Applying for scholarships can be a lot of work. Many require lots of paperwork, including essays, transcripts and recommendations. Getting all that material together on time, and keeping it all organized can be a challenge. This guest post comes from Scott Johnson, the international student advisor at North Hennepin Community College (NHCC), who has collected some advice for making that process a bit easier. Here’s what he has to say:
Group photo of the student award recipients who were recognized at the NHCC Foundation Scholarship Luncheon on August 21, 2012 (Photo: North Hennepin Community College on Flickr)
One college event that is always a highlight of my year is the annual scholarship luncheon. This is the event that recognizes recipients of scholarship funds given out by the NHCC Foundation Office, a charitable organization affiliated with the college. I have had international student advisees among the recipients for all the years I have worked at the college.
In the 2012-13 scholarship cycle, five of my 70+ advisees were selected for awards. I was lucky enough to sit at a table with three of them at the luncheon when they were recognized for this achievement.
After talking with this year’s scholarship recipients, I gained a new appreciation for how much work actually goes into applying for this scholarship, or any scholarship. Many of the recipients had developed personalized strategies for successfully managing the scholarship application process.
Here are six of the most important scholarship management strategies students have shared with me, as well as some of my own tips developed through working with students over many years. My hope is that this information, together with other advice that you receive on the topic, will help you maximize your chances of being selected as a scholarship recipient at whichever college or university you attend.
1. Start early
Often a scholarship application will require you to submit an essay highlighting your past achievements. It will be easier to write this essay if you already have a collection of relevant content that can be woven into the essay. For this reason, I suggest that students start gathering relevant content in advance of the actual application submission cycle.
Tip: Maintain a folder and add to it any documents that recognize your excellence and achievement in academic, extra-curricular and community-related activities.
2. Anticipate delays
Scholarship applications, particularly those for larger amounts of funding, will likely require multiple components such as essays, letters of recommendation, and transcripts. For some of these documents, particularly recommendation letters, you will have to rely on others. By starting early and allowing yourself plenty of time, you – in turn – maximize the chance that others will be able to fulfill your request before the deadline. Planning ahead will provide you with a cushion that can be used to offset any unexpected, but often inevitable, delays.
Tip: Work backwards from your deadline to construct a timeline for assembling your application. Consider using an electronic calendar platform – like Google Calendar or Apple’s iCal– to track your progress. Often these calendars can even email you reminders of the deadlines you’ve set for yourself.
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