Staying Savvy of Scholarship Deadlines

With graduation right around the corner, the pressure is on for students to apply for as many scholarships as possible. It’s already stressful enough trying to navigate the excitement and challenges of senior year, and while scholarships are an important priority, we don’t want to add any deadline anxiety into the mix. Thankfully, there are plenty of tools you could use to keep track of your deadlines and to make applying for scholarships easy, painless, and time-efficient.  

Scheduling Tools 

• Calendars/calendar apps – whether you prefer a physical calendar or one that you could access from your phone, calendars are an old classic. Writing down your deadlines somewhere that you will consistently see them may help ensure that nothing slips through the cracks and sneaks up on you. Plus, a bonus for digital calendar apps: many of them have options to set notifications to remind you of upcoming deadlines as well, which is a game-changer.
• Agendas – agendas are a great tool to use because they make it easier to keep track of daily goals and to-dos in addition to remembering the day of your deadlines. Getting into the habit of opening your agenda every day and having a set of daily goals could keep you motivated, organized, and on track to submitting applications.
• Alarms and timers – while calendars and agendas are fantastic tools, they require you to check them often to remember and keep track of your deadlines. If you need a little extra reminder, you could try setting alarms on your phone to make sure that you have your deadlines in mind and that you’re checking your lists. Plus, these are great tools to use for time management when you’re sitting down to complete the applications as well.
• Digital spreadsheets – if your brain works more analytically, then digital spreadsheets could also be a wonderful tool. There are plenty of different spreadsheet products available, such as Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, and these tools are great for making organized lists and charts to keep track of not only your scholarships, but your deadlines, the scholarship requirements, whether you’ve completed and submitted the application, and so much more.
• The refrigerator – ah, the timeless classic. Sometimes the biggest motivator is seeing a list of scholarship dates on the fridge right before you open it every single day. Other times, the biggest motivator is having your parents consistently ask you about how your scholarship applications are going every time you walk into the kitchen. Posting your lists on the fridge doesn’t just remind you – it reminds your parents as well, which could indeed make all the difference. 

The Bottom Line

There are so many tools out there that could help you stay organized with your scholarships. The most important thing is getting started and making the effort to stay on the right track. And remember, don’t be afraid to experience some trial and error – the first or second option you try may not be a good fit, and that’s okay. With all the different options out there, you are guaranteed to find the method that works best for you.