8 tips for optimizing your college scholarship search

College scholarships can be a great way to supplement your financial aid award package. With thousands of scholarships available, how do you know which ones to apply for so you make the most of your time and maximize your odds of securing opportunities? Consider these eight tips to help you get the most out of your scholarship search.

For those applying for undergrad scholarships, guidance counselors often have information about local and regional scholarships that you might not be aware of. When your guidance counselor knows you and your interests, they can help you focus on the right scholarships based on your unique situation. You can prepare yourself for these meetings by making a list ahead of time of topics you want to cover or questions you want to ask. A few might be:

• Where can I find scholarship opportunities?
• Are there any scholarships you think I qualify for?
• Will my financial aid be affected if I win scholarships?

Think about your accomplishments to date and make a list, as well as writing down some things that you’re passionate about. This will help you identify your strengths and prepare a better application, and also help you uncover scholarships you may have never even thought about. For example, ACES: The Society for Editing gives out a scholarship every year. If you’re passionate about writing and editing, this could be one that you should apply for.

Don’t forget to include any community service work you’ve completed. Any college essays for applications could also serve as a good resource.

While a guidance counselor may have some suggestions, much of your scholarship search will be up to you. Lucky for you, today there are many websites that allow you to instantly search vast databases of scholarships and filter them to find the best potential ones for your unique situation.

One tool to consider is the Scholarship Search tool from the Citizens college planning platform, College Raptor®. This free tool allows you to see scholarship options from different institutions, private businesses, and even federal and state governments. After you create a profile, the tool provides a list of scholarships you may be eligible for. This allows you to get a comprehensive list of the financial aid that’s available to you and will help eliminate the frustration by filtering out scholarships that aren’t a good fit.

Don’t waste your time with scholarships that have eligibility requirements you can’t deliver efficiently. You should thoroughly review the scholarship description and make an honest appraisal of whether you’re a good fit. If you’re not, that’s OK — it’s better to realize that now before spending your valuable time on an application. Instead, you can put your time to better use on an application that you have an actual shot of getting.

Scholarships that lack detailed descriptions attract a wide range of applicants. That lowers the odds of you standing out from the pack; therefore, it’s best to deprioritize these types of scholarships on your list.

Many scholarship deadlines are in March. In the preceding months, start your search by looking into scholarships offered by specialized categories, such as family heritage, lifestyle, interests, religion, and your anticipated college major. You can always expand your search later to scholarships with a wider range of applicants.

Scholarships are available in more places than you think. Ask your parents if their company awards scholarships, and check with local retailers, historical societies, libraries and banks. Did you know we even award them here at Citizens? At Citizens, you could enter to win our annual $15,000 scholarship towards school expenses.* No purchase necessary. You can learn more here.

There’s also a plethora of scholarships devoted to diverse students who make up 45% of the college population, and there are scholarships that are available to those who belong to low-income and underserved communities. Some organizations that give scholarships are the American Indian College Fund, Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholars Scholarship Program, La Unidad Latina Foundation, and more. Fun fact: When you enter the Citizens Scholarship Sweepstakes, we also have a $2,500 quarterly award for students who meet the required criteria for our Building the Workforce of the Future Scholarship Prize!

Getting your recommendations and transcripts in hand can take time. Plan accordingly by giving yourself substantial lead time to accomplish each task and think about ways to prioritize your tasks to be most efficient. For example, tackle applications in order of which deadline is coming up first, and then apply for all of the ones you don’t need transcripts or recommendations for. If you need to submit transcripts for multiple entries, request them all at the same time, so you only need to worry about getting them once. You can also prioritize them by which one is more important to you — whether it’s a scholarship in your field, or the one with the biggest payout.

Staying organized is easy, thanks to the digital world we live in. Take time to create folders on your desktop for scholarships you want to apply to, and ones you already have. You could also create a spreadsheet to track the scholarships you’re pursuing, where you stand in the application process, and deadlines. Think about how you can utilize your calendar as well — you can add important dates, color code, and set reminders to stay extra organized.

Before beginning any college scholarship application, make sure you can reasonably meet the deadline. If you can’t, once again you’ll only be wasting your time that could be better spent on other applications. It’s also worth noting that some scholarships are available more than once — so if you get a scholarship for your freshman year, check back in for your sophomore year too, since you may be eligible for it again.

Customize your scholarship applications as necessary to address sponsor-specific details. Research the background, history, and goals of the scholarship, as well as the organization presenting it. Then, direct your application toward satisfying those goals to increase your chances of being awarded the scholarship.

Present yourself in the best possible light — be confident, be yourself, and be honest. Maintain positive relationships with those who recommend, interview, or help you. Saying “thank you” can go a long way.

Some scholarships may require in-person interviews, so it’s important that you have a few pieces of professional clothing on-hand. You can never go wrong with a classic pair of trousers and a nice blazer — they never go out of style! If you do have an interview, it’s always important to send a “thank you” note afterward. Whether it’s via email or a handwritten note, that thoughtfulness goes a long way, and it’s a way to stand out from the others.

Also, use a professional-looking email address, such as firstname.lastname@XYZ.com. Search for your name on the internet to make sure there are no surprises in your professional online profile. Take a look at your social media profiles as well — is there anything on there that you wouldn’t want the scholarship committee to see? (Maybe that TikTok from last Halloween?) Anything inappropriate or immature should be deleted. You could also create a LinkedIn page and connect with your interviewer. Even if you don’t get the scholarship, it’s a great way to start building your professional network.

Make sure you review your applications multiple times. Don’t assume your computer’s spell checker caught all of the mistakes. The vast majority of mistakes are small errors that spell checkers don’t always pick up.

Have another person proofread your applications. That way you get a fresh set of eyes; that person might catch some things you missed. Make sure you take their criticism constructively and be ready to make edits based on their feedback.

Scholarships for college can provide a financial lift for students and their families. As a result, it’s critical that you use your time wisely when searching for scholarships and filling out your applications. Start early and stay organized! Find the ones that best suit you and give it your all! (Oh, and good luck! You’ve got this).

Citizens is here to help you navigate your student lending options for today and the future. Apply for one of our scholarships for a chance to win.*