Points To Remember Before Applying For A Scholarship Program

Scholarship is best thing that can happen in one’s academic career. Students and parents always fancy probability of getting scholarship as it reduces their financial burden. Here you will find points to remember before applying for scholarship programs or attending such programs.

Scholarship is a financial aid for a student that helps them to further their education. Usually they are awarded by educational institutions, corresponding government or by an individual person or organisation.

Types of Scholarships

Scholarships can be classified as:

• Merit-based: These awards are based on a student’s academic, artistic, athletic or other abilities. The most common merit-based scholarships, awarded by either private organizations or directly by a student’s intended college, recognize academic achievement or high scores on standardized tests. Most such merit-based scholarships are paid directly by institution, rather than issued directly to student.
• Student-specific: These are scholarships for which applicants must initially qualify based upon gender, race, religion, family, and medical history, or many other student-specific factors.
• Career-based: These are scholarships awarded by institution to students who want to pursue a specific branch of study. Mostly they are awarded to students who choose to pursue a career in most needed areas such as teaching or nursing.
• College-specific: Individual colleges and universities offer College-specific Scholarships programs to highly qualified applicants. These scholarships are given on basis of academic and personal achievements.
• Sport-specific: These types of scholarships are awarded to students who excel in sports. Institutions that offer these scholarships evaluate achievements of student in his/her preferred sport. The institutions will also take pleasure of training student to further excel in that particular sport as students represent them in various competitions.
• Brand scholarships: These scholarships are sponsored by a brand that is trying to gain attention to their brand, or a cause. Sometimes these scholarships are referred to as branded scholarships.
• Contest scholarships: These scholarships are given to students after conducting contest on a particular topic. Contest scholarships are also called mini project based scholarships where students can submit entries based on unique and innovative ideas.

How to succeed in getting scholarships

Scholarship programs always attract numerous applications. In order to stand-out from group, follow these simple steps:

Apply wisely: Best way to get your application rejected is applying for scholarships that you are not qualified for. Always apply for scholarship that suits your academic, sports or other abilities and achievements.

Applying for scholarships that you are not qualified is simply waste of time and energy.

Impressive presentation: Most of the scholarships are applied online nowadays. But still there are many organisations that demand written applications. Select a good pen that does not leave ink impressions. Fill in your details with a good and neat handwriting. Avoid over writing and striking out. Make sure that your application document looks clean and clear.

Be honest and transparent: Scholarships are awarded only after personal interview. Keep in mind that you will be asked questions about qualification and preferences you wrote on your application. Do not try to fool who is evaluating you with fake details. This will never prove good and eventually you will be declined scholarship.

Be creative: If you want to stand out, you have to be creative and unique. Most of the applications will have some specific questions that you can answer only on your personal experiences. Answer honestly and use words that can connect you and examiner, so that they can feel a personal touch.

To have an initial boost to your academics, Scholarships prove to be great. It relieves you as well as your family from all financial burdens your family goes through to enrol you into a good school or college. It also makes you a known student well before another student and makes you teacher favourite as well. Thus, keep above points in mind and fill your Scholarship Program application form accordingly.