Provided by: SuperCollege.com

Crafting a winning scholarship application requires a strategic approach. Scholarships are awards by organizations with a specific goal in mind. Perhaps they want to encourage study in a certain field or encourage participation in a particular hobby. This means that for each scholarship you apply for you need to present yourself as the perfect applicant for the award by displaying how you meet the criteria. In each application you may in fact present different aspects of you.

For a sports scholarship you may focus on your abilities on the court and get your coach to write your recommendations. For a science award you might focus on your winning science project on earthworms and submit your results.

Whatever the scholarship, the key is to determine what values and qualities the scholarship committee is looking for in the winner and construct every facet of your application (essay, recommendations, interview, etc.) to demonstrate how you meet these objectives.

Here’s how:

Give Them What They Want To Hear

Politicians are notorious for telling their constituents what they want to hear. Good politicians never lie, but they do put a flattering spin on their speeches depending on who they’re addressing. We are not suggesting that you lie on your applications-—NEVER lie-—but we are recommending that you present yourself in the best possible way to appeal to your audience. In short, never lie on an application, but do employ a little spin.

To be able to spin effectively you need to know your audience. To determine who your audience is, ask the following questions:

• What is the mission of the organization giving the scholarship?
• Who is reading your application?
• Who is your competition?

Go For The Gusto - Quickly

In movies, the most daredevil-ish car chase, the most harrowing showdown between good and evil, and the most poignant romantic revelations are usually saved until the end. While this works for Hollywood, it does not for scholarship applications. Since selection committees pore through so many applications and often the space on the form is limited, you need to feature your most impressive points first.

If you have listed four extracurricular activities, assume that some judges won’t even read beyond the first two. This doesn’t mean that all judges will be this lazy, but there are always some who are. Therefore, it’s extremely important for you to prioritize the information that you present, and rank your accomplishments according to the following:

Fit with scholarship organization’s goal. The most important factor in prioritizing your achievements is how they fit with the goal of the scholarship.

Scope. Prioritize your accomplishments by their scope, or how much of an impact they have made.

Uniqueness. Since your application will be compared to that of perhaps thousands of others, include accomplishments that are uncommon.

Recen...