Top Ten Mistakes Made on Scholarship Applications

1. Forget to include your name and/or address. You would be surprised how many students do not include their name or address on an application!

2. Submit an incomplete application. Make sure you include all required references, photos, transcripts, and essays.

3. Be rude or abusive to the judges. Telling the judges that they will burn in Hades if they don’t pick don’t pick you, or that they are idiots because they don’t accept applications from students in your major is a sure-fire way to guarantee you will NOT be considered for this application, and that the judges will tell all their judge friends how nasty you are.

4. Submit a dirty application. Use a plate for your lunch, not your application. Don’t spill beer on your application!

5. Apply when you do not meet their minimum requirements. If they require a minimum 3.0 GPA and you have a 1.2 GPA, don’t waste your time!

6. Send it “postage due.”

7. Mail the envelope but forget to out the application in it. Surprisingly common!

8. Submit inappropriate supporting documentation, such as including a picture of you at age 6 months when the application asks for you to include a photo, or including a copy of your arrest record as a reference! (This really happened!)

9. No one can read your application. The use of fancy, hard to read script typefaces on your essay pr handwriting that even a doctor would be ashamed of.

10. Spelling errors. Even ONE spelling error can doom your application! Remember, if you do not take the time to spell-check your application, the judges won’t take the time to read it!

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Tips: What to Do with a Scholarship Application Essay

1. Answer the Question. Review the question asked by the application. Has the student completely answered it? If not, what additional info needs to be included? How can it be effectively inserted into the text?

2. Be Original. Is the essay individual and creative or does it give an unexciting narrative?

3. Be Individual. Scholarship officers want to learn about the student and his or her writing ability. Is the essay meaningful and descriptive, about the student’s feelings and not entirely about actions?

4. Don’t “Thesaurize” the Composition. Big words used inappropriately make for clunky, unconvincing essays.

5. Use Imagery and Clear, Vivid Prose. A lot of students who come to us are not ease with using imagery so it’s up to us to see that all of the reader’s senses are engaged.

6. Spend Most of Your Time on the Introduction. Expect scholarship officers to spend 1-2 minutes reading the essay. The introduction should grab the reader’s interest from the beginning. Some things to keep in mind:

* Don’t summarize in the introduction. If you summarize, the scholarship officer need not read the rest of your essay.
* Create mystery or intrigue in your introduction. It is not necessary or recommended that your first sentence give away the subject matter. Raise questions in the minds of the scholarship officers to force them to read on. Appeal to their emotions to make them relate to your subject matter.

7. Relate Body Paragraphs to the Introduction. The introduction can be original but cannot be silly. The paragraphs that follow must relate to the introduction.

8. Use Transitions. Applicants continue to ignore transitioning to their own detriment. Use transitions within paragraphs and especially between paragraphs to preserve the logical flow of the essay. Transitions are not limited to phrases like “as a result, in addition, while, since, etc.” but includes repeating key words and progressing the idea. Transitions provide the intellectual architecture to argument building.

9. Conclude with a bang. The conclusion is the last chance to persuade or impress the reader. In the conclusion, avoid summary since the essay is usually short to begin with; the reader should not need to be reminded of what was written 300 words before. Also, do not use stock phrases like “in conclusion, in summary, to conclude, etc.”

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Writing a Cover Letter/Personal Essay for a Scholarship

1. Use your resume as the database for the cover letter or essay. If you cannot include your resume with the cover letter or essay, as in most scholarship applications, you will need to include all information from your resume in the letter.

2. Divide the material into specific areas, just as you would in a resume. These almost always include education, scholarships and awards, work experience and goals. Other categories you may or may not qualify for such as volunteer work, research projects, conference papers or presentations, independent study projects, affiliations, language and skills.

3. You will need a strong organizing thesis statement or umbrella statement at the beginning in order to indicate the key categories that make you a good candidate.

4. Introduce each section with a clear topic sentence, indicating which area you plan to discuss. They should contain key words to help direct the reader.

- I have always chosen challenging courses, and have an excellent/ very good/ good academic record.
- My academic achievement is demonstrated by the numerous scholarships I have received both at the high school and university level.
- I have developed strong leadership skills, and know how to interact with a wide variety of other people while working several different jobs…
- I have done a fair amount of community service including…
- My independent research projects have strengthened my skills in laboratory work and developed in me an eye for details.
- Tutoring has taught me to work diplomatically and successfully with a wide variety of students.
- Travel has played a large role in shaping my view of others and of cultural differences.

5. Your discussions should be result oriented. As a result of working at a bank, you value accuracy, efficiency and understand job responsibility.

6. You should stress the qualities and areas of expertise that make you good candidate for the scholarship. To do this, refer to the qualifications listed with the scholarship. So, for example, if the committee considers financial need when deciding upon the candidates, make a point of your financial need but not in a tacky way. Committees often look for such things in a candidate as well:
* Knowledge of chosen field, carefulness of work
* Motivation, enthusiasm, seriousness of purpose
* Creativity, originality, ingenuity of problem solving
* Ability to plan and carry out research, organization
* Ability to express thought in speech and writing
* Maturity, emotional stability, ability to withstand stress and face challenges
* Leadership skills
* Self-reliance, initiative, independence, adaptability
* Responsibility
* Ability to work well with others
* Growth potential, desire to achieve, dedication to goals

7. You will need a concluding sentence that wraps the letter up and summarizes key strengths.

8. Choice of words is important. Achieve a balance between bragging and modesty. Avoid exaggerations and cliches but do not down play your worth. A list of active word is included, as well.

9. Proofread your letter/essay. Consider grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Avoid wordiness. Be clear and concise.

10. Format the letter as a letter. That means addresses and the date at the top, a greeting (Dear Mrs. Wolf,) a closer (Sincerely,) and a signature above your name in print.

11. Format the essay as an essay. If they’ve asked for an essay, do not submit a letter.


*) More often than not, scholarships only require either a cover letter or personal essay. If only one is required, the body of text and guidelines remain the same but the format is done accordingly. If both are required, think of the cover letter as a small, tight introduction to the personal essay. If a cover letter, personal essay, and resume are required then the cover letter introduces you, the purpose for sending the packet of stuff you’re sending, and gives a brief overview of what to expect in the resume. The personal essay becomes an expansion of the resume as well as a source of information on those things we can’t glean from the resume or cover letter.

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Scholarship Application Form

Name of Applicant: _____________________________

Scholarship Mailing Address: _____________________________________________

Permanent Address: ____________________________
_____________________________________________
Telephone No: _________________________________
Fax No: ______________________________________
E-mail Address: _______________________________
Date of Birth: _________________________________
Birth Place: ___________________________________
Source of Scholarship Information: _______________________________


Scholastic Record

Current College/University: ________________________ City, State ___________

Prior College/University: ______________________ City, State ___________

Undergraduate degree from: ________________ City, State ___________

High School: ______________________________________ City, State ____________

Highest Degree Completed: AA, BA, BS, MA, MS,Other:___________________________
at (name of the school):____________________________

Major Field of Study: _____________________________

Degree Objective: BA, BS, MA, MS, PhD, Other: _______________________

Present Academic Standing: Junior, Senior, Master Course, PhD Course, Other:
_________________________________________

Anticipated Completion Date of the Current Study Program: ________________________

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Cover Letter Samples for Scholarships

SAMPLE COVER LETTER


Dear ________________:

I am a graduate student seeking my Master’s degree in the Department of Health Education and Recreation at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The purpose of the enclosed survey is to gather information about the number of accessible outdoor recreation facilities that your site provides. In addition, there are a few questions that ask your opinion about providing these facilities.

All site superintendents for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency will receive a copy of this survey. You were selected to participate in this study because of your knowledge of the area.

The survey will take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. All your responses will be kept confidential within reasonable limits. Only people directly involved with this project will have access to the surveys.

Completion and return of this survey indicate voluntary consent to participate in this study. Please use the return envelope provided.

Questions about this study can be directed to me or to my supervising professor, Dr.
_____________, Department of ___________, SIUC, Carbondale, IL 62901-xxxx*.
Phone (618) xxx-xxxx. (* 4-digit SIU mailcode)

Thank you for taking the time to assist me in this research.

Name
Phone number
E-mail (optional)

This project has been reviewed and approved by the SIUC Human Subjects Committee. Questions concerning your rights as a participant in this research may be addressed to the Committee Chairperson, Office of Research Development and Administration, SIUC, Carbondale, IL 62901-4709. Phone (618) 453-4533. E-mail: siuhsc@siu.edu

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Scholarship Interview Tips

Prepare in advance.

Ahead of time, consider the purpose of the interview. Review your UC application for admission as it may be brought up during your interview. Create mock questions you think might be asked. When formulating your answers, remember to emphasize your strengths.

Practice your interview skills with a friend.

Review your interview skills aloud with someone and brainstorm hypothetical situations the interview may encompass. Ask your friend to count the number of times you say "like" and "you know" to make sure you aren`t overusing such filler phrases.

Consider bringing letters of recommendation.

Letters of recommendation are optional. Submit them to your interviewer at the time of your interview. (Letters of recommendation sent to the office may not be considered.)

The Interview

Dress appropriately.

Dress comfortably for your interview, but not too casually. Rule of thumb: wear business casual and no more than two colors. If you are interviewing on the UC Berkeley campus, wear walking shoes.

Arrive on time.

Create a positive first impression by arriving on time.

Monitor your body language.

Good posture gives a confident impression. Keep your hands in your lap or on the table to seem calm rather than touching your hair and face.

Monitor your speech.

Answer in complete sentences when possible, avoiding interjections of "uhm", "like", and "you know". When asked a yes/no question, follow up with a brief, interesting detail that the interviewer might remember. If you don`t understand a question, it`s perfectly acceptable to ask the interviewer to rephrase or repeat the question.

Make eye contact.

Make eye contact throughout the interview. Avoid looking at the floor or ceiling while listening and speaking.

Volunteer information.

When offering information during an interview, remember that it`s the interviewer`s job to decide what`s pertinent and what`s not. It`s your job to "flesh out" your application with details that will convince the interviewer of your strengths. Prepare answers to questions you think might highlight desirable qualities or accomplishments. Phrase what you say about yourself positively. If you are asked why you performed poorly in the sciences, emphasize your talent in creative writing, for example, instead of enumerating excuses.

Be prepared with a good close. At the end of the interview, you may be asked whether you have questions or something to add. You can ask a question, add information that you prepared before the interview, or follow up on a topic covered during the interview itself. Good closure shows that you have been engaged in the exchange. Thank the interviewer for giving you the opportunity to meet and make a timely exit, i.e. avoid running out, but also refrain from lingering.

What to avoid.

-Don`t ...
-chew gum
-tell sob stories
-yawn
-look at your watch
-appear bored
-fidget

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Cover Letter Sample for a PhD Position

August 1, 20xx

Personnel Department

Faculty of Applied Computation

University of ........,

......, Jakarta

Dear Selection Committee Members,

I am writing in response to the advertisement as regard vacancy for Doctoral Grant for the project of on sparse tensor approximation methods for high-dimensional transport problems at Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Applied Computation. I respectfully submit this letter of application, for I believe my experiences are well qualified to meet the needs of the project.

I graduated from Master in Computation program at ......... University in Jakarta, Indonesia at 20xx. I am currently a student at Master of Science in Complex Computation programme in the same university and fully expect to complete my degree by December 20xx.

I work at Institute of Computation. Five years experience as a lecturer for Institute of Computation keens my experience in the application of computation in many fields. I also conducted project supervision for my student in those research areas. I achieved teaching experience also as a visiting lecturer in some universities in Jakarta. Besides my main responsibility, I also accomplished some research independently or in a team mainly in complex computation. These practices give me skill in the application of complex computation.

My studies in Computation and Complex Computation program in ........ University not only provide me strong background and research experience in computation but also in its application in many fields. Several projects and course provide me broad view of computation problem in various fields. I also have gained valuable experience in solving real problem

I believe with these educational values that I possess, pursuing a PhD will add more to it and expose me more to areas where Computer science knowledge are relevant and in addition, put into practice what I have learnt so far. I have enclosed the application form, my CV, certificate and transcript. I look forward to hear from you soon. Thank you very much for your consideration.

Sincerely,

......

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