Building a Scholarship Playbook
Football season is off to a great start, and it’s even more exciting this year with Taylor in the stands. Looks like maybe now she is cheer captain AND in the bleachers. (Yes, I’m a Swiftie and even got to go to the Eras tour.) I love football season! I’m from Texas so Friday night lights are part of my DNA. I love college football and wearing a cardigan of all my favorite teams. Shout out @aggies, @baylorbears, @texaslonghorns
Sure football is entertaining for us spectators, but for those out on the field, many hours of work and strategy are poured into each game. Football players are experts on their plays and know that running them correctly increases the chance of success or even a touchdown! Even more importantly, they know WHEN to run the correct play and when to just shake it off.
Finding scholarships has many similarities to the game of football. A playbook or strategy is critical to your success both in playing football and in finding scholarships. Going into a scholarship search without a game plan is simply a waste of time. I know this all too well.
Photo taken by Sherri Graf at Eras tour 2023
Winning in the scholarship process is much like winning on the football field. To be successful in the scholarship process, you have to have a game plan. A strategy. Your own personal playbook!
I want to help you build your own personal playbook for success. The process is proven. It works! If you are committed to the process, you will earn scholarships. Your playbook will be different from those around you. The steps are the same but the content will always be what makes you stand apart from your competition. Finding scholarships is possible. Just look what our students are saying!
“The website layout is very organized, the filters are clear, the videos are well made and distributed throughout the website!”
“I love how all the scholarships are curated into one place! It is so easy and helpful!”
“This site has the largest collection of scholarships I have seen. Beyond that, they were easily accessible from the site. Once I began applying it was easy to keep track of which applications I had opened.”
“You provide a fabulous array of scholarships that are easily accessible and your system makes it easier to apply to them. It can sometimes be slightly difficult to find scholarships that apply to me, but the system is FAR faster than searching for them on the web on my own. Thanks for being that fantastic resource for me now and in the time to come.”
“Without Imagine Scholarships, I wouldn’t have been able to go to college. Thank you for all you do and for always being so friendly when I need something.”
How to Build Your Scholarship Playbook
Step #1 Know Your Goals
How much money will you need for college?
There are several ways to calculate what you’ll need. Most schools post their tuition on their site, but 99% of the time, you can get that number down a bit. One of my favorite resources for finding out the bottom dollar of a school or university is Tuition Fit. Using Tuition Fit along with Imagine Scholarships is a winning combination. Starting with a goal in mind will help you stay focused as you apply to scholarships.
Step #2 Have Your Story Ready
What is your story? Your story is a wholistic approach to who you are. This should include several essays you’ve written, test scores, your GPA, transcript, resume and any letters of recommendation that would be helpful. You won’t need all of these things for every scholarship application, but it is always helpful to have them on hand and ready to go. Be sure to tell your story in an authentic way through your essays. This is the single best way to introduce yourself to the scholarship you are applying for. This is your time to shine!
Step #3 Be Organized
The only way to be successful in finding scholarships is by being organized and choosing the right scholarships to apply for. Imagine Scholarships helps with both of these things. Imagine Scholarships chooses quality scholarships that match to your criteria, and we offer a search tool to help you search for scholarships that have all of your interests in mind. We have a place for you to keep track of the scholarships you apply for as well as save scholarships you want to apply to later.
Step #4 Stay Committed
Plan to stay committed to the process. To be successful, you need to apply to 3-5 scholarships per week. Don’t give up! In fact, you can apply to scholarships all the way through high school, college and beyond. People pay for their entire educations by not giving up! I had a group of students who decided to use their study hall break in the day to have a little friendly competition with each other. They competed to see who could win the most scholarships during their senior year. They all three ended up being able to pay for four years of education with the work they put in.
Step #5 Plan to Succeed
When you plan for success, you likely get it! Many students feel defeated before they even begin. Yes, it can be an overwhelming task to figure out how to pay for college. However, if you start early and stay focused, you can do it! I’ve seen it over and over again. The process works.
You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.
— Zig Ziglar
Imagine Scholarships not only has thousands of amazing scholarships, but we also have a library of videos to help you be successful. This is our secret sauce! Don’t forget to check them out. Imagine Scholarships is for students who are pursuing higher education, preparing for the workforce, or using their passion to ignite change in their communities and beyond. We believe in you – no matter where you are in your journey. This program is more than scholarships. We’re a continued partner and collaborator who’ll be there with connections and opportunities throughout your journey to help your passion shine so brightly, it changes the world.
Imagine Scholarships offers a blog for students and parents. This covers creative topics that support parents in the process and that students need to be successful in high school and college.
Imagine Scholarships offers a subscription for just $16.99 per month giving students access to many quality scholarships, internships and hundreds of videos walking you through how to be successful in the search for scholarships.