Navigation Menu
  • Colleges
    • Get Matched To Colleges
    • Explore All Colleges
    • Colleges By State
    • Online Colleges
    • Review a College
  • Scholarships
    • Explore College Scholarships
    • Scholarship Match
    • Unigo Scholarships
    • $10K Scholarship
    • Unigo Scholarship Winners
  • Easy Scholarships
  • Unigo Scholarships
  • Student Loans
  • Articles
    • All Articles
    • Expert Admissions Advice
    • Get Ready for College
    • How to Pay for College
    • In College Tips
  • Log In
  • My Account
    • My Scholarship Match
    • My Saved Scholarships
    • My College Match
    • My Account
    • Log out
  • Sign Up!
  • Home
  • pay for college
  • financial aid
  • 3 things that make scholarship judges cringe

3 things that make scholarship judges cringe

Posted byUnigo Staff May 29, 2015November 17, 2022

By tkrause

If you’ve ever applied for a scholarship, you know that it can be frustrating trying to figure out what the scholarship committee is looking for in an application. There’s really no easy answer since every scholarship program has its own secret method of determining who gets the cash. Sometimes, it’s based solely on your academic record. Sometimes, it all hinges on your scholarship essay. And then, there are those programs that look at everything, including letters of recommendation, volunteer work, and even your finances. There are, however, some universal DON’TS when it comes to applying for scholarships. Here are three things that make all scholarship judges cringe.

Text lingo

text lingo
OMG, i’m so going 2 win this scholarship! NOT. Courtesy of rebloggy.com.

We get it. Your life is literally in the palm of your hands, and writing out every word is a pain in the ass on a smartphone. Although it may be fine to use omg, lol, wtf, and other text lingo with your friends, it’s definitely a no-no on scholarship applications. Want to know what the real kiss of death is? If you use “i” instead of “I” — that’s probably the quickest way to have your scholarship application tossed.

Rants that are off-topic

no ranting allowed
Courtesy of footballsfuture.com.

Passion is great, but it can easily turn into a soapbox tirade or come off as an angry rant. If you are tasked with writing about a subject that hits close to home (like our new $10,000 RESIST THE IST: DEFY STEREOTYPES SCHOLARSHIP) make sure you are staying on point and making a good case for your argument. Filling a page with random complaints or writing about something that has nothing to do with the scholarship essay prompt won’t help you get any closer to the winner’s circle.

Simple grammar mistakes

common grammar mistakes
You’re going to shine in your application. (See what we did there?) Courtesy of PWI New Horizons.

Along with text lingo, there’s another thing scholarship judges hate to see — simple grammatical mistakes. These generally fall along the lines of using there, their, and they’re incorrectly, but can also include other commonly misused words. Pay close attention to your choice of words and ALWAYS have someone edit your work before you hit submit. Any one of these mistakes could land your scholarship application in the “rejected” pile. It’s hard enough competing with hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of scholarship applicants, so do yourself a favor and don’t give the scholarship judges any easy reasons to eliminate you as a finalist. Take your time when completing scholarship applications and essays to ensure you have the best shot at winning the prize.

Post navigation

Previous Post Previous post:
5 Wonderfully Weird Scholarships For Just About Everyone
Next Post Next post:
5 common scholarship myths busted!

Scholarships

  • Athletic Scholarships
  • College-Specific Scholarships
  • Company-Sponsored Scholarships
  • Grants for College
  • Merit-Based Scholarships
  • Minority Scholarships
  • Our Scholarships
  • Scholarship Contests & Sweepstakes
  • Scholarships By Major
  • Scholarships By State
  • Scholarships By Type
  • Scholarships For Graduate Students
  • Scholarships For High School Students
  • Scholarships For Undergraduate Students
  • Weird Scholarships
Unigo Scholarship Database

© 2022 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Scholarship Providers
  • Add a Scholarship
  • Expedite My Scholarship
  • Promote My Scholarship
  • Start a Scholarship
Resources
  • Job Board
  • Student Deals
  • For Parents
  • For Counselors
TAKE ACTION
  • Review A College
  • College Match
  • Scholarship Match
  • Find a Loan
Social
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Financial aid may be available to those who qualify. The information on this site is for informational and research purposes only and is not an assurance of financial aid.

Privacy Policy   |    Terms of Use   |    FAQs   |    About Us   |    Disclosure: “What Determines Top/Best?”    |    Do Not Sell My Personal Information (CA and NV residents)

Disclosure: EducationDynamics receive compensation for the featured schools on our websites (see “Sponsored Schools” or “Sponsored Listings” or “Sponsored Results”). So what does this mean for you? Compensation may impact where the Sponsored Schools appear on our websites, including whether they appear as a match through our education matching services tool, the order in which they appear in a listing, and/or their ranking. Our websites do not provide, nor are they intended to provide, a comprehensive list of all schools (a) in the United States (b) located in a specific geographic area or (c) that offer a particular program of study. By providing information or agreeing to be contacted by a Sponsored School, you are in no way obligated to apply to or enroll with the school.

The sources for school statistics and data is the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

This is an offer for educational opportunities that may lead to employment and not an offer for nor a guarantee of employment. Students should consult with a representative from the school they select to learn more about career opportunities in that field. Program outcomes vary according to each institution’s specific program curriculum.

×

Sponsored Meaning Explained

EducationDynamics receives compensation for the featured schools on our websites (see “Sponsored Ad” or “Sponsored Listings” or “Sponsored Results”). So what does this mean for you? Compensation may impact where the Sponsored Schools appear on our websites, including whether they appear as a match through our education matching services tool, the order in which they appear in a listing, and/or their ranking. Our websites do not provide, nor are they intended to provide, a comprehensive list of all schools (a) in the United States (b) located in a specific geographic area or (c) that offer a particular program of study. By providing information or agreeing to be contacted by a Sponsored School, you are in no way obligated to apply to or enroll with the school. Your trust is our priority. We at EducationDynamics believe you should make decisions about your education with confidence. that’s why EducationDynamicsis also proud to offer free information on its websites, which has been used by millions of prospective students to explore their education goals and interests.

close