Common Scholarship Application Mistakes Parents Make (and How to Avoid Them)
Helping your child with scholarship searches and applications can be difficult. Often parents don’t know where to look or what to look for. Their searches can cost them time, money and real opportunities. Avoiding the following mistakes will help you in your scholarship search.
Mistake #1: Assuming Scholarships Are Only for High School
Most parents believe that scholarship searches should begin Junior year of high school. This misconception can be hard to believe but there are opportunities available to middle school students. Although they are not scholarships, parents will find projects, contest-based, competitions or enrichment awards. The reason for this is because of federal privacy laws. Most online scholarship databases don’t list scholarships for kids under the age of 13.
Being proactive and applying early builds research skills and a portfolio of essays/activities that can be reused over time with other scholarship applications. It is good experience to do some in middle school. Start exploring now so you become aware of scholarship expectations. You will quickly learn the platforms and understand the deadlines.
Here are a few Scholarship platforms to look at for learning purposes:
Fastweb: https://www.fastweb.com
Scholarships.com: https://www.scholarships.com
College Board Scholarship Search: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search
Scholyhub: https://scholyhub.com
Mistake #2: Falling for Scams
Be on the look out for scammers in the Scholarship world. Unfortunately, some sites will ask you for information like a credit card number or your social security number to charge you a fee. You will NEVER be asked for these if the scholarship is legit. Scholarships do not cost money to apply. Stay away from scholarships that “guarantee” or are a “sweepstakes” entry.
Mistake #3: Poor Organization & Missing Deadlines
Parents and students can underestimate the amount of time scholarships can take. There are sometimes many pieces that are involved in an application such as letters of recommendation, transcripts, resumes, etc. Students can also be surprised by the number of deadlines they have in late high school, making applying for scholarships more difficult. Consider using a Scholarship Tracker or a shared calendar for reminders on due dates which also encourages early submissions.
Mistake #4: Generic Applications & Not Following Instructions
Because scholarship committees read thousands of entries, creating a scholarship application that stands out is a must. Be sure to follow formatting, word limits, or specific questions, or it may be rejected automatically. Reviewers use rubrics to make their decisions. If you have a missing requirement, you can receive a 0 in that category. They also want to see well written essays to show that time was spent writing it. A generic essay signals a lack of interest.
Parents, you can help by reading the scholarship directions out loud with your child so both of you can hear what is needed and the details for applying. Make checklists for each application to ensure all necessary documents are included. Lastly, write an essay that reflects the scholarship’s theme or mission. Be intentional.
Mistake #5: Ignoring Smaller or Local Awards
Always search local organizations, places of employment, etc for scholarship opportunities. Often these are forgotten scholarships and have a few applicants. Check with your school counselor for a list of local awards. Chasing large national awards may feel like a better option because they are bigger but that is not always proven to be true. Most awards can be stacked so where you get them from is not important to the college.
Your Next Steps in Scholarship Planning
Now that you are aware of what to watch for in the upcoming years in high school, start today by looking at available contests for middle school students. The Young Scholars Scholarships (NSHSS/Young Scholars) are a great place to start for 6th-8th grade students. You will have more success if you are organized, have a strategy, and vet your sources.