How to apply for a college scholarship

How will the scholarship committee view your application? With expectation! And hoping the best for you.

But . . .

After reading over 250 applications the last two years, the Woman of Wonder scholarship committee has advice for you to consider. So, BEFORE you start your scholarship application, please, read these recommendations.

Then, before you’re almost done, check them again.

Follow directions.

There should be three things attached to your scholarship application on theWashBoard.org for Woman of Wonder:

Two letters of recommendations
The first page of your FAFSA® – showing your EFC number

Everything else is noise, not necessary, and not helpful to the committee. It’s true, we do not need resumes, transcripts, or class schedules.

If there are more than three documents attached to your Woman of Wonder application, the committee has to wade through the pile of what they don't need to find what they do need. You don't want a haggard committee member ruffling through your application and getting frustrated, you want one who is enjoying the process, easily accessing what they need, and reading with great interest all about you.

So, the first thing we're judging you on is this: can you follow directions?

Before you start, be prepared.

Ask yourself, do I have two recommendations and the first page of my FAFSA? If the answer is yes, you are on the right track. If the answer is no, and you proceed anyway, your effort will not produce results. Your application ends and doesn’t make it to the committee. Really.

It’s good to read through the application first, gather the info you need and then proceed.

And we get it. While there is no way to predict how attending college will affect your choice of major and eventual career, we do want to understand what brought you here, what your career goal is today, and maybe what influenced you to choose that goal.

If you say, "I want to be in finance," we wonder, what does that mean? A banker, a stockbroker, a pay-day loan shark? If you say, "I want to attain my bachelor’s,” or “I want to have a career I love.” We think cool, but what does that mean? What comes next?

Be clear.

Shed clarity on your goal and name it in a way we can picture someone in that role. "I want to use my talent for numbers and communication skills to manage a credit union." If you’re uncertain, think about what you want, where you’d be most comfortable, and the role that would best use your skills. If you can’t figure it out, guaranteed, there is someone who knows you, who can tell you what you’d be good at. Ask someone you respect for advice, mull their advice over until you feel comfortable saying, “I want to be a (fill in the blank).”

Our preference is not a requirement, just a preference.

Woman of Wonder has a preference for single moms, women raised by a single parent, or women on their own with no support. If you fit into one of those categories, say it straightforward, "I live with my single mom and two sisters." Make sure you provide the true picture, "While my dad is part of our lives, I live with my mom and two sisters." Or, if you find yourself in this situation, "I live on my own, with no parental support," it's okay to let us know that, as well as, "I have a great family who cheers me on all the way."

Whatever your situation is, honesty is your best friend in this endeavor.

Be succinct.

Remember, we don't need your transcript, uploads of other scholarships you've earned, or a long essay. Articulate a picture of yourself that shows us who you are, where you plan to go (career), and what effect that might have on you and those around you.

Copy and pasting the same thing twice is not your friend.

TheWashBoard.org gives you three areas to tell us about yourself, your personal statement, your financial situation, and how going to college will help you get closer to your goals and dreams. Write something different for each area. If you feel like you want to copy and paste from your personal statement into the additional question space, that's not great. At least shorten it up and condense it so the committee is not reading the same thing twice. You can do it, just edit it a little.

Letters of recommendation.

If you are in school now, ask for letters of recommendation before the end of the school year. It will be an arduous task to track down a teacher and ask for a favor when your time under their tutelage has ended. They’re busy and thinking about next year’s students.

Ask when you’re still in front of them, and bug them to get it done. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just reflective of you as a student, an athlete, a community participant, a person pursuing a career in . . . whatever that is.

Who should write a letter of recommendation for you? Here's what we see, and all of these are okay:

Current or past teachers or coaches
Someone who knows you from your volunteer work
College professors
Current or past employers managers, supervisors, co-workers
Pastors, youth group leaders

The letters do not have to be addressed to Woman of Wonder, they can be a recommendation someone wrote for you to get accepted into a college or a recommendation to get a job.

But, letters of recommendation should be dated and signed, a PDF is best. And they should be current. Anything older than four or five years is not going to hold much weight with the scholarship committee.

Clean up your today.

Take a look at your social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Would you be embarrassed for the scholarship committee to do a Google search and see a scantily clad selfie before heading out to party, a liplock with your BFF? Or stumble upon your Twitter with expletives at the end of a wild rant?

Express who you are, but let your latest social media posts show us your best side.

It’s okay to ask.

If you’re uncertain, it is WAY okay to email us and ask a question about the application process: scholarships@womanofwonder.org

Before you hit “submit.”

Before you hit the submit button, read everything through. You probably made some edits and missed a random word here or there. Then read it again and check your spelling.

While we won’t knock you down for what is obviously an oversight, it’s just so much cleaner when the spelling is correct and the extra “the" words are gone.

Don't exaggerate.

You are enough.

What you've accomplished is enough. Be straightforward and honest. Your personality will shine through and we’ll see you.

Lastly?

Get it in before the deadline: March 30.