The temptation is to enjoy this last little bit of summer. With the right plan, you can set yourself up for scholarship opportunities and have fun before that school bell rings again.
Make no mistake, winning scholarships is just as competitive as winning football games. And just like the NFL, there really is no offseason. The students who consistently win scholarships are spending the rest of their summer doing these things to make themselves more competitive:
Summer Work is Adding to the Resume
Your summer job might pay fairly well, but does it make your resume stand out from the pile? The students that win scholarships have internships, study abroad trips, or volunteer work that set them apart. Throw on a last-minute volunteer opportunity if it’s too late for anything else.
Setting Themselves Up for Crunch Time
Another sports analogy: it takes a lot of prep work to win scholarships. Winning students are setting up the systems to keep themselves organized and the essays that will keep the reader riveted. If you ask them the status of any particular scholarship, they know it off the top of their heads.
Networking
It’s never too early to network. They are meeting a lot of impressive people at their impressive summer job/internship/volunteer work. This comes in handy when it’s time to start approaching people for letters of recommendation.
Narrowing Down Their Focus
No one can apply for every scholarship that exists. It can save a lot time in the fall to know where to best spend your efforts and which opportunities are worth letting go. This takes research and an honest view of strengths and weaknesses.
Cleaning Out Their Online Profiles
The judges for scholarships are just like regular people; if they want to know about someone, they look online. Having a professional, serious online presence makes sure you pass that test.
Studying Up
Speaking of tests, scholarship winners are always wondering if they could do better on their standardized tests and grades. If they think there is a chance, they’ll spend some extra time studying, perhaps even booking themselves another testing appointment. It’s not too late to bolster scores and grades.
The temptation is to enjoy this last little bit of summer. With the right plan, you can set yourself up for scholarship opportunities and have fun before that school bell rings again.