Best chances of getting a scholarship: In the last 30 years it has been reported that tuition fee of higher institutions of learning has increased by 1120%.
With this increasing cost of study, it may become more difficult and inability for students to pay their school fees and order expenses out of their pockets.
No doubt the inability to pay this fee usually affects the education of some students, especially the ones that do not have access to financial aid.
This is where college scholarships come in, a way for students to sort out financial problems without necessarily being in debt.
In this report, we will look into how students can go with planning research and careful preparation that would help them get scholarships to pay part, if not all of their education expenses.
Best chances of getting a scholarship
1. Search online for scholarships
One of the necessities is to begin by searching and looking out for scholarships that are designed for your grade in school. By this, it is meant that scholarships are designed for diverse levels of education.
The best place to look out for in Nigeria is the Federal Scholarship Board, a department of the Ministry of Education. Indeed, there are government scholarships both at the state and local government levels. What you may need to do is only to search and make inquiries about them.
Strategically searching for scholarships is a method that is important to find opportunities by category and other keywords.
- Are you currently a student at a college? your school websites can be helpful as a guide to link you to scholarship opportunities.
- Search for scholarships that are designed to run throughout students’ stay in schools in your institution.
- Scholarship-specific search engines are created to help students find scholarship opportunities. Students can use fastweb, and scholarships.com among many others.
- Agents can also be approached for information regarding scholarships.
2. Ask about Scholarships from your Teachers and Tutors.
Your teachers and counselors have unimaginable information about scholarships that you may not know. They may have the ability to get under a few scholarship opportunities that you have not been aware of.
When you come across different scholarship options, be confident to inform your teachers or tutors to provide guidance that will be helpful in the scholarship application process.
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Do not forget your background
Ethnic and racial backgrounds of students are also important considerations in giving scholarships by some scholarship bodies.
It may even interest you to know that some scholarships are designed for students whose parents and guidance are of a military background.
Also, they are scholarships designed for students with parents and paternal and fraternal societies.
It is important that you check and critically think about your background and then look out for unique scholarship opportunities that you are qualified for.
- Find out the scholarship information to check whether you qualify for the background requirements.
- Take into consideration checking the websites of religious organizations like churches and mosque community organizations, as well as local and indigenous businesses. Because many of these organizations offer scholarship opportunities to students.
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Monitor the deadlines
There is always firmness in the deadlines of scholarships. What this means is that scholarship applications do not condone late application or submission.
You up to keep track of the application deadlines This can be done through do you say door spreadsheets and personal calendars. As such you will not miss an important deadline.
- When application deadlines are set, it is important to send applications for such scholarship opportunities a week before the deadline. This is to give the assurance that the application reaches the scholarship board on time.
Best chances of getting a scholarship
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Be cautious to avoid being scammed.
Of course, there are legitimate scholarship opportunities that can be applied for by students. Some people are bent on extorting students for money and stealing their personal information.
These tips can help you search for scholarships in a smart way:
- Avoid paying for scholarship information. This information is always readily available and provided free of charge when you seek it. Students should be cautious of services that “guarantee” financial aid or “promise” scholarships. When certain information such as your credit card number is required. You may be dealing with a scam.
- Application fees? Be careful of application fees. Prominently, many scholarships are set out to help students. Thus making scholarships that require application or processing fees fraudulent in nature.
- Seeing notifications about winning a scholarship that a student has not contested for is also fraudulent and too good to be true. As such, students should be careful of “winning” contests. Cases like this often require students to pay money in order to claim a particular scholarship. Be careful.
Best chances of getting a scholarship
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Gather important documents
Submission of bio-data academic records, financial information, and other important details about students are regular requirements in scholarship opportunity applications.
Getting these documents in advance before application is important.
- Suffice it to say students must be prepared and gather these documents readily when applying for scholarships.
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Outline your extracurricular activities in a resume
Extracurricular activities that students participate in while in college must be well laid down in a resume.
These activities are to include community and volunteer activities school activities and work experiences.
- Get your resume typed on a computer.
- Be abreast that universities and colleges use the option of online applications for scholarships. This implies that having an electronic format of your resume is important.
- The details specified in the resume must be pretty specific. The names of organizations that you have worked with during the period of the work or volunteered, for the positions held, and inclusively tasks that have been completed during that period must all be well specified in the resume.
- Students who have received opportunities from former scholarships can include such. Also, students with special skills should also specify.
- In order to have the best guide to resume writing, it is advisable to check the sample of resumes online.
Best chances of getting a scholarship
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Fill out a practice copy of the application form
This practice is quite smart in nature. It is important to fill out a dummy copy of the application form before the official version. This is to ensure that mistakes are avoided during the application process.
- In case the application form is only accessible online, making a photocopy of the form is advisable.
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Get your information typewritten on the form
For eligibility, it is quite better to type information on the form. This practice is easy for scholarship forms that are available online in PDFs.
This does not rule out scholarship forms that are available for students in hard copy.
- In case you do not have access to a typewriter to fill out a hard copy scholarship form, handwriting on the form is applicable.
- Write neatly in blue or black ink.
- In case you are not confident in your handwriting, ask someone with better handwriting to help you out.
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Follow the instructions.
Clearly follow instructions laid down by scholarship boards. Instructions such as giving answers to particular questions, the number of words required, and formats to submit your essay should be clearly followed.
- Do well to make sure that instructions have been followed by confirming them after writing.
- This would help you confirm that no stone is left unturned.
Best chances of getting a scholarship 
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Write something original
In attempting to write College scholarship essays, students must ensure to input passion and personal voice to make the essays look original. These qualities make the essay stand out to the scholarship committee.
- There are several lucrative ways to start an essay. Use them and make the scholarship board intrigued by your skills and creativity.
- It is germane to keep writing personally as the scholarship board is interested in knowing the students and not the modern society.
- It is also important not to use statements that have little meaning. Incorporate how you have impacted on the society.
- Ensure you paint a picture of your contribution by the use of descriptive phrases.
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Get help to edit your essay
Upon completion of your essay writing, seek the help of someone to read and give you feedback.
Getting a second eye on your work helps figure out mistakes and establishes how well your points have been made and understood.
You would get to know what you need to improve on and what works well.
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Put your referee in the picture
In cases of scholarship applications that require the usage of referees, it is pertinent to make letter writing process as easy as possible for the referees.
Supply all necessary information that is relevant to the referees. This will help them draft a backup letter to your scholarship application.
- In some cases, scholarships require the referee to mail the reference letter other than the hard copy. It is impolite to request your referees to carry the financial burden of sending the letters.
- As the application deadline draws nearer send a reminder to your referee to ensure that your reference letter is written and submitted to the scholarship board.
- Without taking cognizance of winning or losing a scholarship, it is pertinent to show appreciation to your referees through a handwritten note. This is to appreciate their time and hope that they are there for you next time.
Best chances of getting a scholarship
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Proofread your application
There’s no need to rush to submit a scholarship application. Take your time and read them, if possible invite another person to help you check your information before it is submitted.
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Have a record of the application
It is smart for students to ensure that they have copies of the information provided for the scholarship application. This may become quite useful for scholarships that require interviews.
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Apply early
Make sure your application for the scholarship is sent as early as possible. Students do not necessarily need to wait for the deadline before applications are submitted.
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More Tips for best chances of getting a scholarship
- Your online presence may be checked by some scholarship boards to complement the information you have submitted during the scholarship application. This points to the need for students to take out pictures they don’t want scholarship organizations to see online. You can try this by searching for your name and see what comes up.
- Stay active if you are going for a scholarship that requires particular skills.
- Avoid paying for services that help search for scholarship opportunities. This is because these services are freely available for your perusal.