A Parent’s Guide to Preparing Your Child for Future Scholarship Opportunities
Date:
Thursday, December 11, 2025
It may feel too far away for middle school students to apply or consider the process of applying for scholarships, but early preparation will pay off. Laying the foundational work now helps students be more ready to apply in high school.
Establish a Strong Academic Foundation
- Emphasize to your child the importance of working hard in all classes. Some students view middle school as “practice” but having good habits, organization, and attendance will play a key role in building a trajectory for their future.
- Choose classes that are challenging, which will lead to high school placements in honors classes.
- Focus on growth and improvement, not just grades. Ask your child to keep a journal that records highlights of projects, challenges they overcame, and activities.
Develop Key Skills Beyond Grades
- Many scholarships require an essay. Build good writing practices through periodic short reflections.
- Scholarship committees are looking for leaders and ownership of an activity, project, or club. Support your child in creating a new activity or taking on a role within one.
- Model good time management to assist your child in balancing school and activities. Discussing the importance of taking responsibility for their learning will solidify habits that carry through high school, especially during application periods when planning is important.
Encourage Meaningful Extracurricular Engagement
- Students should focus on meaningful activities that they can see themselves participating in for years to come which creates a strong scholarship portfolio. They shouldn’t feel like more is better.
- Ask your child questions like “Why are you involved in this?” and “What are you learning?”
- Focus on connecting their contributions of service and leadership to personal growth, which shows passion.
- Track activities in a spreadsheet or journal, documenting hours, activity, challenges, etc.
Cultivate a “Scholarship-Ready” Mindset
- Have a discussion with your child about scholarship applications and processes. Explain the differences each may have, which may include writing an essay, interviewing, or submitting a portfolio. Emphasize the importance of meeting deadlines and working independently on these tasks.
- Scholarships want to hear about effort and growth in the essays. Students should be able to answer questions such as “What did I learn?” and “What would I do differently?”
- Explain to students a “no” to a scholarship is a minor setback. There are plenty more scholarships to apply to.
- Encourage curiosity. Middle school is prime time for exploring different subjects and interests.
Final Thoughts
In middle school, we are not on a scholarship hunt but rather building the foundation to make students more competitive in the future. Stay engaged with your child and support them throughout the process. Here is a checklist to help guide you through the middle school years as they prepare to apply for future scholarships. The sooner you start the preparations, the stronger your child’s position will be when it’s time to apply.