Insider secrets to losing that college scholarship
I’m doing some contract work reviewing scholarship applications for a local university. My job is to screen out the ones that aren’t complete or are really bad and send the good ones along to a faculty selection committee. All of this is done electronically — paper submissions are not accepted.
Since I’ve read hundreds of applications in the last few months, I think I’m qualified to share with you my
Five Insider Secrets Guaranteed to Ruin any Chance you have of Receiving a Scholarship.
1. Send in your submission in pieces using several different email addresses. Someone will be sure to lose at least one part of your application.
2. Don’t bother taking the time to get a free e-mail account that identifies you by name. When sorting through thousands of emails, it’s easy to know that hotkitty099 is really Jane Smith.
3. To make your name really stand out in the crowd: Don’t read the submission requirements; send an email every day asking if the university “has everything they need;” and plea for special consideration when your application is incomplete or late.
4. Give all your attachments the same name. Good choices are document.doc and scholarship.pdf.
5. Don’t use the subject line to identify yourself or the scholarship that you are applying for. In fact, don’t mention the name of the scholarship anywhere in your correspondence. Maybe your application will be considered for something you’re not even qualified to receive!
