Three things to do before submitting your scholarship application

As a high school student, you've probably been thinking about applying to college and how you're going to afford the rising costs of tuition. While continuing your education can be an expensive undertaking, there are also many scholarship opportunities available if you're willing to do the work. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 66 percent of undergraduates were awarded some form of financial assistance during the 2007-2008 school year.

Many scholarships require you to submit an essay as the bulk of your application, so it's important to provide a well-written piece to improve your chances of winning. Here are three things you should do before sending off the finished application.

Check for grammar and spelling mistakes
One of the mistakes that trips up too many young people is submitting a scholarship essay that has not been adequately checked for simple grammar and spelling mistakes. While it might seem like a minor error, an essay that's riddled with errors likely won't impress scholarship judges.

Answer the question
Even if you have written a great essay, it's important to double-check that you answered the question or topic posed to you by the application. Reread your paper and check to see if you stayed within the guidelines of the essay - making appropriate adjustments if you haven't.

Get someone else to read it
While doing your own proofreading will help improve the quality of your application, sometimes you need a different pair of eyes to identify issues you may have overlooked. Have a friend, sibling or parent look over your application to offer suggestions on how you could make it better.

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