Students should only apply for national scholarships (such as those listed on scholarship internet search engines) in which their qualifications match well with scholarship guidelines and the intent of the award sponsors (guidelines are described in the Rules Section of scholarship instructions). This gives student applicants the best chance of winning.

For example, let’s say a national scholarship is offered for female high school seniors interested in a career in medicine; winners are selected based on their academic success and interest in the medical field. For such a scholarship, students should apply if (1), they are a female senior year student, (2) plan to pursue a career in medicine, (3) have excellent grades, (4) have extensive science and math courses in their high school curriculum, (5) have completed numerous hours of service as a student volunteer in the medical field (such as a student volunteer in a hospital) and (6) plan to take a curriculum in college that will prepare them for medical school. If a student has these qualifications and experiences, their application matches extremely well with the guidelines and intent of the scholarship and, therefore, they have a very good chance of winning the award.

In the scholarship example above, all female senior students are eligible to apply. HOWEVER, if a student’s grades are mediocre, her high school curriculum has limited science and math courses, and her activities include no community service hours, it is not recommended she apply. The odds of winning such a scholarship are poor because her competition (other student applicants) will possess vastly superior qualifications.

Again, college-bound students should focus on applying only to national scholarships that match their qualifications so they will have a reasonable chance of winning.