Chances of winning essay competitions?

<p>I'm not really that great of a write but i'm above average. I only have a 3.1 gpa and 29 act. I filled out my stats on fastweb and picked like 60 scholarships out of it. So is it worth even doing the essays? How many people are actually doing them?</p>

<p>don't apply for the essay competitions on fastweb--they're almost impossible to win.</p>

<p>where should i apply to then? please tell, im totally dependent on scholarships!</p>

<p>I would recommend applying for more local scholarships than Fastweb scholarships. You'll have a much greater chance of winning the local scholarships! I entered a state essay contest and ended up getting first place. It's like chance of winning between 200 entries and 2,000,000 entries.</p>

<p>Ruthless,
I totally agree with fih that you will have a greater chance of winning local scholarships. However, since you have said that you are 'totally dependent on scholarships', you should be aware that most local scholarships are for relatively small amounts of money (usually 1k or less) and most are for only 1 year. And although there are some scholarships for college students, the vast majority are for graduating seniors. </p>

<p>If you really need to fund a significant part of your college through scholarships, you should be looking for institutional scholarships. To be successful, you will need to apply to schools with merit aid where you are in the top few percent of the students applying, or find schools with guaranteed scholarships for your stats.</p>

<p>Where are you from? I may have some scholarships for you.</p>

<p>lol, do you have scholarships for oregon besides those in OSAC????</p>

<p>Don't completely blow off Fastweb -- I entered several over the summer (essay writing scholarships), and though my actual winnings have not amounted to much, I still won two contests Fastweb matched me to. The BIG scholarships may be virtually impossible, but the smaller ones are within reach.</p>

<p>Check out corporate scholarships. Sometimes they have "local requirements" - applicant must be from a certain geographic area.</p>

<p>I live in Frankfort, And go to Lincoln-Way East..</p>

<p>I'm either going to St. Louis University</p>

<p>or</p>

<p>University of illinois at chicago</p>

<p>for pre-med.</p>

<p>I have a 3.0 UNW GPA out of 4 and a 29 ACT. If i do get into SLU, i know i will need scholarships.</p>

<p>Oh, wow, I did not know that you were going to SLU. So, what state are you from?</p>

<p>Have you tried the following:</p>

<p>Horatio Alger
Frank T Fair Foundation
Prosser Hallock Scholarship
Luke Vincent Powers Scholarship
Jimmy Rane Foundation
The Harrington Foundation</p>

<p>Just google the names of these scholarship and you should find their websites. Also try:</p>

<p>We</a> Care and Share, Inc. - Home
Zami Scholarship
Are you from Missouri, because if you are, then I'd suggest retaking the ACT so that you can get a 30. Students who get a 30 or above on the ACT automatically win an $8000 scholarship</p>

<p>Also, try the Bill Gates Scholarship</p>

<p>Na, im from illinois. (bad thing?) i haven't tried anything (also bad?) because i'm bogged down in my AP classes with finals this week. Ill try this list of scholarships you gave me, Thank you so much!</p>

<p>p.s. My parents are from india! My dad is a nuclear med technologist and my mom lives at home and yells at every1 all day...? im right handed, and is that important?</p>

<p>The Horatio Alger National Scholarship deadline was October 30, 2007, and the Gates Millennium Scholarship has a 3.3 unweighted GPA requirement, but here are a few more you should check out:</p>

<p>Most Valuable Student Scholarship -- due January 11, 2008
Dell Scholars Program -- due January 15, 2008 (requires previous 2-year commitment to approved college prep program)
USA Funds Access to Education Scholarship -- due February 2008
Education is Freedom Scholarship -- due April 15, 2008</p>

<p>These are just some options. I know you're bogged down with finals, but I'd suggest taking a look at them this week to make sure you get any letters of recommendation or transcripts before you head off to winter break. </p>

<p>Here a few suggestions: </p>

<ol>
<li>Apply for the essay contests from FastWeb that start at a local level (i.e. UNA-USA Essay Contest--due in Jan). Anything that has a local level is a better bet than a national essay contest where 3 people out of thousands win a few grand. </li>
<li>Do some self reflection about who you are, what you've done, and what you want people to know about you that they can't find on your application/resume. Think of scholarships as an organization's investment in you to succeed and reflect their core values. The people who have the most success with scholarships are the ones who can weave these two together in their essays and applications.</li>
<li>Be personal in your examples and writing, and above all, never underestimate your story. </li>
</ol>

<p>These are just a few tips, but I hope they help. Good luck!</p>

<p>Wow these are great opportunities! I will also look into my local scholarships? Should i start at my library you say?</p>

<p>You should start wherever you think you'll be able to find scholarships. Here are my suggestions: </p>

<ol>
<li>Visit your high school career/college center and/or your guidance counselor. They should have plenty of local opportunities that are available and waiting for students to apply for. Your counselors can point you in the right direction.</li>
<li>Check out books at your library and local bookstores. You shouldn't necessarily buy scholarship prep materials, but just take a piece of paper, jot down some of the scholarships, and then Google them when you get home.</li>
<li>Brainstorm different community organizations and businesses that might offer scholarships (i.e. Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Safeway). Then search for them online for applications and info.</li>
<li>Check out the college/career page on not only your school's website (if it has one), but also the other schools in your district. They may list local scholarships that your school may not. If there isn't a website for a particular scholarship, call up that school and request one.</li>
</ol>

<p>These are just a few tips to get you started, but you should also balance your national scholarship opportunities as well. Never count yourself out of any scholarship; you never know how many people apply for these. It's better to cast your net wider than to limit yourself. If you're serious about finding scholarships and trying to win some, these tips should help set you on the right path. If you have any specific questions, feel free to shoot me an email.</p>

<p>try this scholarship:</p>

<p>The</a> Indian-American Community Foundation</p>

<p>Also, try this one:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.seedfoundation.org/scholarship.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.seedfoundation.org/scholarship.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>the website is down right now.</p>

<p>For local scholarships, should I be looking into scholarships from where I am living now or where I plan to live at college?</p>

<p>Apply where you live.</p>

<p>In addition to your local library, see if your community has a "Community Foundation." Often, donors who have only a few million set up funds in community foundations (they don't have hundreds of millions to set up their own foundation!)</p>

<p>Here is a link to scholarship information from The Philadelphia Foundation:
How</a> to get a grant or scholarship - The Philadelphia Foundation</p>

<p>Community Foundation of Central Illinois scholarship info:
Community</a> Foundation of Central Illinois - Scholarships</p>

<p>If you lived in Dutchess County, New York, the list of scholarships and an application can be found here:</p>

<p>newsarticle</a> - The Community Foundation of Dutchess County</p>