Maybe you got that little email a while back about the scholarship application being opened on MavZone. Hopefully, if you didn’t get the email, you saw it on a poster, read about it in a newsletter or somehow got the word that it’s open. If you didn’t – hey, the scholarship application is open on MAVzone.

But this isn’t just about the scholarship on MAVzone, it’s about scholarships in general. It’s nice to get scholarships, whether you come from money or not. It takes some of the college debt burden off your shoulders.

That being said, it is not always easy to get them. The first time I applied for scholarships, I was a high school sophomore shooting in the dark with a bunch of random online searches. While there are some success stories of people winning those big national scholarships, it’s another one in a million chance. The odds of earning one of those scholarships is slim. That’s why a strategy is so necessary.

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According to Dr. Curt Martin, Director of Financial Aid at Colorado Mesa University (CMU), there is a strategy that can help you work towards going to school for less. This strategy is called PLAN: prepare, look, apply, and never give up.

Preparing for a scholarship is always hard. The two main ways of preparing is by doing well academically or within a certain field, such as sports or community service. According to Martin, there are a lot of students who don’t earn scholarships coming in to CMU because they didn’t do well academically while in high school. For those who fit into this criteria, doing better in college or in one of those specified fields or programs is essential.

Martin stated that many scholarships applications require essays. Sometimes, whether or not you are awarded a scholarship hinges on the essay. Making sure your writing skills are up to par is essential in preparing.

Also, Martin says that getting involved in something while on campus, although not too many things to appear flighty, and working your way into a leadership position, looks really good on applications.

The second step, look, is extremely important as well. According to Martin most of the scholarships awarded at CMU are through Foundation Scholarships. Those scholarships are the ones you find on your MAVzone.

There are tons of places to look for scholarships, but not all reap benefits. Martin says that internet based scholarship searches aren’t as good as they used to be. There are a variety of scholarships other than these two options though. There are local opportunities offered by clubs and organizations in town, sometimes your parents’ place of employment offer scholarships, sometimes even the places you shop offer those random scholarships and other foundations are always an option.

The third step in this strategy for scholarships is apply. You will never win any scholarships if you never apply. “There is kind of an art to applying,” Martin said. There are multiple steps and components for nearly every application.

According to Martin, for scholarships offered through the foundation, sometimes there are hundreds of applicants for a single scholarship, sometimes there are only ten applicants to a handful of slots. Martin stated that scholarships that are related to certain majors can be very competitive for larger programs, such as business or nursing.

You need letters of reference, essays and sometimes you have to fill out additional paperwork. “You need to start making those connections,” Martin said. Those who offer scholarships want references from prominent people in the community. Also, never ask for a reference letter within the week. That is never enough time. Make sure that you give whoever you ask a reasonable amount of time. That, along with an amazing essay, and you are well on your way to earning a scholarship.

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Essays can make or break your ability to earn the scholarship. That is why you want to “make sure the essay is extremely well written,” Martin said. Utilize proofreading resources like the Writing Center or a really great professor, if they have the time.

The last step, is to never give up. You won’t win them all. No one does. But you can win way more if you don’t give up.

One of the key parts of this strategy is talking to the right people. Sure, IRIS is great for general questions, but if you need to talk money, scholarships and financial aid, you will want to make an appointment with an officer in the Financial Aid Office.