In searching for scholarships to help fund my college education (whether from the institution, local organizations, etc.), I realize that most of them require information about leadership and community involvement. My high school academic record is average in my opinion, but what I’m worried about is the leadership skills that these persons want proof of. Not every student is outgoing whether in their school or otherwise, and I consider myself one of those kinds of students. How do I get around this? I know that when it comes to funding from local organizations that they may not actually check out your story to see how true it is, but I don’t want to lie just to get a scholarship.
Not all scholarships require leadership or service. Most are based on gap and test scores.
Please do not consider fabricating any part of your college application or outside scholarship. That could end up in a severe consequence. If you lied you may be easily sniffed out when your letters of recommendation don’t add up to those accomplishments and if admitted you could be dismissed from college at any time and owe back all aid funds you ever received and be prosecuted. It is like shoplifting a lipstick and going to jail for a stupid thing not to mention shows a huge lack of character.
Now the best way to get funds is from a school that will give you an award for 4 years. So pick schools where your stats are tops for their pool and where they actually have funds to give and a policy to give them. Outside awards can be based on major, ethnicity, and other factors too. But outside awards and often one time things and small compared to a college award. Schools that want leadership do want doers. Schools that want communtiy service value people who will devote their time to others. You don’t have to be particularly outgoing to help others, there are many ways to do that.
You are who you are. Not everyone is eligible to scholarship and there is an obvious reason for that. Check if there is any local scholarship that is not based on academic performance primarily but heritage, intended major, etc. Nevertheless, they may still be competitive.
Leadership skills do not necessarily have to mean being president of your class or club or captain of a team. It could be a small group project you worked on at school where you helped guide the group to get the project/paper/lab finished, a volunteer job where you somehow stepped up the plate to help distribute gifts to needy at xmas but pulled a small group together to assist, a time when a friend or relative was sick and you helped get a group of people together to visit. Do you play sports? Was there a time when the team was behind and tried to motivate the team on the sidelines or with your play? Look at the little stuff and pull it all together. None of this is grandiose and gets a lot of publicity, but you can certainly find something in your life where you stepped up to the plate. You won’t be lying and making stuff up, you will just show how you lead in everyday life.
Great ideas from @mamom about thinking more broadly. Do you have a job? Any babysitting, petsitting, tutoring experience? Scouts? Think about things you do on a regular basis that require leadership, initiative, etc. This is a useful exercise not only for outside scholarship apps but also for your applications–essays, interviews, etc.
You say in your opinion that your academic record is average. Would you care to expand? Perhaps then CC regulars can make helpful suggestions based on your actual stats.
When I say my record is average I mean that I’m not a straight A student, I get Bs and Cs sometimes, but at the end of my last three years in high school I was one of the top three students in my class. I’ve received a couple of awards over the years too, for my placement in classes and outstanding performance in external examinations.