Tips to Get Money for College 2: Create Experiences That Impress

Saturdays we share tips or cautions to facilitate getting scholarships or avoid problems

Sheldon lived a full life of service, athletics, leadership, and academics. He pursued these pursuits with his parent’s support. They attended our scholarship workshop because his older brother was in high school while Sheldon was in 8th grade. He began recording specifics about his activities. As a result, he had an abundance of material to write home run statements. His information was accurate because he recorded it at the time of the activity.

Get Involved in Activities Early in Life

Involvement and participation remain a key to powerful scholarship applications. Start early getting involved and recording your results. People ask me when to start applying for scholarships. You should start applying in the 10th grade. You should start doing things that will qualify you for scholarships as early as 5 years old.

Scholarship search engines will ask you about your activities. They provide lists of possible athletic pursuits, academic achievements, club and society memberships, ethnic backgrounds, and more. These lists provide suggestions of activities you may pursue. For example:

• Join clubs and societies listed on the search engines
• Participate in team or individual sporting activities
• Seek leadership opportunities in church, school, and community organizations
• Engage in math and writing contests, science projects, and other academic competitions
• Provide short-term service projects and long-term service opportunities
• Join school choirs, dance or drill teams, orchestras, or marching bands
• Pursue little entrepreneurial ventures like lemonade stands, babysitting, or lawn care

Follow your passion for each activity. Look beyond the possible scholarship or financial aid you may receive. Participate because you truly enjoy doing what they offer. You cannot sustain activities that do not excite you.

Record the Details About Your Activities

Your home run statements require details to impress scholarship committees. Start keeping a journal that includes the detailed information. For example,

• Numbers of members you led
• Dollars raised, earned, donated, or given
• Hours, days, or weeks spent on activities 
• Number of teams, contestants, or beneficiaries
• Kits, quilts, or programs produced

Tuesday we we will review the scholarship search engine www.SchoolSoup.com