There are many reasons that organizations and individuals give out scholarships. They could be trying to reward a student's achievements, encourage a student that shows promise in a given activity, encourage students to go into a certain field of study, or any one of hundreds of different reasons.

Whatever the reason, they do not want to waste their money. Scholarship organizations want to be sure that their money is well used, and do not want to finance a student that will be dropping out of school after one semester. Because of this most scholarship applications ask for information other than just your GPA. A student that has done nothing else than get good grades has not proven that they can handle a busy college schedule with many demands on their time. Below are some of the activities that scholarship applications will ask for.Very few applications will ask for all of them, but the more you have, the better your chances of getting something.

1. GPA- While you don't need a 4.0, the better your GPA the better off you are.
2. SAT/ACT scores - Again, the higher the better. Try the test over if you think that you can get your score higher. Keep in mind that if you are good at math and English you'll do well on the SAT. If math and English are not your strong subjects, then you'll do better on the ACT, as it tests other subjects.
3. Clubs/Activities - Being involved in school shows that you are able to work with others, handle other demands on your time, and have outside interests.
   
4. Community service - Doing community service is not only a nice thing to do, but it shows that you are interested in your community and want to help other people. Keep in mind that helping others is important to people who give out scholarships. If it wasn't, they probably wouldn't be giving out the scholarship.
5.  Athletics - Participating in athletics shows that you can discipline yourself to go to practices, train, and still keep your grades up in school. You do not have to be the world's best athlete. Also, people like giving scholarships to students who are interested in the same sports they are.
6. Leadership - This doesn't have to be student council or the Leadership class. Are you the captain of a team, the chairman of a committee, or an assistant manager at work? Anything that shows you can take charge and get things done.
7. Work experience - Having a part time job shows that you are responsible and are trying to finance your education in other ways.
8. A GOOD essay - The people giving out scholarships actually read these, so make it interesting. Be creative, but stick to the topic. You were asked to write about a certain subject for a reason, so write about what you were asked. In addition, keep in mind that you are trying to show that you are an intelligent college-bound student, so check over your essay for spelling, punctuation and grammar errors. I'm sure your English teacher would love to help you out.
9. Need - This doesn't mean you have to be poor to get money. Does your family have 5 kids all going to school? Great! I don't care how much your parents make, you need money. Did your parents tell you that paying for school is up to you? You need money. Explain the situation on your application.
10. Special talents - Do you dance, play an instrument, rock climb, restore old cars, design clothes, paint, write poetry, etc? Anything that is special about you that will make you stand out from the crowd is great!