8 Questions to Ask Yourself When Applying for College Scholarships

So you need money for college and are ready to start applying for scholarships. Here are some questions to ask yourself when applying for college scholarships.

There are thousands of scholarships out in the universe. Unfortunately, time does not permit you to apply for every scholarship that you are eligible for. So you will have to decide which scholarships you should apply for and which ones you should skip. The best way to decide which scholarship applications you should invest your time in is to ask yourself these vital questions when applying for college scholarships.

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Before you complete a scholarship here are 8 questions to ask yourself when applying for college scholarships.

Do I understand the instructions?

Are you confused about how to submit the scholarship application? Do you see the scholarship deadline? Does the application require additional documents? If the instructions aren’t clear, is there a contact person for questions? Don’t start a scholarship application unless you have read the instructions several times and are clear on the process.

Is this a legitimate scholarship?

Did you find the scholarship on a reputable site? Does the scholarship require unnecessary personal information? If you found the scholarship on a website with a lot of unrelated information or several ads, take time to see if the scholarship has shown up in scholarship search engines or other reputable websites.

If the scholarship is requesting your bank account number and your login to your Cashapp or Zell, you should be alarmed. Very few scholarships will ask for your social security number in the initial scholarship process.

Some scholarships that pay directly to you may ask for your social security number for tax purposes, but you should be leery of a scholarship that is asking for information that is not related to the scholarship. If you are not sure if a scholarship is legitimate, Google the scholarship for pertinent information and check the scholarship’s social media pages also.

Is the scholarship specifically for your race?

There are some scholarships that are specifically for people from an underrepresented population. Are you African American applying for a scholarship specifically for Native Americans? Remember following instructions is key to winning scholarships.

Scholarships based on race for underrepresented populations are some of my favorite scholarships because they have less competition. If you are a person of color make sure you look for scholarships that target your race.

Is the scholarship limited to a geographic area?

The best scholarships are local scholarships. Are you applying for a scholarship that is specifically for students outside of your region? Look for scholarships that are limited to your city, state, or region. These scholarships have less competition than your national scholarships.

Is the scholarship limited to select universities?

These are great scholarships because if the scholarship is for 10 colleges instead of 500 colleges, this increases your chance of winning the scholarships. If your dream school is not on the list, you may want to expand your college list.

Is the scholarship limited to a major?

Some industries are looking to expand and will offer scholarships to encourage students to enter their designated fields. If you are majoring in a less common industry, you may see large scholarships with internships to encourage students to pursue work in that specific industry.

Actuarial Science is an area where they need more women and minorities, so there are some great scholarships to encourage women and minorities to become Actuaries. It helps if you know what your career goals are before you start pursuing scholarship opportunities.

Is it a hardship scholarship?

Some scholarships are based on a certain hardship which can be related to a disease or death. For example, a scholarship was created for students that lost a parent due to death or students who personally are battling cancer. If you have not experienced particular hardships, search for scholarships that are related to a situation you may be going through.

Don’t try to impress the scholarship committees by making up a hardship that you didn’t experience.

Is it an affiliation scholarship?

Maybe your parents are part of a union, bank, sorority, or fraternity that offers scholarships to its members and members’ children. Some high school and college clubs have scholarships for their members. If you are not associated with the affiliate, some affiliate groups are accepting new members so you can join and then apply for the scholarship. My credit union offers scholarships to 12th graders who have a savings account at the credit union prior to the scholarship deadline.

Now you know why you show questions to ask yourself when applying for college scholarships. Remember when applying for scholarships the more niche the requirements the less competition. Scholarships that are based on academics, location, race, school, major, affiliation, or hardship may garner less competition and bring in more scholarship dollars. More importantly, it is a waste of time to apply for a scholarship if you do not meet the criteria. Don’t forget to ask yourself the above 8 questions before you go down the scholarship rabbit hole.