By TamaraHave you ever applied to a scholarship and were absolutely sure the answer to “do I deserve a scholarship” was YES!? Let me give you some advice; don’t count your chickens before they hatch! Sure, when I first started applying for scholarships, I was a bit cocky and secretly thought people would start throwing money my way because of my grades and obvious talent—but that’s not quite how it panned out.In fact, I applied to 25 scholarships before I ever won my first award. What was I doing wrong? As it turns out, nothing; you just have to understand that many scholarship programs are subjective, especially those that include an essay.Depending on who is reading your submission, it may sail through to the finals or end up in the rejection pile. For example, I’ve submitted the same creative writing story to five contests. I received first place once, third place twice, and did not place at all in two contests. Go figure.But what I learned was that scholarships are an odds game; the more you apply, the better your chances of winning. I also reminded myself that I’m deserving of winning a scholarship, no matter the outcome because. . . .Why do I deserve a scholarship? Here are some awesome reasons1. I’M HARD WORKINGI work hard in school and out of school. I never give up, even when things get tough. I always try my best, and I’m proud of the progress I’ve made.2. I’M ACTIVE IN MY COMMUNITYI care about making my community a better place. I’ve volunteered at the local library, food bank, and animal shelter. I’ve also helped to organize community clean-up days.3. I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT MY FUTURE CAREERI know what I want to do with my life, and I’m passionate about it. I’ve shadowed professionals in my field of interest, and I’ve done research on the best schools for my chosen career.4 I’M PERSISTENTA genuine advantage that you need in order to be successful at scholarships. If you apply to a few and then give up, you’re implying that you don’t deserve to win. I refuse to accept it, and my perseverance has been rewarded.5. I’M UNIQUEThankfully, there is only one of me. This means the chances of someone entering the exact same scholarship application as mine is highly unlikely. It’s up to me to find a way to highlight the special qualities I possess, so others see them, too.6. I CAN OVERCOME OBSTACLESPlease tell me I can’t do something because I’ll try even harder to prove you wrong! Like many other students I know, I’ve traveled a bumpy road to get to where I am today, but those obstacles gave me strength and helped me appreciate the truly important things in life. Carry your scars like badges of honor!If you possess these qualities as well, you must do one more thing in order to win a scholarship — apply! You can’t win if you don’t apply, and although you’ll probably lose more contests than you win, just opening one “congratulations” letter is so worth the effort and reward.If you believe you are truly deserving of a scholarship, here’s one you should not pass up — the Unigo Top Ten List Scholarship. Simply submit 10 reasons why you should receive $1,500 for college and you could be the lucky winner. I believe in you, so now it’s time for you to believe in you. Just be sure to submit your essay before December 31, or like this year, this scholarship will be gone.Looking for more scholarships? We have over 3 million in our Scholarship Directory, but if you need more help paying for college, check out our LoanFinder.