s contact information unless you have directly asked them if they are willing to write your recommendation. Most people are flattered with the request, but you need to know they are willing and have the time. Most importantly, you want to pick recommenders who will write a positive recommendation…this isn’t always a given. Be sure you are choosing your recommenders wisely!  

Demonstrate service to others through volunteer or community activities. Committees are often looking for leadership qualities and positive influences on others.

Tip: Leadership education may not be offered through your high school, but not only is it a positive attribute on your application, it is important to your development as a well-rounded student and citizen. Even more importantly, your work could have a meaningful impact within your community. If your school offers these opportunities then great! If not, consider other options for getting involved. You may start locally by exploring VolunteerMatch.org. The Civic Leadership Institute (CLI), offered by the Civic Education Project at Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development, engages high school students in community issues through hands-on service and academic study. CLI combines service-learning curriculum with a residential program and opportunities to engage with business and community leaders, organizations and service-agencies, and their clients. The National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC), provides high school students with fast-paced, intensive summer sessions in leadership development and career exploration.

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Bonus Tip: Demonstrating leadership doesn’t always have to be “official” or attained through a program. You may need to take on a leadership role within your own family at some point. Taking this kind of initiative should be not be overlooked when inventorying your experience.

 If you qualify and meet the criteria for a scholarship, complete the application, especially if there is no cost. Don’t let doubt take you out of the game. If you start it, complete it. Many students don’t, and from what they completed would have been great candidates, but reviewers do not consider uncompleted applications.

Tip: Absolutely do not be discouraged, but let’s take this one step further. Applying for scholarships is a numbers game. I once had a student tell me he “had tried everything, and hadn’t seen anything in return”. He said he had a great portfolio, great recommendations, and a strong academic record. He did, by the way. Eventually I asked him how many scholarship applications he had completed. He said, “A bunch…at least five or six”. I told him he should consider putting a zero behind those numbers. Once you have a toolkit ready (Keep reading for those instructions), the process becomes easier and easier. The aim is to create your toolkit, start your search early, then apply, apply, APPLY.

Bonus Tip: Don’t overlook the small scholarships. Many students are applying for a lot of the same large award scholarships. Apply for those…but then also look at the smaller programs within your community or talent area. There may be opportunities in your community, in which 100 students are applying, as opposed to 100,000. Utilize free services, such as Fastweb to aid in your search. For more information on the scholarship search process, visit FinAid.org. You may also utilize resources from College Board. Remember, there are both need-based and merit-based scholarships you can seek out.

Read through the application completely before you begin. Many mistakes are made because students did not read carefully or follow the directions. Nothing should be added, which wasn’t requested. And remember, the way the reviewers really get to know you is through the essays.

Tip: Scholarship committees need a way to weed candidates out early. Working alongside scholarship committees in the past, I know that not following directions is one of the top reasons an application is moved to the “no” pile. Most scholarships require an essay and every essay requirement is different. Be sure you aren’t using the same essay over and over. Customize each essay response and be sure you are focused on the topic (follow directions). If a scholarship application wants to know why you view diversity in education as important, then begin answering that question right away.

Bonus Tip: Although every scholarship essay requirement is different, it is helpful to have a place to start. Create a one-page student statement, which highlights who you are, what things matter to you, and what makes you unique. Again, do not use the same essay for every application, but starting with a one-page student statement can help lay the groundwork for most essays.

Organize what will be needed

Tip: Create a toolkit! I’ll end with step 1, creating a toolkit of the items you will need for most applications.

• Copies of your transcripts
• Test scores (when applicable)
• Record of academic achievements, honors, and volunteer experience
• 2-3 Letters of recommendation
• One-page student statement
• Portfolio or samples of work

Bonus Tip: Create a separate scholarship search email for yourself. If you register on scholarship sites you may receive a lot of alerts and suggested applications. You won’t want this clogging up your primary email account and you also won’t want to miss important alerts. From a personal branding standpoint, consider your audience, as well. You are applying for large awards and asking for professional recommendations. Although you may love Game of Thrones, you shouldn’t be using nedstarklives@gmail for your scholarship search efforts. Trust me, you are better off using something involving your own name.

Finally, if you hit a wall during this process, ask for help! You may not be aware of just how much your own network of supporters can help you with questions or ways to improve your toolkit…if you would only ask. For example, reach out to teachers, counselors, and parents. Other resources, often overlooked, could be coaches, mentors, or relatives working in fields you are interested in pursuing. Look a little more closely and thoughtfully at those within your community and explore how they can help you navigate your goals to plan, attend, and graduate from college.

Best of luck on those applications!

Author Bio: David Johnson manages communications for Center for Talent Development, within Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy. Prior to arriving at Northwestern, Johnson spent several years managing communication efforts at Columbia College Chicago, where he spent a considerable amount of time working with incoming and first-generation students and their families.