Eliminate and Differentiate: A Strategy to Earn More Scholarships

“Is there a scholarship for students who…?”

Social media is flooded with parents asking if there are scholarships for students with a specific trait. Maybe their student has a medical condition, or maybe their student wants to become an engineer, or maybe their student has endured a particular hardship, and they are looking for scholarships that match their student’s unique profile.

The good news for these parents is that, yes, there is almost always a scholarship (or many scholarships) for students with just about any characteristic you can think of. For example, there are scholarships for vegetarian students, tall students, and even scholarships for students involved in duck calling! (Our free guide provides a list of our favorite websites for finding scholarships.)

On the one hand, applying for scholarships that align with a student’s unique characteristics is a great strategy. Because the scholarship is only for students with that trait, all other students are ineligible to win, eliminating much of the potential competition.

However, eliminating some, or even most of the competition, isn’t enough. Because now, every other applicant shares that same trait. The trait that made the student unique in the large pool now makes them just like every other applicant in the small pool.

That’s why, in their application, the student needs to differentiate themself. Within the small pool, what makes the student unique compared to the other applicants? This is the essence of a compelling Personal Narrative.

Interestingly, a compelling Personal Narrative also makes the student much more competitive for general scholarships open to most or all students, not just scholarships for students with a particular trait.

The characteristic that makes the student look like all the other applicants for a trait-specific scholarship makes them at least somewhat unique among general scholarship applicants. The compelling Personal Narrative that distinguishes the student from other applicants who share the same trait further distinguishes the student from those with different characteristics.

A compelling Personal Narrative is built on five pillars, which are discussed in depth in the Scholarship GPS video course. Plus, the course includes examples of scholarship-winning Personal Narrative essays.

Typically, a student’s Personal Narrative will be related to their future college major and/or career. That is why I am such a proponent of students gaining college and career clarity as early as possible. Such clarity allows the student to build their resume and Personal Narrative in a way that makes them significantly better applicants for all scholarships, and will enable them to enter major-specific scholarships.

Flourish Coaching has a free, quick quiz to help you understand where your 15–25-year-old stands in discovering their direction — and what simple next step can help them move forward with clarity and confidence. This quick quiz will show you exactly where they’re at and what to do next to ensure they are on track to launch with confidence. Click here to take the 2-minute quiz.

Members of the ACE Network get complimentary access to the Scholarship GPS video course mentioned above! Click here to learn more about the ACE Network.