Scholarship Packet 

10 

Top Ten Mistakes Made on Scholarship Applications 

By Laura DiFiore 

1.

Forget to include your name and/or address! You would be surprised 
how many students do not include their name or address on an 
application! 

 
2.

Submit an incomplete application. Make sure you include all required 
references, photos, transcripts, and essays.  

3.

Be rude or abusive to the judges. Telling the judges that they will burn in 
Hades if they don’t pick don’t pick you, or that they are idiots because 
they don’t accept applications from students in your major is a sure-fire 
way to guarantee you will NOT be considered for this application, and 
that the judges will tell all their judge friends how nasty you are.  

4.

Submit a dirty application. Use a plate for your lunch, not your 
application. Don’t spill beer on your application! 

5.

Apply when you do not meet their minimum requirements. If they require 
a minimum 3.0 GPA and you have a 1.2 GPA, don’t waste your time! 

6.

Send it “postage due.” Oops! 

7.

Mail the envelope but forget to out the application in it. Surprisingly 
common! 

8.

Submit inappropriate supporting documentation, such as including a 
picture of you at age 6 months when the application asks for you to 
include a photo, or including a copy of your arrest record as a reference! 
(This really happened!) 

9.

No one can read your application. The use of fancy, hard to read script 
typefaces on your essay pr handwriting that even a doctor would be 
ashamed of.  

10.

Spelling errors! Even ONE spelling error can doom your application! 
Remember, if you do not take the time to spell-check your application, 
the judges won’t take the time to read it!