Preparing to apply for scholarships? Discover the best practices and pitfalls with our helpful dos and don'ts guide to ace your next scholarship application!
Scholarship Application Tips
Stay organized. Make sure to plan ahead, use a calendar or planner, create a schedule, and stick to it.
Prepare application materials. Take the time needed to complete each step thoroughly. Rushed applications appear sloppy, and incomplete ones are unlikely to be accepted.
Apply to all awards, no matter how small. Small awards can make a big impact. Additionally, pursuing smaller awards can lead to less competition compared to larger ones.
Make sure to request letters of recommendation well in advance. When requesting letters of recommendation, choose people who can speak about your strengths and areas for growth. Avoid asking family members for recommendations. Give your recommenders at least two weeks’ notice so they have time to write the letter. Be ready to give them more information about yourself or the scholarship. Make sure to check with your recommenders to confirm that your letter was submitted.
Get to work and write a great essay! When you respond to the prompts, focus on showing the selection committee who you are. Reflect on your experiences and personal qualities, and use this opportunity to share details that might not be found elsewhere in your application. While you can get help with editing for grammar and spelling, make sure that your writing is your own-- the committee wants to hear from you personally. By sharing anecdotes or insights that showcase your unique perspective, values, and interests, you can make a strong, personal connection with the committee. Be sure to carefully review and edit your writing for grammar and spelling to ensure that your message is clearly and effectively communicated. Take advantage of MCC’s Writing Center services.
Attend a scholarship workshop. The Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships offers workshops throughout the scholarship application season to help students in their search for scholarships. If you need assistance in finding and competing for scholarships, as well as tips for writing essays for scholarship applications, consider attending one of these sessions.
Don’t be afraid to brag about your accomplishments! When completing applications, it's important to showcase your achievements and activities confidently. Highlight any recognitions and awards you've received, as well as activities that demonstrate your talents and passions. Emphasize experiences that illustrate your leadership abilities, initiative, perseverance through challenges, and commitment to community service. Additionally, recognize the value of your employment and family responsibilities, as they can also speak to your strengths and character. Don't underestimate the significance of these aspects when presenting yourself.
Persistence is key. It's important to keep trying even if you don’t win a scholarship right away. Make sure to save copies of every application you complete so that you don’t have to start from scratch every time.
Scholarship Essay Tips
Remember these tips when working on scholarship essays:
- Essays often ask about your biggest accomplishment. You can save time by reusing your answers.
- Use your hobbies as material for your essays. This makes writing easier. Some prompts are fun, like your best food experience or an impactful travel memory.
- Have multiple people review your essay for feedback.
- Take the time to check for typos before submitting.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Know if I am Eligible?
New guidelines from the State of Arizona explicitly state our responsibilities in establishing residency and eligibility requirements for all students seeking admissions, financial aid, and other college services. Download and print those guidelines here. We have also provided the list of acceptable documentation for students seeking to establish residency status. Read the stated criteria carefully. Each listed scholarship clearly states what is required for the award. Go to the Scholarship List now.
What Happens When I Receive My Money?
After you have successfully applied and been awarded a scholarship, the information is sent to the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office to be added to your student financial record. Scholarships have specific requirements for disbursement, and some scholarships may not allow a refund. If there are any additional criteria you must meet before receiving your monies, you will be notified by Financial Aid and Scholarship Office and/or the donor group or organization.
However, if the scholarship allows a refund you will be sent a notification through your student message center (redirect.maricopa.edu/student-center).
When your record has been updated you will receive notification that your scholarship money is available as a disbursement (refund). Your refund will be processed through the Maricopa Student Refund Program (MSRP). Through this program you have the option to receive your refund through a check, debit card or direct deposit. For additional information on MSRP please visit https://www.maricopa.edu/students/tuition-payment-information/student-re....
Please note that public assistance, transit subsidies, federal financial aid, grants, loans and other stipends can be affected by the amount of scholarship monies you receive. Financial Aid is responsible for coordinating this information.
What if I Receive Private Scholarships from a Donor Outside of MCC?
Please notify the Financial Aid Office that you will be receiving a scholarship to ensure your scholarship is processed in a timely manner and avoid any class cancellations. Please provide a copy of your scholarship award letter to our office. The scholarship award letter is usually provided to you by the donor and it usually indicates the amount of your scholarship and any specific criteria that your scholarship may require such as full-time enrollment, program of study, etc.
Once a scholarship award letter is submitted to our office, we will extend your tuition due date up to seven weeks after the semester has begun as a courtesy to allow enough time for your scholarship to be processed.
If the scholarship funds from the donor are not received by this date, you will be responsible for any balance due to the college. Otherwise, you may be withdrawn from your classes for non-payment and you will incur a debt. If you plan to attend another institution, you must make the necessary arrangements to cancel your classes before your refund deadline date and notify the donor of this change.
If I Receive a Scholarship will it Affect my Financial Aid?
In some instances when you are awarded a scholarship after your financial aid has been awarded an over award may occur. This means that the total of your awards exceed your cost of attendance.
| Example: Full time independent (as classified by FAFSA) student living off campus. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| $15,552 | ..... | Cost of Attendance | |
| - | $0 | ..... | Student Aid Index (SAI) |
| $15,552 | ..... | Financial Need | |
| - | $5,645 | ..... | Pell Grant |
| - | $1,000 | ..... | SEOG |
| - | $3,500 | ..... | Subsidized Loan |
| - | $5,407 | ..... | Unsubsidized Loan |
| $0 | ..... | Unmet Financial Need - Financial need is determined by deducting your SAI from the cost of attendance. | |
The example above indicates a total unmet financial need of $0. If a scholarship is issued after the financial aid has been awarded in excess of the unmet financial need we are required by federal regulations to adjust the non-need based aid (loans). If a $2000 scholarship is issued then we would have to determine the amount of the overaward ($0 unmet financial need -$2000 scholarship = -$2000). Based on the negative amount we would reduce the unsubsidized loan by $2000 in order to award the full amount of the scholarship.
In the case of an overaward, federal regulations require MCC to adjust non-need based aid (loans) to correct the overaward. In some cases the adjustment may result in a reduction of a loan or other aid excluding the Pell grant in order to award the scholarship which is the free money in place of the loan.
If your residency status changes from out of state to instate this will change your cost of attendance, therefore, reducing your financial need.