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I just received an application for a scholarship that would cover the cost of tution at UC Santa Cruz.  I have never really applied for one before and they have rather open ended questions.  Any advice or knowledge would rock.

Be honest and maybe a bit more self-promoting than you'd normally be.  Even stuff you see as mundane may be exceptional to one of the people on the scholarship committee.  Run everything through spell check.  ;)  It really depends on the questions, but I'd say that being yourself and pointing out things you've done that are unique are your best bet.

Keep in mind that the last time I had to apply for a scholarship to undergrad was in 1994.

I have no experience actually Applying for a scholarship - mine was simply handed to me. However....


I do have experience in pleading for my scholarships to not be stripped from me (I had 1 bad semester). All I can say is be honest, err on the side of dramatic, and make it perfectly clear that whoever is handing out the money will be doing a great thing by giving it to You - you are not there to waste time, but instead to kick ass and take names (in an academic sense).

Ditto.

Or, rather, "Hey. You have the grades for this.  Take this class and you can get a scholarship."

"Uh.  Okay."

I've sat on a number of committees that decide these things.  Here are a few tidbits I can offer:

1) Be sincere.  It's EASY to spot a phony.

2) Be concise.  After reading a million of these things, rambling takes you nowhere.

3) Be unique.  There are tons of people with good grades.  What about you makes you memorable as well as deserving?

Hope that helps!