HOW TO WRITE A GREAT SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION.
Scholarships have been the lifelong saving grace of most students looking to study at international colleges.
Through scholarship grants, persons who would have not had the opportunity to study courses that they are interested in.
There is a wide stream of scholarship offers, ranging from partial scholarship that only covers tuition and few other benefits to full scholarships which cover all expenses for the duration of your studies. There are also sports scholarships, arts and culture scholarships, and the most common, academic scholarship and when applying for either of them, you have to be outstanding to catch the mind of the assessment panel.
With scholarship offers, undergrad or graduate students who can’t afford tuition and accommodation fees focus on getting accepted into a program so that these bills are paid for them and they can focus on fostering their education.
To be honest, scholarships are highly competitive, and undergrad university students fight hard to get accepted into these programs, but in the end, only a select few get their applications processed.
Your application is a huge determinant of your acceptance into a scholarship system, and also your financial status plays a role too as these scholarships are engineered to help those who can’t afford a full ride to such prestigious institutions on their own.
If you are looking to get scholarship funding, you should apply for more than one scholarship grant. Unless a university states otherwise, it is in your best interest to apply to multiple schools for a grant as this will increase your chances of getting into one or two schools’ grant offers.
Your scholarship application has to be unique enough to get you in, desist from using copy and paste systems as the vetting process involves removing the shaft from the grains, and what makes you grain is your unique story and personality so infuse that into your application.
In this blog post, we will be covering all you need to know about scholarships for international students and how to apply.
As always, information is power, and he who knows this wields the sword.
This applies to you looking to apply to different schools for scholarships, before you do that, carry out extensive research on the school and its system of operations.
Different schools have different guidelines and application requirements, so don’t try to be random, rather study their terms and apply in line with what they are offering.
This will increase your chances of getting accepted since you stuck to doing exactly what they requested of you.
Researching about your schools of choice also helps you know what not to include in your application form, the unnecessary information, and the documents that have no relevance to them.
You can visit the school’s website to learn more about your choices and the lifestyle experience of scholarship students.
Now that you are armed with knowledge about the different schools you will be applying to the next step is to ascertain your eligibility.
How to ascertain your scholarship eligibility status:
Most schools have an about section for their scholarship offers, you should visit the section and find out what qualifies a student for a scholarship.
Money constraints can put a lot of weight on the mind and lead to a lack of concentration in academic pursuits. A scholarship is a great way to make sure your finances are taken care of so you can fully focus on your academics.
Since you will be investing a lot of time in crafting your scholarship application it is only right that you choose a school that you are compatible with. Other requirements you can find here.
If you have covered the basics, then you should move on to how to craft a great Scholarship Application.
A great international scholarship application has all the Dos required of it, and none of the Don’ts. It is easy to read through and It definitely should not sound like a textbook read to the person processing your application.
Your essay should have a heart that will evoke the urgency of your situation.
Your Application should also have the following:
Simple Introduction:
When writing your introduction, keep it short, simple, and sweet. Throw in a well-crafted greeting to add a touch of personality to it.
Your Email address should not be unprofessional, or basic, it should be enough to make the judges take you seriously.
Tell your story, do not write a textbook or project outline. You are competing for this spot alongside many others so you need to go the extra mile to win, by being super creative. Don’t sell a sob story, be real with your experiences and you’re why.
Avoid errors in your text. Write with precision and alacrity to ensure that your sentences flow and your message is clear.
Don’t miss the deadline: You lose your chance to impress the judges the moment you submit your application too late so be cautious and write within the given timeline.
Asides from grades, extracurriculars are also important in helping you qualify for a scholarship. Especially leadership roles in activities, helps you set yourself up as reliable and accountable before the judges. A well-detailed description of your extracurricular and how it has helped you impact your society. You can learn more about crafting a good extracurricular portfolio here
Recommendations and Referrals: Recommendations help the judges better understand what you are about and referrals show that you are a person of value and will contribute immensely to the school.
Remember to stick to the guidelines and instructions stipulated by the scholarship board, and never submit an incomplete application as that is an automatic disqualification.
To stand out, your application has to be top-notch and detailed enough with every information required of you.
Dear applicant, before you send in that application, ensure that two professionals have gone through it, your school guidance counselor or Course advisor can help with that.
Pro Tip, local scholarships have less competition than others so you should start there.
This should help you write a great scholarship application. If you still have questions you can send them in.