The Most Common Mistakes Students Make When Applying for a Scholarship

If you diligently browse through out scholarship page, then you should have all the scholarship application dates set on your calendar and know exactly which applications is most relevant to you. But hold on for just a minute, many students still make numerous errors when they fill in their applications, so read on and avoid these pitfalls that trap many students.

1. Procrastinating

We should not take for granted the amount of time that we have when applying for a scholarship. A lot of work goes into preparation.

A student’s best friend, procrastination is still sadly, much more common than you would think. So, since you have all the dates mapped out, you relax. You think to yourself, “I have loads of time before the deadline”. This continues for a couple of weeks until, one day you shoot up in horror and realize that you’ve missed the deadline. While half the task is preparing, the other half is actually filling out the application and sending it in. Don’t relax until you’ve completed the entire application.

2. Being Messy

Bear in mind that your documents and forms aren’t the only ones that are being reviewed by the person you send them to so, it would help a lot if your handwriting is neat

Some applications allow hand written submissions, which is fine, if your handwriting is neat. That horrible, mangled handwriting you used in school which resembled that of a doctor’s will not be appreciated in the eyes of someone reviewing a scholarship application. In fact, if they can’t read what you wrote, the application will probably not be considered. You can either practice your penmanship before filling it in, or just type it out to be on the safe side.

 3. Having a Generic Essay

However good you wrote your essay, it must meet the requirements in order to achieve the scholarship you desire

Quite a number of scholarships these days require a written essay that should be attached with your application. To save time, you write one essay, and use it for all your applications. No matter how good that essay may be, you should tailor your essay to meet the requirements or needs of the respective organisations. Each one will want something different, and as such, you should comply to stand out from the thousands of other applicants.

4. Not proof-reading your application

It is very important to check and review your application again once you are done. It may be more useful if somebody else can help check it out for you

You’ve diligently spent hours completing your application and filled everything out. Tiredly, you click on the ‘send’ button. Little did you know, but a few spaces were left blank. Not only that, but you’ve made numerous typos. The horror!  It always helps to have a second set of eyes look through an application. Maybe ask a close friend, your parents, anyone you trust, to go through it after you’re done. They may see something your tired eyes could not.

5. Not applying at all

You’ll never know what you will get if you don’t apply for it

Many assume they aren’t smart enough, or their grades aren’t good enough to obtain a scholarship, so, they just never apply. It’s become an increasingly common trend among students these days. The thing is, while grades are indeed important, that’s not all that reviewers look at when evaluating applicants. You just never know, and as long as you meet the minimum requirements, there is literally no harm in applying (Except perhaps for a papercut). You may lose the battle on a couple of applications, but by not applying, you’ve already lost the war.

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