If you’re looking to graduate post-secondary without massive debt, applying to scholarships is a must! However, scholarship committees often receive a high volume of applicants. It is essential to find ways to make yourself stand out from the crowd. One of the best ways to do this is through volunteering. Here are some of the top ways volunteering helps you win scholarships. 

1. Demonstrating Character

Your volunteer experience provides a sense of who you are that your academic record alone can’t demonstrate. Being a volunteer lets scholarship committees know that you’re a leader. It shows that you take initiative and that you are dependable. These are all great qualities that scholarships look for. They will know that their money will be well-spent with you.

2. Showing You Care

Additionally, volunteering helps you win scholarships by showing scholarship committees that you care about your community. Post-secondary institutions offering scholarships want students that will build community on campus and increase the reputation of the school. Other organizations offering scholarships want to know that they are growing their community impact by investing in you. Volunteering lets them know that you care about your community and that rewarding you with a scholarship will result in even more impact.

3. Boosting Your Essays

Volunteering helps you win scholarships by giving you a boost when writing scholarship essays, too. Most scholarship applications usually have an essay or other writing component. The prompts are often open-ended questions, such as “describe yourself” or “what is important to you”. Instead of telling them you’re hardworking, you can show them with your volunteer experience. In describing the actions you did while volunteering, you can demonstrate your strongest skills in action. Describing the impact of your volunteer experience also gives you great accomplishments to highlight in a way that is authentic and not showing off. The unique impact you created will help you stand out from the crowd.

Although having a lot of experience volunteering helps you win scholarships, what matters most is the impact you create. Scholarship committees can tell when a student just volunteered to accumulate hours and when a student is actually passionate about what they are doing. Try to find or create volunteer opportunities that align with your personal beliefs, interests, or field of study. Passion for what you do will shine through in your applications and make you stand out to scholarship committees. 

If you want support in standing out to scholarship committees even more, GrantMe can help. We provide personalized scholarship matches, essay editing, and mentorship from past winners to maximize your scholarship success. Learn more and start your scholarship journey today.