Want scholarships? Prove it.

It is easy to be lured into false hope of paying for college using only scholarships. Many search engines advertise how easy it is, companies looking to make some sort of profit announce "there are thousands of unclaimed awards every year," and here I am telling you it is possible to get scholarships to pay for college. What gives?

The fact is, it is possible to get scholarships for college. The catch is that you have to work for them and prove to scholarship committees that you are a good investment.

The reason why most people do not get scholarships is because they don't put the work in ahead of time. When the time for scholarships rolls around, they don't have the grades, qualifications, extracurricular activities or community involvement to meet the application requirements. 

If you really want to win awards, you have to plan ahead and work toward meeting the scholarship criteria and expectations of the award committees. Here's what you do:

1. Start searching for awards before you need them.

If you search and find scholarships ahead of time, you can look ahead and see what you need to do to make the cut. 

2. Participate in experiences that will bolster your credentials.

Some awards have a specific number of community service hours required to apply, for instance. Knowing this ahead of time will allow you to accumulate these hours over the long run--which looks a lot better than trying to cram a bunch in before the deadline.

3. Get personal.

If you know that you will need recommendation writers in advance, start thinking about who knows you best, or who needs to know you better. The recommendation letter is a huge portion of the scholarship application. The more authentic, specific, and personal, the better.

The bottom line is that with a little foresight, planning, and execution, you can prime yourself to be an excellent scholarship candidate. Remember, committees are looking for someone to invest in. If you invest in yourself well before the scholarship due dates, you will be far ahead of your classmates, and a lot closer to paying for college with scholarships.