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Things to Prepare Before Applying a Scholarship

Getting a scholarship for an overseas study is a competitive process. This is because many people like you want the scholarship, but not all can be awarded. The cholarship money is simply not enough to fund all at once. Also, the scholarship providers want to ensure that only the best, well prepared applicants are selected and so the money is spent rightly and efficiently to what it is intended for. So, you have to be a winner!

Lots of people have won scholarship. You hear this every time. But how have they done this good job? Are they luckier or more superior or intelligent than others? No, they are not! If you ask them about the winning secrets are, they may simply give you the following lists: things to prepare or consider before applying a scholarship.

Academic certificate and transcript

Soon after graduation, do not wait. Obtain your original academic certificate and transcript, and make some copies of them. You need to certify them and, remember, that people at university are some times going somewhere when you need their signatures. More importantly, you need to translate both your academic certificate and transcript. Check around, there maybe some people have done the same. This will ease the task. If not, they are yours anyway. When you are done, it is wise to get other people to see them. They may give you valuable inputs, even correcting misspelled course names. Again, you need signatures of dean and rector on the translated version of your academic certificate and record.

Research proposal

You need to decide earlier which study route you are going to undertake – course or research or both. If you prefer a course-based study, you do not need a proposal. But if you are going to do a research, you definitely need a research proposal.

Good research proposal require time and energy to construct. So it is always better to prepare it earlier. Basically, the proposal will not be much different to the one you have done previously in your research as part of your undergraduate study. This will include background, objective, problems or questions to answer, hypothesis, methodology, and references. These are the essences of a proposal. For more on research proposal, read here and here

When you are done with those basic requirements, ask suggestions from others. When the application is open, check if the scholarship provider requires a bit more to what you have prepared.

Letter from intended university and supervisors

Download application form from the university website and fill it before send it back to the university. The university will respond you and issue you with a letter of acceptance. You may indicate in the form that you will begin your study next year, waiting for a scholarship which you are now struggling for. Most likely they will issue you with a conditional acceptance. They will keep reissuing this until you succeed with your scholarship application.

While your are in the website, go to your targeted department or school to find your potential supervisor. Even, this needs to be done first before filling in a admission form. The reason you will not studying in this university unless you have got an academic staff willing to supervise you. So get their email address, and make contacts with them. In the first time, you just need to introduce yourself, mention your academic background and your research proposal, and ask if he/she is available to supervise you. If they are busy because there are many students already under their responsibilities, don’t panic. Ask him/her if they know people around there who are still able to take additional students.

The good with the letter from university and supervisor when you have them at hand is that you can attach them to your application form and present them to the interviewers. These letters will increase your chances of winning the scholarship because the interviewers will so impressed that you are better prepared and have taken more advanced steps compared to other candidates. Read more..

Scholarship Applications that Win!

by Bill Reynolds at FreSch!

Tip #1. ATTENTION TO DEADLINES

Try and have your application arrive EARLY as possible, absolutely not after the deadline date! I like to send applications with a “return receipt requested” or “registered” to make sure they get there. I think that this also conveys a positive characteristic about the sender.

Tip #2 START YOUR APPLICATION WITH A “THANK YOU” COVER LETTER

Sample Packet Cover Letter

1111 WinOne Street

Pensacola, Fl 32503

9 September 1999

Mary Smith, President

Whatever Scholarship Committee

Orlando Central Parkway

Orlando, Florida (zip code)

Dear Ms. Smith,

This letter is an introduction of myself, (your name), and my desire to participate in the (whatever it is called) Scholarship Program. I have been accepted to (Name of your College) for the 1999 fall term.

I would like to thank you and the (whatever) Scholarship Committee for supporting college bound students with an opportunity for financial assistance through your scholarship program. Enclosed you will find my application form, high school transcript, ACT results, letters of recommendation, and other pertinent information. Again, thank you for your interest on my behalf and for the youth of our state.

Respectfully,

(your name)

Tip #3 ANSWER THE “MAIL”

While this seems obvious, you must construct your application to make it EASY for the committee to see that you have provided every thing that was required. I like to provide items in the order that they are listed in the application. If possible, do not mix items on the same page. In another tip I am going to tell you to add extra items that were not requested to give your application that something extra. However, DO NOT add extra items if you are specifically told not to add anything extra. This means that you can not follow directions if you add items when your are forbidden to do so.

Tip #4 ADD EXTRA ITEMS TO YOUR APPLICATION (if not forbidden).

This is where you get to be creative to find ways and things that present you in a positive light to the selection committee. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Write a short essay on MY EDUCATION/CAREER GOALS. Try to keep to one page but no more than two.

2. Write a paragraph or two on how this scholarship award will help you reach your education/career goals.

3. My son’s guidance counselor gave him a paper that congratulated him on being in the top 10% of his class and acknowledged his hard work to get there. We included this because it put him in a “positive light” and his hard work at his academics was recognized.

4. Before my son reached his 18th birthday, he registered for the Military Draft as required for all males when they reach the age of 18. He received a letter from the draft board congratulating him for doing his civic duty prior to his 18th birthday. You guessed it, this was also one of our “extra items”. A lot of scholarship committee members have military backgrounds or see this as good citizenship for this applicant.

5. One of the best extra items is a letter of acceptance for admission to “any” college. If the scholarship application is not for a specific college, you will be able to use the award at “any” college. You do not have to use it at the college you used in your application. Later you can get more college acceptance letters and when your make your selection you can notify the scholarship award committee of where to send the award. Therefore, any letter of acceptance shows that your are serious but it does not “lock” you into using the award at that college.

These are just a few examples to get you thinking. I would limit my extras to three or four at the most. Too many and you “sour” your application. Again, MAKE SURE you are not forbidden to add extra items before you do so.

Be creative to find things that make you look good and share them with the committee.

Tip #5 PERSONALIZE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

This is a tip that conveys you took the time to make this application special. When you have a letter of recommendation addressed to the specific organization or person that is administering the application process it says that you took the time and effort to make this letter “Special” for them. If all you have is a letter that starts “To Whom It May Concern”, it is better than nothing. But if you can personalize the letter it says you cared to send the very best.

SUB TIP #5a Offer to do the work for the writer of your letter of recommendation. For example, you want to apply to twenty scholarship programs. When you ask someone to write you “1″ letter of recommendation they say sure. When you say you need twenty letters they say “sorry” I don’t have the time. Once they write you one letter, ask if you can put it on the computer so the TO ADDRESSEE can be personalized for each application and your writer only has to “sign their name twenty times”. Now your writer is happy to help you because you have done the work and make it easy for them to help you. If they have nice letter head, ask for blank copies to be used in this process.

SUB TIP #5b This is an “ADD EXTRA ITEM/s” when the application does not require a letter of recommendation.

SUB TIP #5c Try and get three to five letters of recommendation in your files. This will let you pick and choose which one or ones to send in for a specific application. I would never send more than three for an application unless the directions ask for more. I will cover some tips to give your recommendation writer in a later TIP.

TIP #6 – PROOF READ ALL MATERIALS and NEATNESS IS A MUST When you write anything you must use correct grammar and spelling. If you have a problem in this area ask your English teacher to help you with proofreading your essay, cover letter, extra items you have included, and even letters of recommendation prepared by others. When there are hundreds or thousands of applications to review, correctness and neatness become the first screen out factor. Only when the “pile” is smaller does the content of your application start to become a factor in the selection process.

TIP # 7 – SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION IN A CLEAR PLASTIC FOLDER

Now that your application is complete, the final “presentation” tip is to place all of your items in a clear plastic folder, with a slide locking binder. I like the cheap clear ones so that your “Thank You Cover Letter” (Tip #2) is on top. For that final “touch” I also like to include a wallet size picture of the student in the lower left side of your packet. The next item/s in you application packet are those required in the application (Tip #3 Answer the mail). Next I add any extra items (if not forbidden) and finally I place any letter(s) of recommendations.

If “extras” are forbidden, you should consider NOT using a plastic folder, however, this can be a judgement call on your part. Read the application carefully again regarding extras. Some judges feel the plastic folders “give them more work” (to remove the applications from the plastic folder) while others have no problem with it, even though they may forbid extras. I know, this can be confusing!

Your application packet is a great looking presentation of YOU, don’t mess it up by folding it to fit a small envelope. Use an 8X10 type envelope so your application arrives looking great. Consider sending it “Return Receipt Requested” so you know it arrived!

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One Response to “ The Jacobs Foundation Research Grants, Dissertation Grants and Young Investigators Grants ”

1. Jonathan Bruce Muwanguzi
   February 2, 2009 at 5:03 pm

   HULLO
   Life in developing world is totally different from that in developed world mostly in addressing afflicting points in one of the nations community as ;” Working with vulnerable children is a concerted effort,which needs a lot of hands to be put together, and a lot of ideas, And as well The orphan problem surely does not only belong to people with orphans.
   It is everybody’s problem.”

   The 10 years experience in caring for the orphans in a developing world, I have gone through a lot of tests /struggles without a funding person except the only 30 acres of land that has been the main and only funding source sustaining these kids who are beyond 150 in number. We use to plant maize, cassava, rice, sweet potato, yams, beans and groundnuts.

   We sell part and survive on the balance as the sold part is for books, simple clothing and beddings for the kids,(that’s the life of Ugandan child and more worse in other developing world i.e.Zimbabwe.). Many disasters have befallen on us while the government has done very little to address them to the maximum which among others include, wars, floods, and thetotal poverty on the increasing number of community orphan child caused by different disasters. Orphans in the villages of the developing world can make everyone to shed tears including the administrations,( in having classes under tree shade, wearing rugs, and sleeping in congestions , risky for early mothers and others..) that’s why in Africa many fathers do a lot evil accts to the people they take care of (i.e.child sacrificing, human trafficking, and children soldiers e.t.c)

   GEnerally it needs to develop everything, GOD blessed us with like Land,garden and farming sector to make us stand for the future helping the whole comunity, hence sending light to the world through targeting the young generation, ensuring that the big and free Land which we and other developing world have in plenty, fully provides both funds and foods for survival.(The Land requires DEVELMENT AND INVOLVEMENT OF OTHER VALUNARABLE GRUOPS OF THE COMMUNITY to focus on seeds planting only which shall be all placed in the sector and the out come will be making the orphans and other valunarable groups strugle with energy to servive and meet other requirements and on this target we expect to include the widows, single mother and disable in pre- project of sustainable agriculture and food security more advise needed on this paragraph).And as per now we are fully encouraging the next years activities.

   And as my topic is, the developing world orphans are internationally forgotten with no one caring and for the few who cares they want to put us together at the same level with this who is in developed world. The center reached to 210 children/ orphaned people who joined the year 2008 and we have to maneuver to ensure that they’re not kicked out to street life as 2009 will bring more number due to the rising problems and difficulty in in developing world and caring for the orphan child that includes a lot emphasis in many areas OF LIVING. For us we think the only emphasis on the available matereials ( i.e Land ) may yield a lot in both food for survival and funds for other necessities but still.

   We are looking for solution / advise to enable us achieve our laid strategies of caring for orphans since the situation at the center needs attention and as Uganda position in development needs total effort to sustain such centers. The given Advise shall be shared at the African Coutries Orphan and child traficking and living in 2009 meeting.

   Can you advise Banunule orphanage administration on the way of taking
   the orphans a step further? And what is your advice?

   Thanks
   Jonathan Bruce Muwanguzi
   Center Administrator
   phone+256779136589
   +256712070924
   +256755341950
   fax+256412251138
   P.O.BOX 71111
   Kampala.Uganda.
   email jnbanunule@yahoo.com
   pysical contact:
   we are located at
   Nakitokolo Village 30 miles along Hoima road
   Namyumba sub county.
   Registerd as a CBO. on registration NO.2567265.