Tips for Scholarship Success
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P. O. Box 176
Centreville, Virginia 20122
(703) 579-4245
www.scholarshipworkshop.com
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Expert Scholarship Information
from Marianne Ragins, $400,000 Scholarship Winner
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What Makes a Highly Successful Scholarship Winner?

Review the following habits of scholarship winners for tips on how you can
make your scholarship quest successful.

  • Successful students always remember the five P’s – Prior preparation prevents
    poor performance. Prepare for the scholarship search early. Do not wait until
    your senior year.

  • Successful students do not rely on their parents to do all the work.

  • Successful students vigorously avoid mistakes on their essays and
    applications. They always spell-check, proofread, and allow one other person
    to proofread their applications and essay for errors.

  • Successful students do not ignore scholarships that may be local or those for
    small amounts. Scholarship amounts, even as small as $50, can add up.

  • Successful students do not rely on only one source such as the Internet for
    their scholarship search. They use many resources. Many scholarships on the
    Internet or in the free scholarship searches that you find on the World Wide
    Web are nationally known and are harder to win due to greater competition.
    Local and regional scholarships are not found as easily through an Internet
    search, although they may be easier to win because the applicant pool is
    smaller. You have to use a combination of resources to find as many
    scholarships to apply for as possible.

  • Successful students market themselves well. In their applications, they
    highlight positive aspects about their lives, especially community
    involvement.

  • Successful students do not apply to one or two scholarships and wait for the
    best. They apply for all scholarships they are eligible to win. They keep
    applying until the total they have won exceeds what they need to pay for the
    college they want to attend or until they graduate with a degree.

  • Successful students are organized. They keep track of deadlines and
    materials required to complete an application.

  • Successful students are well rounded. They participate in extracurricular and
    community activities. They write about these activities in scholarship and
    college essays in a descriptive manner. They try to benefit others as well as
    themselves with the extracurricular and community activities in which they
    are involved.

  • Successful students understand that SAT scores and grades alone do not win
    most scholarships. Scholarship programs look at many factors such as
    community activities, leadership, presentation of your application package,
    special or unusual talents or skills, etc.

  • Successful students do not look for the easy way out. It is harder for them to
    believe in a scholarship scam that promises to do all the work for them. They
    understand that those things for which we work hardest often bring the
    greatest rewards. Hard work in the scholarship process as a high school
    student could result in an easy college life without work later, or a loan-free
    life after college.

Avoid These Most Common Mistakes Made on College and
Scholarship Applications

  1. Not following directions
  2. Not paying attention to the deadline and missing it
  3. Not typing your application or sending in a sloppy application
  4. Forgetting to spell check and to proofread after you spell check
  5. Not including information such as a transcript or recommendation
  6. Not answering the essay question or another question asked.
Expert Scholarship Information
from Marianne Ragins, $400,000 Scholarship Winner