Fear of Applying for Scholarships: When Money Doesn’t Seem Worth the Effort, What to Do About It?

We’ve all been there – sitting and watching Netflix when we’re supposed to study, work, or fill out applications. Creating distractions and “important” work instead of doing something that might actually benefit us in the long run.

The go-to solution is to “find” motivation, or meditate, or convince ourselves that we can do it. But, the truth is, these are often temporary and quite unreliable fixes.

So what’s the real secret? There is none – you gotta do what you gotta do.

That being said, when it comes to scholarship applications, there are a few adjustments/considerations worth mentioning.

The Cost of Giving In

First off, let’s consider the alternative – you actually giving in and not doing the work.

This means that you will be missing out on dozens, if not hundreds of great scholarships, where you have high chances of winning the money.

It might give you a little more time for watching TV shows and/or sleeping, but what is the actual cost of that?

By not doing the work, you are piling a debt that will have to be repaid at some point. There is a reason you are seeking scholarships – you could use the money. So, if you need this money, odds are that at some point you might have to start working during your studies – if you already don’t – to collect it.

Now, what’s better: filling out applications or working 8- or 10-hour shifts?

The Great Pull and Mystery of a Couch

Still, we delay applying.

So, what is it about applications that makes us procrastinate?

Truth be told, the obstacles are not that different from those we face before doing chores, preparing for an exam, or, really, just getting off a couch, and doing some exercises.

Normally, we perceive these things to be extra hard. And it seems as if we eek and retract from this perceived difficulty, leaving it to the time when we have no other choice but to bypass our fears and do them.

But, in reality, they should be done either way – and often, once we actually start doing them, we realize it wasn’t so bad, after all. Ever had that happen to you?

It’s more of a mental game. And it’s won by understanding and preparation.

Now, previously, you might have been right – after all, who would want to spend hours browsing for scholarships, and filling out applications, only to find out they were a hoax?

Luckily, with the ScholarshipOwl platform, you don’t have to worry about this – our scholarships are vetted rigorously and consistently, so you always get the real deals.

Do I Really Have to Type That… Again?

Onto the more practical part – even with all the verified scholarships, you still have to fill out the data about yourself and do the requirements.

In terms of creating a profile, ScholarshipOwl does everything we can to make the administrative part super easy – you fill out the profile once, and it gets applied to every future application. So you don’t waste time writing the same info over and over again. Drudgery can be a big part of the procrastination equation.

When it comes to requirements, you could even skip that part with our one-click scholarships. You simply fill out your profile and start clicking. Click, click, click – already applied to three scholarships!

However, we do not recommend this – we actually encourage you to put in the work. Why? Because the scholarships with additional requirements are: a) usually worth more, and b) your chances of winning are much higher.

So how do we go about that?

Essays Are Not Nuclear Physics

The most common requirement for scholarships is an essay. And, yes, essays can be boring, but – only if you don’t know what to do. It’s the process of figuring things out that makes it so frustrating and ultimately causes us to give up.

ScholarshipOwl has gathered tons of resources to help you with this. Check out our free ebook on essay writing, and browse our blog for topic-specific essays to get ideas about what you can do. It will make the whole process much easier and enjoyable. The same goes for motivational letters.

We’ve even created a distraction-free editor just for you, so you can focus on the task at hand and whip out that essay much more quickly.

The easiest and one of the most effective tips: just open your Google Doc, or our editor, and start writing. Whatever comes to your mind. For 1 minute, don’t think about anything except writing. No editing, no searching for the right phrase.

Not that bad, eh? Once you have the right draft, move to the editing process, and you will have your essay ready in no time.

The Other Side of (Scholarship) Coin

As we’ve looked at alternatives at the beginning of this article, we should also look at the outcome of applications.

Getting over the initial phases of procrastination and realizing it’s not as bad as you think, you will become accustomed to filling them out and applying for highly valuable scholarships. You can still supplement those, of course, with one-click scholarships, but the bulk of your applications should consist of scholarships with specific requirements.

Before you know it, the process becomes familiar and you will do it almost automatically, I.e. effortlessly. As the numbers of your applications rise, so will your odds.

And, then one day, it will happen – you will have won your first scholarship!

We promise you’ll be glad you didn’t choose that TV show over applying.

Apply? Would Love To!

Fear around applying usually boils down to procrastination.

ScholarshipOwl does everything in its power to make the process as easy as possible. But you still have to put in the work and keep on applying.

With smart tools and a little luck, you will be winning heaps of money!

Check out our student testimonials for more tips on how to optimize your application strategy and keep on applying!