Get & stay organized
It is OK to be overwhelmed when it comes to scholarships. Here are a few suggestions to help you along the way.
Take the time to search
- Schedule time for searching and applying through the school year and summer.
- Try and be consistent.
- For example, put a calendar reminder for 1 hour on the first Sunday of each month to search for scholarships. OR join a quarterly Scholarship Search Party! Attend a group session, where you can be in community as you look for opportunities. Get ideas on where and how to search from advisors and peers!
Keep track of scholarships
- Record and track scholarship opportunities that interest you. Past students suggest spreadsheets, online calendars and personal planners to keep yourself on track.
- Collect information about those scholarships most appropriate to you and your goals and for which you would like to apply. This may include web address, deadline date, required application materials, number of letters of recommendation needed, etc.
- Organize the information by the date you wish to begin the application. Typical application preparation times vary between three or more months (for the most competitive national scholarships) and four to six weeks. Remember: preparing a strong application will take no less than four weeks.
- Once you have a plan, you'll know which scholarship applications you need to work on at which points in the year. Also, you'll have time to gather supporting materials, like letters of recommendation or writing samples, etc.
- Though you may not be eligible for everything right now, be sure to note opportunities that you'll apply for in the future.
