Scholarships are hard to come by these days. People tirelessly spend dreadful hours writing an essay for a scholarship they don’t even feel confident in winning. The way to win is simple, be cool under pressure.

Have backups.

Relying on one full-ride scholarship to pay for everything is like the Brooklyn Nets relying on buzzer-beaters to win every game. It just doesn’t work like that. Have a couple of backup scholarships filled out along with your “jackpot” scholarships. These scholarships will come in handy in case you don’t win that full-ride. Also, your backups shouldn’t be $5,000 or higher. These “backup” scholarships should be scholarships that are between $500-1,000. These are scholarships average students fail to apply for. Making sure you have applied for an ample amount of backup scholarships is critical in being successful.

Be yourself.

If you are going to be someone else on your scholarship, you might as well put their name on the scholarship essay. Since you put your name on the essay, make it your essay. The essay you write is your only chance to stand out from all the other applicants. Be the sauciest version of yourself in your essay- elaborate on the details that make you unique and well worthy of a scholarship.

Don’t procrastinate.  

You shouldn’t wait until the deadline to begin writing your essay. The second that scholarship is available, you should be preparing for your essay. The best way is to take small steps each day so that you end up with your best essay before it’s due.

I honestly can’t tell you how miraculous these tips were for me when I applied for scholarships. These tips are to help you write better, not only for scholarships, but also for classes. In fact, I use these tips when I’m writing my college essays for class. Writing is the key to success. Everyone has a story to tell –  so put pen to paper and unleash yours! Who knows,you could possibly even win some money for school with it!

What makes you a great writer? Share some insight with the Pearson Students community below!