By Daniel Mowerman
Usually, you have to work for money, but sometimes you don’t. College might be the last time in your life
where you can get rewarded just for being there, and every student should know that.
Unlike loans, scholarships usually don’t come with strings attached, and you don’t have to pay them back.
They’re free money to help pay for tuition, housing, books, or even everyday expenses. All it usually
takes is writing a few essays, and those essays can turn into thousands of dollars.
And yet, over $100 million in scholarship money goes unclaimed every year. To make things easier,
here’s a guide to finding and applying for scholarships the right way
I. Know Where To Maximize Your Money, and Make Your List
Do not rely on just one national scholarship search engine. It’s easy to see things like Niche’s “$10,000 no
essay” scholarship and just click through buttons. While applying for scholarships is easy, it’s not THAT
easy. Your best chance of winning scholarship money comes from places most people wouldn’t think
about checking.
Prioritize these sources, in this order:
Local Organizations
● Community and civic foundations
● Credit unions and local banks
● Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, and chambers of commerce
● Local nonprofits
Professional and Industry Groups
● Associations related to your major or career interests
○ Medical associations
○ Bar associations
○ Accounting and finance associations
● Trade groups and unions
○ Teachers’ unions
○ Nursing unions
National Databases
While still a good resource, these national databases have the worst odds for students compared to the
others. But they’re easy and many of them go unclaimed. If you filter aggressively, you can still get good
money out of them.
● College Board
● Fastweb
● Unigo
● Sallie Mae
II. Building Your Application
You don’t have to start from scratch on a scholarship application. Most scholarships use similar
prompts, just worded slightly differently. They also often require the same letters of recommendation,
which you SHOULD reuse. It’s helpful to use AI to see the common requirements between them, and see
what essays you must write.
Also know that your reader will read dozens of applications, and many students try to be creative without
tying their words back to the scholarship. It’s a better strategy to make the reader’s job easier than to artificially try to stand
out. Here’s a sample application:
Résumé
● Education first
● Leadership experience
● Work experience
● Community Service
● Hobbies
Letters of Rec
For this, I recommend getting two that you can use over and over. Most scholarships require one but a lot
of students lose out on money because they do not ask for them. Here are the two you should get:
● A professor you have a strong relationship with
● A boss/mentor from one of your strongest activities
Core Essay Responses
Most scholarship essays are asking some version of the same questions. Instead of writing each one from
scratch, it helps to prepare a few core responses that you can adapt. Again, AI can help you look for similarities among scholarships.
Just be sure not to use AI to write your essay. Use your own words and experiences. Readers can tell.
Common prompts include academic goals, career plans, financial need, leadership, and personal growth.
A good scholarship essay usually clearly does three things. It explains what you want to do, shows how
you have already taken steps toward it, and explains how the scholarship would help you continue.
III. Only Apply Where You Clearly Qualify
Do not waste time shooting applications. When they give the criteria, they truly mean it and will
automatically disqualify you if you don’t meet the prompt.
Good targets include:
● Scholarships tied directly to your major
● Ethnic/Religious funds
● Scholarships reserved for current college students (fewer applicants)
● Groups related to a parents work, or your past jobs
● Local Scholarships under $5,000 (less competition)
IV. Write to Be Understood, Not Impressive
Unlike college admissions essays, scholarship committees are not looking for creativity unless the prompt
specifically asks for it. They are looking for:
● Clear answers
● Instructions being followed
● Students who seem responsible and realistic
If a prompt asks why you deserve the scholarship, explain how you would use it and what it would
enable, not why you’re different unelss it asks for it
V. Track Applications
Use a spreadsheet to track applications, something like this template:
Final Suggestions
It may be hard to learn what to look for, there’s so many online that it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s
a waste of time. Here are a couple of examples in Georgia that you may see (Although, you’ll also want to
look in your hometown and elsewhere):
Nonprofit: Georgia United
Professional: Georgia Foundation for Agriculture
Professional: Risk Management Atlanta
Local Organization: Chamber of Commerce of Atlanta
What these three have in common is they are specific: not many other people are going to share the
requirements. Searching is the hardest part, but once you’ve finished searching, you’re mostly done.