Written by Senaya Kiruwanagamage
With the promise of getting accepted into their dream programs, many students with post-secondary prospects dedicate every waking hour to the application process. This process is filled with hours and hours of hard work, dedication, and commitment. The excessive amount of work put into balancing academics, community service, and extracurriculars are all rights of passage for students entering post-secondary. But with all of the hours put into this extensive process, many students tend to forget or choose to not apply to scholarships.
Scholarships can help harbor students financially, considering how costly post-secondary costs rack up to be. Many students forget to apply or believe that they are underqualified, and due to this, many scholarships end up with little to no applicants. This is why it is so important that students take the time to apply to them because the chances of getting scholarships can be greater than expected.
While it is hard to balance all of the responsibilities taken upon a student in secondary school while simultaneously applying to scholarships, some strategies can help unburden your shoulders. Some of the most simple strategies can prove to be the most effective. Here are some of the best strategies to balance your workload and help you find the time to apply to scholarships too: planning, organization, time management, and research.
Planning proves to be helpful and the best way to start applying for scholarships. Making clear plans, reminders, calendars, and keeping schedules can help you keep track of due dates (Hoyt, 2019). Making personal due dates is also very helpful when working with definite deadlines like scholarships. It involves planning each step and giving yourself deadlines for each of them. It keeps you accountable for your progress and can help motivate you to get everything you need to do on time. But it is crucial to leave some time before the deadline for editing, or finishing touches. Having a color-coded calendar that is always in your line of vision can also be very helpful in keeping you to date with your deadlines.
Doing research is an extension to planning and can help you find scholarships that best cater to your experience and your line of interest (Okun, 2021). Even spending a couple of minutes a day can help you broaden your search and find new and exciting opportunities. Researching the beginning of the school year can prove to be beneficial and can give you a head start to start applying. You could also take advantage of the scholarships that are offered during the summer.
With the amount of information that you collect, you are bound to lose and forget what requires what. To avoid this extra source of stress, you can try to implement an organization system like a spreadsheet. You can track the scholarships you want to apply to, resources needed, due dates, progress, and background information. Being organized can take away any unnecessary stress from collecting and remembering what requires what.
But collecting and organizing large amounts of information can be tedious and can be time-consuming. This can take away time from filling in applications, working on school, extracurriculars, or taking some time for yourself. To be more productive, try to practice better time management techniques like personal due dates, making goals, limiting distractions, and timing methods like the Pomodoro technique.
These strategies not only help you manage the workload of the preparation for post-secondary but also help you find time for yourself. These strategies can help you feel more prepared and on top of your work.
Another very essential strategy for managing stress with the pressures of post-secondary preparation and applying to scholarships is taking breaks. Many students tend to undermine the importance of burnout, leaving no motivation to continue and not putting in their best work. Finding time to take breaks is key; take a walk, go outside, call your friends, or even do some baking. Destressing and relaxing is the best way to reduce your stress. Keying in the time for meditation or mindfulness can do wonders for your stress.
Scholarships may seem out of reach and the number of applicants can be daunting, but your qualifications and your effort can sometimes make you the best applicant. Don't make the same mistakes other students have made. Apply to scholarships to make your post-secondary transition a little bit easier.
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