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The  

Scholarship

  for which you're applying has an essay requirement, but you have a better essay topic idea or perhaps you think it would help if you included your artwork with the application. After visually scouring the application, however, it doesn't say anywhere that either is allowable. Humph.

Still, you can't help but think that if you did bend the rules a bit, you would have a better chance of winning. Truth? You really don't know - something different may get you Money, or get you ignored or disqualified! So, what's a money-needy student to do? Let's see what the Scholarship judges have to say.

It's Okay to Bend the Rules...

Sometimes sneaking a little extra something into your scholarship application package can be to your benefit, but only if it gives additional insight into what makes you unique, says Maria Lombardo, scholarship judge of 18 years and director of education for the National Italian-American Foundation (www.niaf.org). One student that really stood out as a good scholarship applicant, recalls Lombardo, was an artist who, because of a physical problem, "felt like he was an odd human being." He wasn't asked to send in any artwork, but he did. I was really amazed at how his hardship "was all coming out on this canvas," Lombardo recalls.

In a case like his, she says, including something extra was helpful because it shed light on something the application didn't. Students like these, explains Lombardo - ones who submit something like a piece of music, art, or a published work of writing - are often perfect examples of ambition and achievement. "You know they're serious," she confirms.

...Or is it?

Not all scholarship judges, however, would agree. Just follow the directions, says Sherrill Kirchhoff, scholarship judge for 16 years and scholarship program manager of the Oregon Student Assistance Commission.

"It's such a simple common sense thing that it makes even the 4.0 student fall out of the winner's circle," she explains. When the application calls for a one-page essay, writing three pages will not be better, says Kirchhoff. Think of your readers - would they want to read 300 pages of essays or 100, she asks?

And, when it comes to extra material, Kirchhoff adds, often there are so many applications that any unrequested material is discarded.

Of course, bending the rules is not always about adding unrequested documents to your application. Twisting an essay topic to fit you better, can be rewarded by some judges and just annoy others. Lombardo finds this a positive characteristic. "I kind of admire that a little because [the student is] thinking... that's abstracting; that's far better," she says.

Deciding Which You Should Do Before you decide to include an application-extra or put any effort into altering your essay topic, think: Will it illuminate something new about me that appeals to the scholarship organization's ideals, cause, or mission?

Something like writing an unrequested cover letter, supports Lombardo, may impress her briefly, but it doesn't give any insight into the uniqueness of the person and isn't going to influence her final decision.

Consequently, if you do want to bend the rules, first contact the organization, explain what you want to do, and ask if you may. Then, go for the money!


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Amanda Fornecker is a staff writer at The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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