How to Organize Your Search for Scholarships

By Tamiera Vandegrift on January 18, 2018

Unless you’re rolling into the school year with bags of solid cash like Scrooge McDuck, scholarships will definitely be a necessity for starting the academic year. Fortunately, scholarships are not all that hard to find. Websites like Fastweb and Unigo offer MILLIONS of scholarships just waiting to be discovered. Even universities offer some hidden scholarship gems in specific academic departments or student organizations. With so many applications and opportunities to earn funding for your college education, it must be absolutely impossible to keep track of them all, right? Wrong.

Organizing your scholarship search is easier than it may seem. All you need is organization, dedication, and a strong sense of willingness to make the magic happen. So, what are you waiting for? Keep reading for your own personal guide to organizing your search for scholarships.

planner, hands, working, laptop

Image via: www.pexels.com

Set up a Plan

When it comes to organizing anything, you won’t get very far without a solid plan. The same principle applies for organizing your search for scholarships. First, set up a solid schedule for your scholarships. Try to spend some time every week looking for more scholarships. Remember for every couple of scholarships you apply for, the more likely you are to earn one of them. Start early and stay dedicated to the process. Scholarship Chart suggests that you treat the search like an extracurricular activity, where you dedicate a little time to it every couple of days.

Also, while you’re planning your scholarship search schedule, set up a plan for what types of scholarships you plan to apply for. Scholarships are based on a wide variety of skills, traits, and personal histories. If you’re studying a certain major or a certain ethnicity, there are scholarships available for you. Keep these qualifications in mind when you’re searching so that you know exactly what types of scholarships are right for you and so that you won’t waste your time digging through the wrong ones.

Make a List… Check it Twice

You know that one person who uses lists and calendars in every aspect of their life? If you’re not that person already, it’s time to adopt some of their traits. When you’re looking at a solid list of twenty scholarships you’re applying for, it’s easy to mix up the details and the requirements for each one. Fastweb suggests that scholarship applicants should use software like Microsoft Excel to keep track of scholarships and their requirements. The program would allow you to list each scholarship, their due dates, and their individual requirements. By using this, you wouldn’t have to keep revisiting the scholarship websites to find the details. Excel offers a quick search option where you can simply type in a keyword to find what you’re looking for.

Another helpful tool is, of course, planners and calendars (especially the digital kind!) These tools will allow you to keep track of due dates while you’re on the go. Isn’t technology the best?

computer, hands, working, notebook

Image via: www.pexels.com

Ready Your Materials

Speaking of technology, let’s talk about storing your materials. Most scholarships ask for the same set of information: personal statements, resumes, transcripts, financial information, recommendation letters, etc. So wouldn’t it be especially helpful to have all of these documents ready and waiting in one place? We definitely think so.

Keep these documents in a single folder for easy future access. Also, feel free to tailor some of these documents to fit each application – but be sure to label them appropriately to avoid mixing them up. For instance, a lot of scholarships ask for the same general information in their personal statement prompts. To save time, edit some of the points in a personal statement you have already written. Doing this will allow you to spend more time searching and applying for other scholarships. However, this is not an excuse to be lazy; spend enough time perfecting each essay. Scholarship judging committees will see right through a lazy personal statement!

Keep Track

As the application process progresses, be sure to keep track of every single update you are given. Once you begin to receive responses to your applications (whether they are positive or negative!), jot them down in your calendar, planner, or Excel document. Mark whether or not you’ve applied for a scholarship or if you’re still in the process of applying for one. Jot down notes if you’ve been called back for an interview. By doing this, you’ll be able to distinguish between the scholarships you’ve already applied for and the scholarships you have already received results for. Unigo reports that keeping track of all of your scholarships will also allow you to keep track of what types of scholarships are best suited for you. When it comes to organizing your search for scholarships, recording every step is the way to go.

The search for scholarships may seem extremely daunting – especially because there are so many out there! However, thanks to technology and your own personal dedication, you will be able to organize your search for scholarships and make the applying process all the more manageable.

Best of luck!

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