Top Ten Mistakes on Scholarship Applications
by Laura DiFiore, with thanks to over 40 different scholarship judges for their advice
How you can guarantee that your scholarship application will NOT win!
- Forget to include your name and/or address! You would be surprised how many students do not include their name or address on an application.
- Submit an incomplete application. Make sure you include all required references, photos, transcripts, and essays.
- Be rude or abusive to the judges. Telling the judges they are idiots because they don’t accept your applications from students in your major, is a surefire way to guarantee you will NOT be considered for this application, and that the judges will tell all their judge friends how nasty you are.
- Submit a dirty application. Use a plate for your lunch, not your application.
- Apply when you do not meet their minimum requirements. If they require a minimum 3.0 GPA and you have a 1.2 GPA, don’t waste your time.
- Send it “postage due”. Oops.
- Mail the envelope but forget to put the application in it. Surprisingly common.
- Submit inappropriate supporting documentation, such as including a picture of you at age 6 months when the application asks for you to include a photo, or including a copy of your arrest record as a reference. (This really happened)
- No one can read your application. The use of fancy, hard-to-read script typefaces on your essay, or handwriting that even a doctor would be ashamed of.
- Spelling errors! Even one spelling error can doom your application. Remember, if you do not take the time to spell-check your application, the judges won’t take the time to read it.
This article was prepared by Laura DiFiore for Arbutus Financial Services. The advisors of Arbutus Financial Services are registered Mutual Fund Representatives with Dundee Private Investors Inc. (“Dundee Private Investors”), a Dundee Wealth Management company. This is not an official publication of Dundee Private Investors and the views (including any recommendations) expressed in this article have not been approved by, and are not necessarily those of, Dundee Private Investors.
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