1. Secrets to Winning a Scholarship

2. Some Majors are More Lucrative
Percentage
Winning
Average
Award
Math/Statistics
23.2%
$4,059
Engineering
17.6%
$3,075
Physical Sciences
17.1%
$3,180
Life Sciences
16.9%
$2,649
Education
15.0%
$2,420
Health
14.8%
$2,880
Social Sciences
12.7%
$3,063
Humanities
12.5%
$2,623
Computer Science
11.1%
$2,974
Business
9.1%
$2,828
STEM fields are more likely to win scholarships than non-STEM fields. Of students enrolled full-time at 4-year colleges, 17.0% of STEM win scholarships vs. 12.1% of students in non-STEM fields.
These statistics are for students enrolled full-time at a 4-year college and seeking a Bachelor’s degree in the specified major.

3. More Students with Good Grades Win
Cumulative
Grade Point Average (GPA)
on a 4.0 Scale
High School GPA
(% Winning Scholarships)
College GPA
(D- to C)
5.7%
7.0%
(C to B-)
7.1%
9.1%
(B- to B)
9.5%
10.7%
(B to A-)
13.1%
(A- to A)
18.7%
18.8%
But you can still win even if your grades aren’t stellar. Every scholarship sponsor is looking for the students who best match their criteria. Instead of academic talent, they might be looking for artistic talent or athletic talent or even something a bit unusual. One of Mark’s favorite unusual scholarships involves making a prom costume out of duct tape. That may seem gray and boring, but duct tape comes in many colors. The winners are incredibly creative and make amazing costumes. It’s a nice way of winning $5,000 each for you and your date.

4. Better Test Scores Mean More Awards
ACT Composite Score
Probability of
Winning
a Scholarship
< 15
2.6%
15-17
4.7%
18-20
5.6%
21-23
7.3%
24-26
8.3%
27-29
11.1%
30-36
14.2%
SAT Combined Score
Probability of
Winning
a Scholarship
< 700
2.6%
700 to 800
4.2%
800 to 900
5.4%
900 to 1000
5.8%
1000 to 1100
7.4%
1100 to 1200
8.5%
1200 to 1300
11.2%
1300 to 1400
13.2%
Above average test scores twice as likely to win as below average test scores. Average SAT is about 1,000 and average ACT is about 21.
SAT >= 1,000 (9.2%) twice as likely to win as SAT < 1,000 (3.8%)
ACT >= 21 (9.0%) twice as likely to win as ACT < 21 (3.7%)

5. The Race Myth Race Percent of Recipients Percent Winning Average Award
White
71.5%
14.4%
$2,645
Black or African American
10.5%
11.4%
$2,962
Hispanic or Latino
8.1%
9.1%
$2,353
Asian
4.4%
$3,170
American Indian or Alaska Native
1.4%
32.7%
$3,967
More than One Race
3.4%
16.0%
$4,891
All Minority Students
28.5%
11.2%
$3,167
Minority students are less likely to win scholarships than white students enrolled full-time at 4-year colleges. White students are 61.8% of college population, but win 71.5% of the scholarships. Minority students are 38.2% of college population, but win 28.5% of the scholarships.
This is probably not due to intentional discrimination, but rather because the sponsors of scholarships establish the scholarship programs based on their interests and values, and these criteria resonate more with students of the same race. For example, minority students are much less likely to pursue equestrian sports or water polo as Caucasian students and are more likely to major in business than in mathematics, science or economics. Geography may also have an impact.

6. Strategies for Winning Scholarships
It’s a numbers game
Even among talented students, who wins involves a bit of luck, not just skill
To win more scholarships, apply to more scholarships, but only if you qualify
You can’t win if you don’t apply
One in four students never applies for financial aid
It gets easier after your first 6 applications
Essays can be reused and tailored to each new application
Don’t miss deadlines
It is very difficult for scholarship sponsors to choose between two extremely talented finalists for a scholarship, so the decision can often be arbitrary. Often there is no wrong choice for a winner. Skill gets you selected as a finalist, but the final choice of who wins may be purely random. So applying to more scholarships (for which you are qualified) will increase your chances of winning a scholarship.

7. Searching for Scholarships
Start searching as soon as possible
If you wait until spring to start searching, you will miss half the deadlines
There are many scholarships available to students in grades 9, 10 and 11, not just high school seniors
There are even scholarships for students in grades K-8 and to current college students
Use a free scholarship matching service like Fastweb
Look for scholarship listing books at the library or bookstore, but check the publication date
Many families wait until the spring of the senior year in high school, missing half of the deadlines.
Give examples of scholarships for younger students: Jif PB&J, Spelling Bee, Geography Bee, art, writing, community service, national marbles tournament (mibsters).
If a scholarship listing book is more than one or two years old, it is too old to be useful. About 10% of scholarships change in some material way each year, such as a change in address or eligibility requirements.
One of the advantages of online scholarship databases is the ability to update the database more frequently than in a book. Fastweb’s database is updated daily and the site will send you when there is a new scholarship that matches your profile.

8. More Ways of Searching for Money
Look for local scholarships on student services website or twitter account.
Look in the coupon section of the newspaper
Answer the optional questions on a scholarship matching service for twice as many matches
Look for near-miss matches
Pursue less competitive scholarships, such as small awards and essay contests, since they are easier to win, the money adds up and they help you win bigger scholarships
You can double your chances of winning a scholarship by being thorough in answering all of the questions in the background profile. Students who answer the optional questions match twice as many scholarships, on average, as students who answer just the required questions. The optional questions are there to trigger the inclusion of specific scholarships. It takes a little extra time to list all your hobbies, activities, affiliations and other attributes, but it is worth the effort.
Near-miss matches can help encourage a student to improve their grades to qualify for more scholarships.
Students often express disdain for small scholarships and essay contests, saying that they are not worth the effort. But it is precisely because fewer students apply that these scholarships are easier to win.

9. Tips on Winning Scholarships
Prioritize your applications by deadline and the expected value of the scholarship
Use a calendar and checklist to get organized
Create an accomplishments resume
Tailor your application to the sponsor’s goals
Read and follow the instructions
Make your application stand out from the crowd
Ask to be nominated
Practice on a copy of the application form
Expected value is the product of the chances of winning the scholarship with the amount you get if you win the scholarship. A less competitive scholarship with a lower top prize may have a higher expected value because your chances of winning are better.
The accomplishments resume can help you complete the scholarship application and improve your awareness of your strengths and interests. It can also help your teachers write better letters of recommendation.

10. Writing a Winning Scholarship Essay
Answer the essay question orally and transcribe the recording
Use an outline to organize your thoughts
Give examples and be specific
Personalize your essay and be passionate
Write about something of interest to you
Talk about your impact on other people
Proofread a printed copy of the essay for spelling and grammar errors
Most people can speak and think at a rate of 100 to 200 words per minute, but type or write at a rate of 35 to 60 words per minute. The act of writing interferes with the flow of thought. After you transcribe the recording, you can revise the essay to add structure through an outline of your thoughts. Such an essay will be more fluent and passionate, making it more interesting and lively.
You should proofread a printed copy of the essay because it will be easier to find errors when you are looking at the essay in a different format. Don’t rely too much on the spelling and grammar checkers that are built into the word processing software, as these programs miss a lot of errors, such as valid-word spelling errors (e.g., its vs. it’s, though vs. through, principal vs. principle).

11. Tips for Letters of Recommendation
Ask the teacher whether she can write you a great letter of recommendation
The recommendation should be relevant to the scholarship sponsor’s goal
Provide the recommender with a copy of your accomplishments resume
Thank the recommender for writing the letter
Be sure to thank the people who help you because you may want to ask them for more help later. It is very rare for students to say thank you, so by being polite you will stand out and make a good impression.

12. Acing the Scholarship Interview
Practice, practice, practice
Record a mock interview and review the recording afterward
Wear appropriate business attire
Visit the restroom before the interview
Brush your teeth and wear deodorant
Arrive 15 minutes early
Pay attention to the interviewer’s name
Be polite and send a thank you note afterward
This may sound like common sense, but common sense is not all that common.
If you don’t pay attention to the interviewer’s name, you will quickly forget it. This can lead to awkward situations later in the conversation. Asking how to spell the name can backfire if the interviewer has a common name, like S-M-I-T-H. Asking for a copy of the interviewer’s business card can help, especially since it gives you an address for sending a thank you letter. But respect the business card. Do not use it to pick your teeth or clean under your fingernails.

13. Telephone and Webcam Interviews
Conduct the interview in a quiet room
Do not use a speakerphone
Clean the lens on your webcam
Make sure there is nothing embarrassing within view of the webcam
Look at the webcam when you speak, not the video of the interviewer
The voice quality on a corded phone is much clearer than on a cordless phone, cell phone or Skype connection.
Try to place the webcam at the center of the video of the interviewer, so that you are always looking at the camera, instead of continually shifting your eyes to the side to look at the video. This can make you look distracted.

14. Other Scholarship Application Tips
Use a professional address, such as
Clean up the content of your Facebook account and other social media accounts, removing inappropriate and immature material
Google your name to see what shows up
Make a photocopy of your application before mailing it
Send the application by certified mail, return receipt requested or with delivery confirmation
If rejected, ask for the reviewer comments
Just as you would want to present a professional appearance in a face-to-face interview, you need to have a professional appearance online. It can make a difference between winning and losing a scholarship. When you are asking someone for money, try to make a good impression.
Scholarship sponsors are increasingly checking the online appearance of finalists to determine whether they demonstrate good judgment and will reflect well on the sponsor.

15. After You Win a Scholarship
Understand your college’s outside scholarship policy and seek adjustments to the cost of attendance or defer a scholarship if necessary
If your scholarship is renewable, review the requirements for retaining eligibility
Tell the scholarship sponsors when you win a major award or other recognition
Understand the taxability of your scholarships
Amounts for tuition, fees, books, supplies tax-free
Amounts for room and board, transportation and other living expenses are taxable
Keep receipts for books, supplies and equipment and ask the college for an adjustment to the cost of attendance if your total costs exceed the allowance within the student budget.
The tax-free status of a scholarship when used for tuition, required fees, books and supplies requires the student to be pursuing a degree.

16. Beware of Scholarship Scams
If you have to pay money to get money, it is probably a scam
Never invest more than a postage stamp to get information about scholarships or to apply for a scholarship
Nobody can guarantee that you’ll win a scholarship
Do not give out personal information like bank account numbers, credit card numbers or Social Security numbers
Unclaimed aid: The most common form of the unclaimed aid myth says that $6.6 billion went unclaimed last year. But this figure is based on estimates (not a tabulation) of employer tuition assistance, not scholarships, from a study by the National Institute of Work and Learning. The only scholarships that ever go unclaimed can’t be claimed. For example, the Zolp scholarship is available to students at Loyola University of Chicago who were born with a last name of Zolp. Most years they have one or two students who qualify. But some years they don’t. You can’t change your name to qualify, as the last name of Zolp must appear on your birth certificate and your christening certificate.
Most scholarship scams are focused on getting you to pay them money. But you should also be careful about identity theft. If a scam artist has your bank account number, they can remove money from your bank account without your signature through a demand draft.

17. Most Common Application Mistakes
Missing deadlines
Failing to proofread the application
Failing to follow directions (essay length, number of recommendations)
Omitting required information
Applying for an award when you don’t qualify
Failing to apply for an award for which you are eligible
Failing to tailor the application to the sponsor
Writing a boring essay

18. Top Ten Most Unusual Scholarships
Scholarship for Left-Handed Students
Duck Brand Duct Tape Stuck at Prom Contest
David Letterman Telecommunications Scholarship
Zolp Scholarships
Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship
Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year Award
National Marbles Tournament Scholarships
Klingon Language Institute Scholarship
National Beef Ambassador Program
Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship

19. Top Ten Most Prestigious Scholarships
Marshall Scholarships
Rhodes Scholarship
Winston Churchill Scholarship Program
Harry S. Truman Scholarships
Henry Luce Foundation Scholarship
Morris K. Udall Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships
Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest
National Merit Scholarship Corporation
Unfortunately, Congress may have cut funding for the Byrd Scholarships.

20. Top Ten Most Generous Scholarships
Intel Science Talent Search
Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology
NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program
Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student Competition
Davidson Fellows
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships
Collegiate Inventors Competition
Coca-Cola Scholars Program Scholarship
Gates Millennium Scholars
Also noteworthy: Jack Kent Cooke Foundation

21. Top Ten Scholarships for Age 13 and Under
National Spelling Bee
National Geography Bee
National History Day Contest
Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Christopher Columbus Community Service Awards
Dick Blick Linoleum Block Print Contest
Gloria Barron Prize for Your Heroes
Patriot’s Pen
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

22. Top Ten Scholarships for Community Service
Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
The Do Something Awards
Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship
Discover Card Tribute Award
Echoing Green Fellowship
The Heart of America Christopher Reeve Award
Kohl’s Kids Who Care Program
Samuel Huntington Public Service Award
National Caring Award
Youth Action Net

23. Top Ten Scholarships that Don’t Need an A
US Department of Education
AXA Achievement Scholarship Program
Horatio Alger Association Scholarships
Ayn Rand Institute
Girls Going Places Scholarship
Holocaust Remembrance Project Essay Contest
Americanism Essay Contest
AFSA National Scholarship Essay Contest
Red Vines Drawing Contest
Community Foundation Scholarships

24. Key Scholarship Resources