Get Free Cash for College: Secrets to Winning Scholarships

By Gen Tanabe and Kelly Tanabe

The secrets, tips, and strategies used by actual students to win millions of dollars in financial aid and scholarships are revealed in this completely revised guide for parents and high school, college, and graduate students. Every step of the scholarship process is examined, with advice on finding the right scholarships, crafting applications, writing exceptional essays, and asking the college for a financial aid reassessment. Profiles of scholarship judges give potential applicants insight into the scholarship selection process and the qualities that judges seek in selecting the winners. A fully updated scholarship directory contains the top 150 scholarships that anyone can win with awards worth more than $100 million; examples of winning scholarship applications, essays, and interview questions and answers are also included.

• Language: English
• Publisher: SuperCollege
• Release date: Jul 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781617600586

Gen Tanabe

<b>Gen Tanabe</b> won more than $100,000 in scholarships to graduate from Harvard debt-free. He is the award-winning co-author of 14 books including The Ultimate Scholarship Book, How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay and 1001 Ways to Pay for College and has been an expert source for publications including The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report and USA Today.

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Reviews of Get Free Cash for College

Upbeat, well-organized and engaging, this comprehensive tool is an exceptional investment for the college-bound.

—Publishers Weekly

Getting into college is only half of the game. How to pay for it offers the second big challenge. Whether they qualify for financial need or are just looking for ways to help their parents with this heavy burden, all students will profit from this highly detailed book. Take these important tips from two experienced writers who are nationally recognized for their expertise on all facets of the college application process. Both members of this impressive husband and wife team paid for their Harvard educations by following the precepts which they share with you now in this easy-to-read guidebook.

—David Miller, Director of College Counseling, Stevenson School

This book gives a down to earth, step-by-step method of finding, applying for and winning scholarships. The scholarship list has many lesser-known opportunities for students to showcase their talents for financial reward, even if they are not low income.

—Lynda McGee, College Counselor, Downtown Magnets High School

"We recommend Get Free Cash for College."

—Cosmo Girl

A present for anxious parents.

—Mary Kaye Ritz, The Honolulu Advertiser

Helpful, well-organized guide, with copies of actual letters and essays and practical tips. A good resource for all students.

—KLIATT

Upbeat tone and clear, practical advice.

—Book News

Students applying for college can tap into thousands of scholarships.

—San Mateo County Times

Unlike other authors, the Tanabes use their experiences and those of other students to guide high school and college students and their parents through the scholarship and financial aid process.

—Palo Alto Daily News

The Tanabes’ book is by far the best about winning scholarships. Most other books simply list available scholarships, but this book takes you step-by-step through the entire process. Not only will their book help you find scholarships that you qualify for, they will show you how to write essays that will win them. Their book helped me win a scholarship with more than 1,300 other entries. The Tanabes can help you win a scholarship, too!

—Doug Wong, University of California San Diego graduate

Praise for authors Gen and Kelly Tanabe

What's even better than all the top-notch tips is that the book is written in a cool, conversational way.

—College Bound Magazine

A ‘must’ for any prospective college student.

—Midwest Book Review

Invaluable information ranging from the elimination of admission myths to successfully tapping into scholarship funds.

—Leonard Banks, The Journal Press

The Tanabes literally wrote the book on the topic.

—Bull & Bear Financial Report

Offers advice on writing a good entrance essay, taking exams and applying for scholarships and other information on the college experience—start to finish.

—Town & Country Magazine

The Tanabes, experts on the application process, can discuss such topics as how to get into the college of your choice, ways to finance your college education, applying online and what universities are looking for in a student.

—Asbury Park Press

The first book to feature the strategies and stories of real students.

—New Jersey Spectator Leader

GET FREE CASH FOR COLLEGE

Ninth Edition

A comprehensive scholarship strategy guide

Step-by-step instructions on how to find, apply for and win scholarships

Learn from the successes and failures of real students

150 scholarships anyone can win

Gen and Kelly Tanabe

Winners of over $100,000 in scholarships and authors of The Ultimate Scholarship Book and How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay

Get Free Cash for College

By Gen and Kelly Tanabe

Published by SuperCollege, LLC

2713 Newlands Avenue

Belmont, CA 94002

650-618-2221

www.supercollege.com

Copyright © 2014 by SuperCollege, LLC

Previous editions © 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of SuperCollege LLC. This book is protected under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

Credits: Illustrations by Terry Smith (www.t-smith.org). Cover: TLC Graphics, www.TLCGraphics.com. Design: Monica Thomas. Cover photograph: © iStockphoto.com/Justin Bass. Back cover photograph by Alvin Gee (www.alvingee.com). All essays in this book are used by permission of their authors.

Scholarship Data: The scholarship data in this book is copyrighted by SuperCollege LLC. © 2014. All rights reserved.

Trademarks: All brand names, product names and services used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks or tradenames of their respective holders. SuperCollege is not associated with any college, university, product, service or vendor.

Disclaimers: The authors and publisher have used their best efforts in preparing this book. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subject matter. Some narratives and names have been modified for illustrative purposes. SuperCollege and the authors make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of the book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. There are no warranties which extend beyond the descriptions contained in this paragraph. The accuracy and completeness of the information provided herein and the opinions stated herein are not guaranteed or warranted to produce any particular results. It is sold with the understanding that neither the publisher nor the authors are engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. SuperCollege and the authors specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

ISBN-13: 978-1-61760-040-1

Manufactured in the United States of America

10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Tanabe, Gen S.

 Get free cash for college : secrets to winning scholarships / Gen and Kelly Tanabe. -- Ninth edition.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-61760-040-1 (paperback)

1. Scholarships--United States--Directories. I. Tanabe, Kelly Y. II. Title.

LB2338.T36 2014

378.3’4092--dc23

2014014748

Contents at a Glance

1 How to Get Free Cash for College

2 Find the Best Scholarships You Can Win

3 Avoid Scholarship Scams

4 Get Organized and Maximize Your Time

5 The Packaging of You and Your Personal Theme

6 Scholarship Judge Q&A

7 Create Stunning Scholarship Applications

8 The Scholarship Resume

9 Get the Right Recommendations

10 Secrets to Writing Winning Essays

11 Ace the Interviews

12 Strategies for Specific Scholarships

13 Guaranteed Scholarships

14 Unleash the Power of the Internet

15 Financial Aid Workshop

16 Free Cash for Graduate School

17 How to Keep the Money You Win

Appendix Winning Scholarship Essays and Applications

Directory 150 Scholarships (Almost) Anyone Can Win

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. How to Get Free Cash for College

Scholarships are not just for superstars

Why most scholarship books and websites can be so frustrating

The mind-boggling cost of a good education

Seven scholarship myths busted

Advice from a scholarship judge: How we choose our scholarship winners

What about Federal financial aid?

The big disadvantage of Federal financial aid

Scholarships: The real financial aid jackpots

Scholarship competitions are not lotteries

Chapter 2. Find the Best Scholarships You Can Win

Where to find the best scholarships

Fantastic backyard scholarships

Searching beyond your backyard

Story from real life: Smaller is sometimes better

Truly outrageous scholarships

I have my big list of scholarships. Now what?

How to choose scholarships you can win

The magic number of scholarships

Don't look for scholarships alone

Chapter 3. Avoid Scholarship Scams

Scholarships that steal

How to spot a scholarship scam

Red flags that indicate a scam

Story from real life: I lost $500 from a scholarship scam

Chapter 4. Get Organized and Maximize Your Time

Saving time and effort with scholarships

Prioritize the scholarships

Schedule scholarships

Have a monthly check-in

Create a library of reusable materials

Take advantage of your classes

Think early about recommenders

Make a checklist for each application

Chapter 5: The Packaging of You and Your Personal Theme

Marketing yourself

Learn why they're giving away the money

Learn what they're basing their decision on

Finding your theme and what to do/not to do

Chapter 6: Scholarship Judge Q&A

A roundtable with the scholarship judges

A national scholarship management organization

An art and writing competition

A music competition

An essay-based competition

A college that awards merit-based scholarships

A scholarship that values overcoming adversity

Chapter 7. Create Stunning Scholarship Applications

Scholarship applications: Your entry ticket

Create your plan of attack

General rules for completing the application

Story from real life: How my support of legalizing marijuana cost me

The five steps to crafting a winning application

Step 1: Use a little spin to wow your audience

Step 2: Stand out from the competition

Step 3: List important accomplishments first

Step 4: Write to impress

Step 5: Make sure the application fits

Story from real life: My midnight scholarship application

Top 10 application do's and don'ts

Finishing touches

Chapter 8. The Scholarship Resume

Scholarship resumes: One-page autobiographies

Example resume

Chapter 9. Get the Right Recommendations

Getting the praise of others

Finding people to say nice things about you

Give your recommender the chance to say no

Don't play the name game

Do the grunt work for your recommenders

Give your recommenders a script

Tie a string around your recommenders’ fingers

The You can't spell success without U mug

Story from real life: Follow up or fall down

Chapter 10. Secrets to Writing Winning Essays

The scholarship essay: Your ticket to the finals

Six steps to writing a winning scholarship essay

Step 1: Find the right topic and approach

Step 2: Ensure that your topic and approach are original

Step 3: It's time to start writing

Step 4: Perfect your introduction and conclusion

Step 5: Find essay editors

Step 6: Recycle your essays

Story from real life: How I beat writer's block

Seven sins of the scholarship essay

Putting what you learned into practice

Story from real life: Essays in no time mean no money

Chapter 11. Ace the Interviews

The face-to-face encounter

Why human interaction is needed

Interviewers are real people too

Interview homework

Use your detective work to create an advantage

You are not the center of the universe

Story from real life: The only thing in life that matters is calculus

Look and sound the part

The practice interview

Story from real life: Don't hate me because I'm beautiful and faultless

Answers to the most common interview questions

Questions for the questioner

Use time to your advantage

The long-distance interview

The group interview

The disaster interview

The post-interview

For more help

Chapter 12. Strategies for Specific Scholarships

College cash from your hobbies and pastimes

Awards based on your current or future major

Scholarships for your future career

Awards that recognize leadership

Athletic scholarships

Athletic organization awards

Scholarships for public service

Awards based on ethnic background

Story from real life: My hobbies paid for college

Religious scholarships

Awards for hobbies

Scholarships from your parents’ employers

Need-based scholarships

Recurring themes

Chapter 13. Guaranteed Scholarships

Do guaranteed scholarships really exist?

National Merit scholarships

GPA and exam-based scholarships

Transfer student awards

State entitlement awards

In-state tuition for out-of-state students

All it takes to win is to apply

Chapter 14. Unleash the Power of the Internet

Opening the scholarship vault with the Internet

Using the Internet to find scholarships

Zap! Applying for scholarships online

Our favorite free scholarship websites

How to be an Internet private eye

Be cautious of scams

Chapter 15. Financial Aid Workshop

Getting the most financial aid you deserve

The financial aid cornucopia

Five steps to getting financial aid

Step 1: Fill out the FAFSA

Step 2: Review your Student Aid Report

Step 3: Make the college aware of special circumstances

Step 4: Compare award letters

Step 5: If you need it, ask for a re-evaluation

Story from real life: I assumed I wouldn't get aid, but I was wrong

A re-evaluation success story

Exchanging one kind of money for another

Declaring independence

Strategies that can help you get more financial aid

A quick word about saving for college

The Federal financial aid programs in detail

Federal Pell Grants

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant

TEACH Grant Program

Federal Work-Study

Student loans

Stafford Loans

PLUS Loans for Graduate and Professional Degrees

PLUS Loans

Consolidation Loans

Federal Perkins Loans

Getting more help

Chapter 16. Free Cash for Graduate School

The long and expensive path of graduate school

Understanding graduate financial aid

More than money

It's all about academics

Applications: Your stats sheet

Recommendations: Getting professorial praise

Essays: Getting personal

Research grant proposals: Application heavies

Interviews: Interaction with a purpose

Get paid to step into a classroom or lab

Keep your aid flowing

Getting more help

Chapter 17. How to Keep the Money You Win

You're there!

Keeping the dollars that are yours

Parting words

A special request

Appendix. Winning Scholarship Essays and Applications

Winning Essay #1: Bet You Can't

Winning Essay #2: Public Service

Winning Essay #3: Cultural Heritage

Winning Essay #4: Only Two Hands

Winning Essay #5: The Gift

Winning Essay #6: Career Plans

Winning Essay #7: No Child Left Behind: Well-Intentioned but Flawed

Winning Submission #8: Shawn Smith

Winning Submission #9: Wilmer Wilson

Directory. 150 Scholarships (Almost) Anyone Can Win

About the Authors

Special Features

Stories from Real Life

These stories about the successes and failures of real students are entertaining and enlightening. They serve as valuable lessons about how the scholarship process really works!

How we choose our scholarship winners

Smaller is sometimes better

I lost $500 from a scholarship scam

How my support of legalizing marijuana cost me

My midnight scholarship application

Follow up or fall down

How I beat writer's block

Essays in no time mean no money

The only thing in life that matters is calculus

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful and faultless

My hobbies paid for college

Our favorite free scholarship websites

I assumed I wouldn't get aid, but I was wrong

Special Highlights

As a step-by-step strategy guide, we have created easy-to-follow practical methods for key areas of the scholarship process.

Seven scholarship myths busted

The best places to find scholarships

Scholarships that steal

Five steps to crafting a winning application

Top 10 application do's and don'ts

Example scholarship resume

Example scholarship cover letter

Six steps to writing a winning scholarship essay

Answers to the most common interview questions

Do guaranteed scholarships really exist?

A re-evaluation success story

To our families for shaping who we are.

To Harvard for four of the best years of our lives.

To the many students and friends who made this book possible by sharing their scholarship experiences, secrets, successes and failures.

To all the students and parents who understand that paying for college is a challenging but worthwhile endeavor.

CHAPTER 1

How to Get Free Cash for College

In this chapter, you'll learn:

How this book guides you through the entire scholarship process

How this book is different from traditional scholarship books

The seven myths of scholarships

Why all financial aid is not created equal

How scholarships are judged and what you can do to maximize your chances of winning

How to Get Free Cash for College

When I received my acceptance letter from Harvard, I proudly showed it to my parents. After calming down from the excitement, they asked that question you don't really want to ask, How are we going to pay for this education? This is when my father—always the pragmatist—made me an offer that was difficult to refuse.

About the Authors

Gen and Kelly Tanabe won more than $100,000 in scholarships and graduated from Harvard debt-free.

Son, he began, why don't you go to our state university and I'll buy you a brand new car? Given the price of a private college, it would have been much cheaper for my family to pay state tuition and buy a new car. In fact, for what Harvard charged, we could have purchased a whole fleet of cars.

So there I was: Harvard in one hand but a brand new ride in the other. It was a difficult decision.

When my coauthor, Kelly, received her acceptance letter from Harvard, she and her family were similarly torn. She had also been accepted to the University of Southern California and offered a full-tuition scholarship. Harvard, on the other hand, didn't offer any assistance.

So why, you might wonder as our parents certainly did, would we both choose to attend one of the most expensive colleges in the country and turn down (both literally and figuratively) free rides? We made the decision because we were fanatical in our belief that we could find scholarships to pay our mind-boggling tuition bills. There was only one, tiny problem with this decision: We had no idea where to start.

We began our journey the only way we knew. We bought a scholarship book. (Sound familiar?) After flipping through hundreds of pages of scholarships, we were disappointed to find that few awards fit us. Even more discouraging was that when we found a scholarship, we didn't have a clue on how to actually win the award. Through a long process of trial and error we slowly developed a workable system for finding and winning scholarships.

In the end we won more than $100,000 in scholarships, ranging from local awards from the Lions Club, high school PTA and local newspaper to national awards from Tylenol, Shell Oil Company and Knight Ridder newspapers. These scholarships allowed us not only to fulfill our dream of attending Harvard but (to our parents’ delight) to graduate debt-free.

This book is based on the hard lessons we learned during our struggle to fund our own educations. In addition, we have done years of research collecting the strategies used by hundreds of students who have successfully won scholarships. (We've included samples of their scholarship applications, resumes and essays in this book.) We've interviewed scholarship judges to learn how they pick scholarship winners and what you can do to improve your chances in a competition. We then distilled these experiences, strategies and advice into a system that we believe will help you find and win scholarships. In short, this is the knowledge that we wish had been available when we were applying for scholarships.

Scholarships Are Not Just for Superstars

Whether you are just starting out or are an experienced veteran of the battle for scholarships, this book has a great deal to offer. Each chapter is filled with valuable advice, strategies, shortcuts and real life examples. Through the lessons in this book you can emulate our successes while avoiding our most tragic blunders in your own scholarship quest.

Don't think you need to be the class valedictorian or star athlete to win a scholarship. If you have the desire, you have everything you need to win free cash for college. We will help you make this happen. The goal of this book is to teach you the skills and provide you with the resources to be able to pay for the college of your dreams and graduate, as we did, debt-free.

Not a Superstar, Not a Problem

You don't have to be a straight-A student or star athlete to win a scholarship. The strategies in this book and the students you will meet clearly prove that any student can win a scholarship. What is required is the desire and willingness to put in the time and effort to find awards that fit your background and write applications that show scholarship judges why you deserve to win. Don't worry, you'll learn how in the following chapters.

Why Most Scholarship Books and Websites Can Be Sooooooooooooo Frustrating

Chances are that you found this book nestled among dozens of others on scholarships. If you look at the other books, you will notice something interesting: They all look like telephone directories. Flip through one, and you will find that it doesn't contain much more than award listings. This is the traditional format of the scholarship book, and it has been around for decades. The Internet has not done much to improve on things. You can go to various websites that list scholarships but again you are just viewing raw scholarships—and often many may not even fit you that well.

Unfortunately, it is this directory format that has caused so much dissatisfaction among students. While any single book or website may contain thousands of listings, few of those awards actually apply to you. To make matters worse, even when you do find an award, these books and websites leave you on your own to figure out how to create an application that will win the scholarship. What's the point of spending all this time and effort to find a scholarship when you don't know how to win it?

As we wrote this book, we vowed not to perpetuate the mistakes of other scholarship book authors. Go ahead and flip through a few chapters. What do you see? Holy cow! You see actual paragraphs and real examples of applications, scholarship resumes and essays. This whole book is a detailed scholarship strategy guide. You will learn all the ins and outs of scholarships, grants and financial aid. You will also learn what works when applying for scholarships and how to get the best financial aid offer. We have loaded this book with examples so you can see what a scholarship essay looks like and read a preview of questions you may be asked in a scholarship interview. We equip you with the knowledge and tools to actually win the scholarships that you spend valuable time finding.

Get Free Cash for College is our attempt to fix the outdated format of traditional scholarship books and websites that have been found lacking by so many students. In doing so, we believe that this book will provide you with the maximum advantage possible when it comes to finding and winning free cash for college.

The Big Picture

Don't you hate it when you are given instructions on how to do something without knowing what the final result is supposed to be? We do too, which is why at the start of each chapter you will find what we call The Big Picture. This is an overview of our approach or strategy. Seeing the big picture first will help you understand how all the smaller pieces fit together.

So in the spirit of giving you the big picture, we would like to share our general view of scholarships. Through our own experience and that of helping thousands of students and interviewing dozens of scholarship judges, we have come to firmly believe that the biggest misconception about scholarships is that you have to be an academic, athletic or extracurricular superstar to win one.

This is just plain untrue.

There are scholarships that reward every background, talent and achievement that you can imagine. Plus, most don't even consider grades, or if they do, it is the least important factor. It is true that winning a scholarship is not easy. There will be competition because scholarships are essentially free cash with no strings attached. But like most everything in life, you can greatly improve your chances of winning by learning as much as you can about these competitions and applying what you learn to your applications. Matched with the right scholarships and armed with this knowledge, you can set yourself up to win.

The bottom line is that scholarship winners are not superstars but are students who have prepared and invested the time to create an application that highlights their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses.

It's really sad to see students who don't apply for scholarships because they mistakenly assume that they don't have a chance to win. The truth is that regardless of what kind of student you are, winning comes down to whether or not you have a solid strategy. We believe you can learn this strategy. In fact, we're sure of it!

The Mind-Boggling Cost of a Good Education

We don't need to tell you that college is expensive. But have you actually seen the numbers? Are you ready for some major sticker shock? The price tag is staggering—an average of $18,391* per year for tuition and room and board at four-year public schools and $40,917* at private schools. These costs have grown approximately 30 percent over the past 10 years and have consistently risen faster than inflation. Ouch!

That is the bad news. The good news is that more than $238.5 billion was awarded in scholarships and financial aid last year. That's a lot of cash! You only need to get a small slice of this pie to be able to afford college. At this amount, even getting a small piece of crust is appealing!

So if you're ready to get your piece of the scholarship pie, let's begin by debunking some of the most common myths about scholarships that often prevent even the most motivated students from applying.

Never Too Early or Too Late to Apply

There are scholarships for students as young as seventh grade and that go all the way through graduate school. As long as you are in school you should be applying for scholarships.

Seven Scholarship Myths Busted

Did you know that Walt Disney is cryogenically frozen and awaiting the day medical science can revive him? Or, you do know to be careful when walking the city at night since there are gangs of organ thieves who will knock you unconscious and steal your kidneys, right? We have all heard urban legends like these, and on the subject of scholarships there are no shortages of such stories.

You may have heard myths like these: You need to have near zero dinero in order to qualify for a scholarship, or you have to be the record holder for three-point shots to win a full-ride award. To help you sort the truth from the tall tale, here are some common scholarship myths and the truth behind them:

Myth #1: You need to be financially destitute to be eligible to apply for scholarships.

The Truth: While it is true that financial need is a consideration for some scholarships, the definition of need varies considerably. Given the cost of a college education, many families who consider themselves to be middle class actually qualify for need-based scholarships. Plus, there are many scholarships where financial need is not even a factor. These merit-based scholarships are based on achievements, skills, career goals, family background and a host of other considerations that have nothing to do with a family's financial situation. You really could be the son or daughter of Donald Trump and still win a scholarship.

Myth #2: You can only win scholarships as a high school senior.

The Truth: It is never too early or too late to apply for scholarships. There are awards for students as young as seventh grade. (If you win these awards, the money may be paid to you directly or put into a trust account until you head off to college.) Also, many students stop applying for scholarships after they graduate from high school. Big mistake. There are many awards for college students. Once you are in college you should continue to apply for scholarships, especially those geared toward specific majors and careers.

More Truth: Most scholarships are aimed at students who are getting their first degree, regardless of age. If you're 92 and working toward your bachelor's degree, you are just as eligible for scholarships as the 17-year-old high school student. In fact, today more than 20 percent of all students on campus are over the age of 35, so it's easy to understand why the rules for many scholarships have been modified to no longer limit an applicant based on age.

Myth #3: Only star athletes get scholarships, especially full-tuition scholarships.

The Truth: While full-tuition scholarships for star running backs often make the news, the majority of scholarships awarded by colleges are not for athletics. As you will start to see from the Scholarships (Almost) Anyone Can Win in the Directory, there are literally thousands of scholarships for those of us who don't know the difference between a touchdown and a touchback.

If you are an athlete, you might also be surprised to know that many colleges give scholarships to student athletes even if they are not the next Michael Jordan. Depending on the level of the school's athletic team, you may find that while at one college your soccer skill wouldn't earn you a place on the team as a bench warmer, at another school you would not only be a starter but also could earn a half-tuition scholarship.

Myth #4: You need straight A's to win money for college.

The Truth: While straight A's certainly don't hurt your chances of winning, most students assume that grades are the primary means for picking scholarship winners. This is just not true. Most scholarships are based on criteria other than grades and reward specific skills or talents such as linguistic, athletic or artistic ability. Even for scholarships in which grades are considered, they are often not the most important factor. What's more important is that you best match the qualities the scholarship committee seeks. Most students who win scholarships do not have the highest GPA. Don't let the lack of a perfect transcript prevent you from applying for scholarships.

Scholarships: The Ultimate in Financial Aid

Scholarships are the only form of aid that comes with virtually no strings attached and that you can receive regardless of your family's finances.

Myth #5: You should get involved in as many extracurricular activities as possible to win a scholarship.

The Truth: Scholarship competitions are not pie eating contests where you win through volume. They are more like baking contests in which you create an exquisite dessert with an appearance and flavor that matches the tastes of the judges. Scholarships are won by quality, not quantity.

Scholarship judges are looking for students who have made quality contributions. For example, for a public service scholarship, the judges would be more impressed if you organized a school-wide volunteer day than if you were a member of 20 volunteer organizations but did little to distinguish yourself in them. Scholarship judges are looking for meaningful involvement, not a laundry list of clubs that you've joined.

Myth #6: You should apply to every scholarship you find.

The Truth: When you turn 35, you technically are eligible to run for President of the United States. This hardly means you should start packing your bags for the White House. Just because you are technically eligible for a scholarship does not mean you should apply for it. Why? You have a limited amount of time to spend on scholarship applications. It is necessary to allocate your time to those in which you have the best chance of winning. You may find that you are eligible for 500 scholarships. Unless you're willing to make applying to scholarships your full-time avocation, it's unlikely that you can apply to more than several dozen awards. Thus, you need to be selective about which scholarships fit you best. One caveat: This does not mean that you should only apply to two or three scholarships. You should still apply to as many scholarships as you can—just make sure you have them prioritized.

Myth #7: There's nothing you can do to increase your chances of winning a scholarship.

The Truth: We would not be here today if it weren't for the fact that there are many techniques you can use to improve your chances of winning scholarships. In the following chapters you will learn how to select scholarships that best fit you and your background, create a powerful application, write winning essays and successfully present yourself in interviews. We will teach you what successful students have done that worked for them. While there is no magic formula that guarantees you'll win a scholarship, our strategies have worked for others and can work for you too.

How We Choose Our Scholarship Winners

Mary Hawkins, Scholarship Judge

The first thing you should understand about national scholarships like ours is the magnitude. We don't just get a box of applications for our scholarship. We get truckloads of applications. I am on the small team of people who sift through this mountain of paperwork.

Our first step is to make a quick first pass. We spend about 10 to 20 seconds taking a brief look at the applications. Even though we don't spend much time on each application, we quickly eliminate applications that don't meet the basic requirements. We purge applications that are not complete, missing information or materials, illegible or sloppily completed. We're pretty rigid in our decisions because we've found that if students don't even follow our award's simple directions, they probably aren't that attentive to their studies either.

After this first pass, we separate the applications into two piles. One is the pile of students we send thank you notes for entering. The other is the pile with potential. We spend on average between one and three minutes