Do you know nearly 55% of Harvard students study on scholarships? One in five Harvard students doesn't pay anything to attend the college because their sponsor takes care of their needs. It is pretty hard to believe, but there are plenty of chances for you to win a college scholarship if you try a bit harder and start as early as freshman year in college.
Most students target only one college or university and prepare to meet the scholarship requirements they mention. Read further to know some professional tactics to make multiple universities invite you with a scholarship.
Start as early in the school freshman year
Academics are the first factor when it comes to full scholarships and small scholarships. Try to select the most challenging courses or take AP courses and prove your mettle by excelling in them. Maintain your GPA, ACT, and SAT scores well. Have amazing science, math, and language skills.
Visit the https://difference.guru website to improve your English knowledge, vocabulary, etc. Visit the top 10 science and math websites for students to enhance their knowledge further. Take several mock tests and keep yourself informed about the field better than others to ace the exams easily.
Prove you are multitalented
Develop your skill in other fields like music, arts, or sports as colleges look for multitalented personalities rather than book worms. Choose a particular field and try to excel in it, and ensure you have good knowledge in an extension field related to it. If you are good at arts, take a class on it and participate in art competitions.
Master a particular art form like abstract painting to showcase yourself as multitalented and an expert in a specific sub-section. Check the colleges that offer art-related scholarships and apply for them along with your excellent academic record.
Engage in community development activities
Sponsors giving full scholarships often look for future leaders who can bring a change. Nurture your leadership qualities from a young age and remain in the top 10% or 5% of your class rank. Lead a cause-related activity in your community which might be as simple as collecting all the plastic waste and recycling it or cleaning a river or a water body in your area.
Show that you care and you are capable of leading people to follow you in your quest. You can design a new way to solve a problem in the school or your area, making people respect you.
Research about prestigious competitions
Be clear on your goals, what sort, of course, you will take and which college you want to study. If you are interested in engineering, try to participate in an Intel competition or a science Olympiad. Do extensive research about the top competitions in your field, participate in them and win them.
Most of the students who get 100% scholarships use such prestigious competitions as a beacon to attract scholarships from multiple institutions. There are plenty of opportunities for students, from writing a paper about space research to Google coding competitions which will look great on the scholarship resume.
Get in touch with a mentor
Find your mentor when you participate in such competitions and keep in touch with them. Getting a letter of recommendation from a notable personality in the industry goes a long way in fetching a full-time scholarship.
Several institutions will try to lure you to come to their college if you have such a letter of accreditation from a valuable mentor. Besides, the mentors will guide you better regarding choosing your career and giving a head start on your professional life. Keep in touch with your potential seniors to get the proper guidance.