Do This Cheat Sheet Before Applying for a Scholarship

It seems like every college scholarship application asks the same questions, or at least variations on the same topics. Why do you deserve this honor? What obstacles have you overcome? What is your date of birth?

Remembering your birthday is easy enough, but when you sit down to fill out these questions and the stakes are high, it can be difficult to remember everything you want to convey, and harder to repeat it over and over again. Therefore, you should create a cheat sheet for applications to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

How to Create a Scholarship Cheat Sheet

Start by opening a new word document and making two lists: one of your best qualities/accomplishments, and another list of what you hope to achieve in the future. Then sort both lists into subcategories – if the first one indicates that you have overcome certain difficulties or volunteer a lot, turn them into subheadings. If the latter indicates that you want to get a degree in order to help others, that’s another subheading.

From there, jot down a few sentences about each feature on your revised lists. Devote a paragraph to a story about adversity you have overcome or work done that has helped you find your direction in life. If you write it all down before you start work, you will have more time to reflect and brainstorm. One idea will remind you of another. Write them all in paragraph form.

Above each paragraph, enter a line of words related to the content: VOLUNTEERING, COMMUNITY, PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE, etc. Think of these as tags that you can later use CTRL+F to find when you need to quote that particular passage in the application. .

What to include

Filling out multiple applications can be tedious. Luckily, that’s because they all tend to ask the same questions over and over again, and this is where your cheat sheet comes in handy. Pierce College and The Scholarship System has put together examples of what people who control wallets are usually looking for and with their advice. Keep in mind, here is a short list of what you should prepare in advance, as it is likely that every application will be looking for this:

• A paragraph about your upbringing that outlines the lessons you learned and key moments when you realized your passions and what you wanted to do with your life.
• Each paragraph describes any difficulties, struggles, or challenges you have overcome, detailing how you did it and what lessons you have learned for the future.
• A paragraph about what you want to do with your degree and how exactly the money will help you get there.
• A paragraph about how you failed or disappointed yourself or others, and what you learned from the experience.
• A separate paragraph about each contribution you’ve made to your community – whether it’s your city, your church, your neighborhood, your family, or whatever.
• A paragraph about how you demonstrated leadership qualities (or when you were a valuable team player).
• A paragraph for every hero, inspiration, or mentor you have, whether in school, your ideal career, or your personal life, and what they taught you that applies to your plan.
• A paragraph about your current financial situation and how it affects your plans for the future.

Some scholarship applications ask you to enter one paragraph at a time, and others require a fully formed essay, but a pre-written body of material will help you easily customize the final product to suit each committee or organization’s specifications. Also, you should create a cheat sheet in advance, but it should be a living document. Add to it every time you think of a new example or come across an unexpected question in the application.