8 Important Scholarship Application Tips!
- Stay Organized! Missing deadlines just by one day could affect your application from being reviewed.
- Give yourself plenty of time! Gathering everything you need takes time, and you don’t want your application to look sloppy or incomplete.
- Don’t Ignore Small Awards. Small scholarship awards can add up to a big amount! Plus, the larger the award, the more competition you will face.
- Think ahead! Getting letters of recommendations takes time, getting them early so you have them on hand won’t hurt. These recommendations should include your strengths and the ways you overcome your weaknesses.
- Write a GREAT Essay. Think carefully about the question being asked and use this opportunity to tell the selection committee things about you not shown elsewhere in the application. Get help with editing for grammar and spelling, but do your own writing–the committee wants to hear from you personally. Current EWU students can work with the EWU Writers’ Center on scholarship essays and other projects.
- Tell them ALL about you! Include things about yourself the application hasn’t already touched base with. This is your time to brag about all you’ve accomplished, awards, activities and talents.
- Try, Try Again! Keep trying even if you don’t win a scholarship right away. Save copies of every application you complete so you don’t have to start from scratch each time.
- NEVER pay for a scholarship search! Organizations which charge for the information, or charge a fee to apply for a scholarship, are likely a scam and should be avoided.
Find Private Scholarships!
Ask about scholarship opportunities any place where you have a connection such as clubs, societies, fraternal organizations, your places of worship, your/your parents employers and businesses big and small. Also, be sure you review and search the options on the Scholarship Information Websites list below.
Managing Your Private Scholarships!
- What happens? All private scholarships received by the student must be reported to EWU’s Financial Aid & Scholarship Office. Following state and Federal rules, it may be necessary to adjust your current financial aid award to account for receipt of these funds. If an adjustment is required, we will reduce student loans and/or work study first to ensure you retain the best financial aid package possible.
- When & Where are funds sent? Ask your donor to send your private scholarship funds at least one month prior to school (or the term) starting. This will ensure the funds will be available to you on the first day of classes. Private scholarship checks may be mailed to: EWU Financial Aid & Scholarship Office, 102 Sutton Hall, Cheney, WA, 99004. Be sure your donor indicates your name and EWU ID number or date of birth on the check.
- How do I get the funds? Your private scholarship awards, just like your other financial aid sources, will be evenly split over the school year giving you one third of the funds each term. If you meet all eligibility requirements, your funds are applied to your student account the week before classes start, and any funds left after your EWU bills are paid will be released to you (by direct deposit or mailed out check) on the first day of classes.