The Scholarship Coach: Employing Content Strategies During Summer Break
The wonderful months of summer can provide a much needed break from the hustle
and bustle of the school year, and from your scholarship search. But while you
might go to Hawaii or Disneyland, summer is no time for a scholarship vacation! On the contrary, the summer is a terrific time to hone your
scholarship appeal without having to worry much about the pressures of deadlines
and applications. How do you fine tune your record? By starting with your strengths,
of course.
The term "content" refers to the raw ingredients of a scholarship application: all of the activities, awards, achievements, experiences, and credentials that are detailed in the application itself. Content strategies, therefore, encompass the tactical techniques we use to improve our records in key areas, thereby enhancing how our overall scholarship resumes are perceived. And with summer finally here, it's the perfect time to get going on these content strategies right away.
Content Strategy #1: Expand upon your strong points.
At first glance, adding content in areas you're already good at may seem counterintuitive.
If you already excel at something, why do you need to add to your record in
that area? Well, the answer is that we want to take your strongest skills, and
transform them into truly standout talents that get you noticed by scholarship
judges. In this way, expanding your strong points adds depth to your application
self-portrait. (See Chapter 7 of my book, How
To Go To College Almost For Free, for more on how content strategies
mesh with your overall application theme.)
What are some ways to employ this strategy during summer break?
- Use jobs as learning experiences. Try contacting some organizations, professors,
or professionals in an area that you're good at or interested in and inquire
about any job or internship possibilities. What if they don't have such a
program? Well, suggest they create a position just for you. Many such individuals
would love to serve as mentors. The best jobs and internships I've ever had
were the ones I effectively created for myself.
- Devise your own project. Summer is a great time to pursue an independent
project that extends your skills. One science-minded scholarship winner from
Alaska I interviewed for my book used the summer to pursue his own science
project on the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Another artistic scholarship winner
painted murals on old buildings to spruce up the community.
- Leverage your other summer activities. For those students traveling over
the summer, turn your trip into scholarship gold. One scholarship winner I
interviewed transformed a summer trip to Europe into a scholarship-enhancing
endeavor simply by keeping a journal of the trip and turning it into an independent
study paper on cultural differences.
In general, the summer is a great time to sharpen your scholarship image; when
else will you have three months out of the year to focus entirely on yourself?
So get out your pencil and paper, grab a nice spot in the shade, and start thinking
about your strong points...and how you can make them even stronger. And hey,
don't forget your shades.
