Winning college scholarships is not just about having a good G.P.A. and being the student body president. The key to winning scholarships is to do what most of the other applicants are NOT doing. Average students can win scholarships and all it takes is a few tips to get you started.
The first scholarship winning tip that any student should follow is to not limit your scholarship searching to the internet. There are a TON of sources out there where will you find thousands of scholarships and many of them will never be found online. This means that most students will never apply for them and your chances of winning are greater. Don't do what everyone else is doing and you will improve your chances of winning right from the start!
Should you apply for big or little scholarships? The next tip for winning scholarships is to apply for every scholarship that you qualify for. Don't just apply for the big ones. The little ones (for example, $500) do add up if you win several of them! Apply for big and little scholarships and do not let the amount to be won become the deciding factor.
Don't be afraid to apply for need-based scholarships. Need-based scholarships are those that look at your income (or your parents) as one part of the process to decide if you deserve to win the scholarship. Some need-based scholarships consider anyone with an income level below $100,000 to be needy! Don't skip over need-based scholarships just because you think your parents make too much money! You never know what income levels they consider "too much" to be qualified to apply for their scholarship. If you can't find the income requirements in the application instructions, go ahead and apply.
Hype up any and all community service hours you have performed in the last four years. Scholarship judges love to award money to students that have shown the desire to help others. Even fun volunteer hours like coaching a smaller sibling's tee ball team will impress the judges and give you many ideas when it comes to writing the popular essay: How have you contributed to society? You can write about how fun it was to share your gifts with younger kids and how it made you feel. Don't have any community service hours? Start NOW. You'll be amazed at how many you can rack up in just a few short months.
I know I said five, but I have to admit that the best tip on how to win free money for college is to learn the method that makes your scholarship applications stand out and get noticed by the judges. The method I developed helped my own son win over $20,000 in private scholarships. I had judges personally tell me that his application package was impressive that they knew right away he was going to get picked for their award.
Christine Reidhead the writer of Tips To Starting College Book, where you can find out the secret of success in college.