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Effective Scholarship Application Tips

The document provides tips for writing effective scholarship essays and resumes, noting that essays should convey who you are as a person while resumes inform donors of your accomplishments, and both should demonstrate your uniqueness, insights, and why you deserve funding. It also lists common mistakes to avoid, such as not answering the prompt or repeating information. Content ideas suggested include personal anecdotes, goals, and community involvement as they relate to the topic.

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Sandhya Natarajan
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49 views3 pages

Effective Scholarship Application Tips

The document provides tips for writing effective scholarship essays and resumes, noting that essays should convey who you are as a person while resumes inform donors of your accomplishments, and both should demonstrate your uniqueness, insights, and why you deserve funding. It also lists common mistakes to avoid, such as not answering the prompt or repeating information. Content ideas suggested include personal anecdotes, goals, and community involvement as they relate to the topic.

Uploaded by

Sandhya Natarajan
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Effective Scholarship Application Tips

Essays: The goal of the Scholarship Essay is to provide scholarship evaluators and donors
an opportunity to learn more about you as a person beyond your GPA, test scores, and major/degree choice. Your essay allows you the opportunity to help us learn what makes you brilliant and uniquely qualified as an applicant.

Resume: A Scholarship Resume is different from a job resume in that while both contain
employment information or histories, the scholarship resume also allows donors to know what you are committed to in terms of community or volunteer service as well as academic awards and honors youve received.

Remember: The Scholarship Resume informs donors of what you are doing. The
Scholarship Essay informs donors of who you are.

Scholarship Essays are NOT:


Resumes: Donors are not looking for a repeat of your resume accomplishments Journal entries: There is a clear distinction between personally revealing and intimate details Formal essays: Donors are not looking for a scholarly publication. Rather the key here is to strive for a personal tone and voice that conveys sincerity.

Effective Essays:
1. Demonstrate insight Show who you are, how you think, how you decide to act, how you approach a problem, how you interact with your environment. 2. Demonstrate how you organize and express your ideas Show a logical progression of your train of thought. Your sentences should relate to each other with smooth transitions between changes in your story or introduction of new ideas. 3. Demonstrate uniqueness Show your unique attributes. Avoid generic, trite or meaningless statements. 4. Demonstrate effort in the application process Show that you engaged in the writing process. Seek feedback and assistance from other sources. 5. Demonstrate optimism Show that you are a worthwhile investment of donors dollars. Show that you have the attributes necessary to succeed academically and professionally. Now is not the time to bemoan your misfortunes.

Tips for Success:


Start early. Dont wait until the deadline to write your essay and pull your information together. Collect your materials. Make sure you know everything required for the scholarship application. Tell a compelling story. Yours! Identify what makes you unique. If you dont know, ask you friends, and family. Respond to the prompt. Direct your essay to respond to what the donor is asking. Relevancy of the award to your life. Looks for was that the award directly translates to an experience youve had, a goal you hold, or a dream you possess. Consider the audience. Dont assume that the scholarship evaluators will have in-depth or insider information if youre addressing a particular interest or area of study. Be concise. Succinct, clear, flowing essays that convey your meaning without unnecessary fluff. Be honest. Tell stories. If it helps explain your point of view. Write to be read and enjoyed. Be tactful. Own your accomplishments. Avoid comparing yourself to other students; rather seek to own what youve achieved.

Content ideas:
Personal anecdotes, as they relate to the essay topic Reasons for applying beyond needing the money Future educational/career goals Why you are a unique candidate Work experiences as the relate to the essay topic Mentors and what they have taught you Setbacks and Obstacles put more emphasis on how you overcame them Lessons learned Family obligations Volunteer work/Community involvement as it relates to the essay topic

Common mistakes:
Not answering the question Wrong tone/voice Listing accomplishments instead of lessons learned Repeating information especially repeating whats in your resume Too intimate balance sharing and professionalism False modesty its ok to be confident Hiding your voice trying to sound like someone you arent

Effect Resumes:
1. Are up to date Reflect who you are today. Donors are interested in what you are currently doing to further your education and grow professionally 2. Are concise Instead of listing everything youve ever done, highlight the activities that you want the donor to remember you by and list your accomplishments. No paragraphs. 3. Are quantifiable Note the hours, months, days, and years that you have committed your time to your activities, memberships, work experiences and volunteer efforts. 4. Are relevant to the roles you created State the relevant leadership roles or activities that you helped create. Its about showing your initiative. 5. Are error-free Show that you invested the time and effort into a thorough resume and application. And: Proof-Read and Spell Check! Dont rely on the spell-check on your word processing program. Have someone else review your resume and essay before you submit it.

For more information on writing personal statements:


UCD Writing Center, Central 206, 303-556-4845, http://clas.ucdenver.edu/writing/ UCD Scholarship Resource Office, 900 Auraria Parkway, Suite 259 Tivoli Student Union 303-352-3608 http://www.ucdenver.edu/student-services/resources/Scholarships/Pages/default.aspx UCD Career Center, Tivoli 267, 303-556-2250 [email protected] Writing Your Statement of Purpose for Grad School http://www.ucdenver.edu/life/services/careercenter/Pages/default.aspx

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