EXCITING NEWS! The 2026 versions of the How to Win College Scholarships ebooks are now available!
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3 Super Smart College Scholarship Strategies
These SMART college scholarship strategies will help keep applications out of the reject piles!
Rather, they have written a memorable essay, carefully followed all application directions, and applied for as many scholarships as they could in the years leading up to college and while in college.
Successful scholarship winners focus their attention on the following three actions that students looking to win money for college cannot ignore.
1. Make an impact with the scholarship essay – The essay is the heart of the scholarship application, allowing the judges to get to know students on a deeper level. To write a successful scholarship essay, students need to fully understand the question and answer it completely without exceeding the required word count.
A fun test to see if the question is answered and understood is for students to have a trusted adult read the essay without knowing the essay prompt or question. If they can tell the student what was being asked, the question has been successfully answered.
Students need to avoid starting their essay response by repeating the question or the standard, “I need this scholarship money because…”
Instead, starting the essay with a “hook” or something that draws the reader in and entices them to want to read the entire essay is a much better way of becoming memorable to the judges and advancing to the next level of the scholarship competition.
3 Super Smart College Scholarship Strategies Share on X
2. Follow ALL application directions – Most scholarship application guidelines are very detailed about what students are supposed to include in the packet, and some even request the paperwork to be arranged in a specific order. Some allow extra materials (scholarship resumes, award certificates, etc.), and others are very clear about exactly what can be sent or uploaded. Students need to print off a copy of the scholarship guidelines and check off each required item as they arrange the materials for submission.
Paperwork that is forgotten or omitted usually results in immediate disqualification of the whole scholarship application.
Following directions sounds like a small task, but scholarship judges repeatedly see applications of students who do not bother to read the guidelines and do what is asked of them.
Scholarship winners are meticulous about following all scholarship directions perfectly and double-check that all required materials are included before sealing and mailing their application packets.
3. Start early to find and win more scholarships – When college acceptance letters start being received by students in the late winter or early spring of their senior year of high school, there is a desperate rush to apply for scholarships. Unfortunately, many deadlines have already passed, as scholarships are available for students to apply for year-round, not just in the spring. In addition, there are scholarships for students at all levels, not just high school seniors.
Learning how to find and apply for college scholarships early (middle school is a great time to start, but early high school is good too) allows for more scholarships to be found, more to be applied for, and a greater chance of winning money to help pay for college. Also, scholarship applying should not end when college starts, as there are plenty of awards available to students while they are in college.
Parents can play a huge role in the scholarship process by partnering with their students, supporting them, and encouraging them at every step.
Students need to learn how to apply SMART.
This is what is taught in the How to Win College Scholarships ebooks for parents and their students.
What are parents saying about the ebooks?
Open to High School Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors! APPLY NOW HERE
“Priceless!!! Monica’s tips helped our family substantially. My oldest daughter will graduate this spring without a single penny paid out of our pockets or hers. She even has over $26K in excess funding. My youngest daughter has earned enough to cover her bachelor’s and has earned over an additional $11K which she will put towards her master’s degree. The majority of scholarships my daughters earned were not sizable. Most came in $500 and $1000 awards. The smaller scholarships really add up. Your students need a handful of solid essays to recycle, and you should partner with them to apply relentlessly to every scholarship they qualify for. Thank you, Monica Matthews, for sharing your wisdom and guidance.” P.S., Texas
Monica Matthews is the author of How to Win College Scholarships. She helped her own son win over $100,000 in college scholarships and now shares her expertise with other parents and their students. She truly has “been there, done that” in regard to helping parents and students navigate the scholarship process.
Her method of helping students in finding college scholarships, writing unique and compelling scholarship essays, creating amazing scholarship application packets, and more have taught desperate parents to help their own students win thousands of scholarship dollars. She teaches them how to apply S.M.A.R.T. with outstanding results.
Monica’s scholarship tips have been featured on many prominent websites, and she has been dubbed the “Go-To” expert on college scholarships.
Neat post ! Very helpful , certainly a good guide for many . School time , all has changed so much. School hours are nowadays equal to a full time job . A lot lot asked from kids and students . Tough !
Thanks, Klaudia!
Great tips and I agree that starting EARLY is critical to provide the best possible chance of getting the most financial assistance possible!
Thank you, Faye! The earlier the better in the college scholarship process. 🙂