You have a lot riding on your scholarship applications, so it’s best to make sure they are as close to perfect as they can be. You’ve done the digging, found some that fit you, and you’ve got everything together. But before you submit your scholarship application, it’s good to go through things one last time.
Check Your Details
This may seem like a no-brainer, but make sure your name, address, and prospective school are spelled correctly. Having the right information is crucial to receiving these awards. Weird things can happen to your brain when you’re filling out various forms and applications, so it’s best to cover your bases. This is also a good time to make sure that you’ve answered all the questions.
Don’t Spend Money
If a scholarship is asking you to pay them to apply, question it. You shouldn’t have to pay for the possibility of winning a scholarship. Also, there’s no way anyone can guarantee you an award. Any websites that say they can are likely scams, so run. There are plenty of other opportunities out there.
Refer to the Submission Guidelines of Your Scholarship Application
Have you completed everything the application asks for? Do you have all the parts required? You always want to make sure that you’re doing what you’ve been asked. It’s no fun to hit “Submit” only to realize that you forgot to attach your essay, or you need a referral, or whatever else the case may be.
Read Through Your Essay and Short Answers
Try to approach your writing as though you don’t know what it’s going to say. That will help you catch any silly mistakes: accidentally writing “of” instead of “if”, or “an” instead of “and”, punctuation errors, sentence fragments, and so on. Also, ask yourself the questions “Does this make sense? Is my point/argument clear?” You can always ask someone else to read through things as well.
Make Certain Everything is Up-to-Date
If you started the scholarship application earlier, double-check that all the info you’ve used is updated. Examples might include FAFSA and CSS information, updated GPA or transcripts, or scholastic awards/achievements. If you are reusing any application components, such as an essay, be sure that its content works for the particular award you are applying to.
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