6 Secrets of Winning Scholarship Applications

Advice from a scholarship winner, loser, judge, & trustee

Being in the happy position of giving away money is more difficult than it sounds, because some applicants make it difficult to give them money. I know this all too well, because I have experienced the heartache of missing out on aviation scholarships. Then I won a big scholarship, and later helped screen applications, interview applicants, judge applications, and was a Trustee of the 99s Amelia Earhart Scholarship Fund . So let me share the experts’ six secrets of winning aviation scholarships.

#1 Glide Past the Velvet Rope

To get into that trendy new bar, you need the bouncer to lift the velvet rope. To sign onto Facebook and Instagram, you must enter your password. And if you want a scholarship, your application must get past the screeners and gatekeepers. Simple, right? Yet applicants make costly missteps, like not meeting eligibility requirements, not including required documents or photocopies, and not meeting deadlines.

#2 Spell Check Is Your Friend

Completing a scholarship application on a computer produces the best-looking result. Use the Spell Check function of your word processing software, and ask an English-savvy friend to review it with a critical eye. Hand-written applications, mistakes in spelling and grammar, and crossed out or scribbled words are not viewed favorably. Photocopies or scans of licenses and certificates must be clear and legible.

#3 Aim for the Goal

A key to winning at soccer is to shoot lots of shots at goal. Likewise, applying for multiple scholarships may increase your chances of getting one, however a shotgun approach is not advised. Please don’t tell the International Societyof Women Airline Pilots that you want to be an airline pilot, while telling the Whirly-Girls that you need their support to fly helicopters.

And don’t shoot for the goal until you are in range of it. The statement of a goal should be the logical result of a series of steps laid out in a well thought-out plan. We see applicants skipping steps in the logical progression or requesting training for which they are not yet qualified. Or, there is no plan, a partial plan, or an unrealistic plan.

If you haven’t narrowed down your career options yet, don’t just say what you think we want to hear. Instead, target scholarships designed to assist people who are starting out in their careers, still exploring options, or don’t fit into well-defined categories, like the 99s First Wings Scholarship..

#4 Tell Me About Yourself

The personal essay is the most critical component of your application, and the way we can get a sense of who you are. Follow instructions: A one-page essay means one page, not three.

Some applicants err by telling all about themselves, others err by not telling enough. Go easy on Amelia Earhart and the romance of flight. Tone is important – there’s a fine line between ‘I need financial help’ and whining about lack of money.

A past scholarship winner and current judge describes a common error in her first attempt at an essay: “I had written a biography – nothing that related who I was to where I was headed and how the scholarship could help.” She also recommends writing a different essay for each scholarship: “You as an individual have a different relationship to each opportunity.”

#5 I Highly Recommend . . .

. . . That you solicit new letters of recommendation. You can suggest a topic to each letter-writer, such as balancing school and a job, good job performance, teamwork, or volunteerism. A spiritual leader or work manager maybe a good judge of your character. A flight instructor is a better judge of your pilot skill.

The letters must be relevant and current, and preferably tailored for the specific scholarship, rather than generic. Please don’t include letters written decades ago, or fake recommendations that you wrote yourself.

#6 Avoid the Heartbreakers

Receiving an application before the deadline – but with insufficient time to request a missing document. Getting the perfect application from the perfect applicant – past the deadline. Running out of qualified scholarship applicants – leaving scholarship monies unused.

Others have made these blunders, but you won’t, right? Because now you know the secrets to winning scholarship applications, and you don’t want to give us any reason not to give you money.

May your dreams take flight!

© 2020 Jenny Beatty. All Rights Reserved.