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Keys to Winning

Scholarships and Applications

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Anna Halligan, Professor, English

Bruce Oldfield, Professor, Physical Sciences

Broome Community College

How to Prepare:

What are the scholarship requirements?

What is the scholarship for?

Who is your audience?

Do you meet the scholarship requirements?

You will need to provide the “meat” for the application

You will need to find the right recommendation(s)

What Should Your Vitae Contain?

Awards and Honors

Academic Accomplishments

Scholarships (previous)

Contests and Competitions

Community Service

Extracurricular Activities

Clubs and Organization (on and off campus)

Athletic Accomplishments

Preparing a Winning Application:

Look at your entire application, including the essay(s) as a single unified

package with a theme.

Begin EARLY and take as much time as you have available. Schedule time

during your busy life to work on this. You will need time!

Read the entire application carefully several times and be sure you understand

exactly what is being requested. If you don’t know, ask for help!

Don’t leave anything blank!!!

Ask for recommendations early. Don’t make it difficult for your recommender(s)

to give you an appropriate and strong recommendation.

Make certain your essay(s) address the topic as it is asked.

Get HELP!!!!

Ground Rules:

Answer the questions appropriately, as they are asked.

Generally, your essay(s) provide a theme of who you are and why you

are qualified to be the winner a scholarship.

Carefully select your recommenders. They should know you.

Weaknesses can become positives. Don’t be afraid to address any

weaknesses in service or leadership (for example). Every applicant

has weaknesses and addressing them can show maturity and another

opportunity to show your strengths.

Be very clear. Application reviewers will not spend time thinking about

what you mean.

Your essays should be well organized, unified, coherent, detailed and

edited.

Your Essay(s):

Your essay(s) should have a central theme expressed as a thesis.

The essay is part of a package. It should tie in other parts of the

application.

Select accomplishments and contributions that are directly related to

the theme you have selected.

Get the reader’s attention in the first sentence. Give them a reason to

read on . . .

Develop and use your voice. Don’t be afraid to use an emotional

appeal.

Add the human touch. Make yourself the center of your essay(s). They

want to know who you are and why you are qualified.

End on a positive note.

Deciding What to Write:

Be sure you understand the essay question.

Answer the question and only that question.

Look for key words in the question even before you start to answer.

Use key words from the question in your essay to show you are

answering that question.

Your experiences should have changed you in some way. Say so.

Emphasize your personal qualities.

Complete Your Picture:

Balance your essay with information from other parts of the application

to create a complete picture of yourself.

View your application as a total package designed to help your reader

see you as a multi-dimensional person.

The awarder of the scholarship wants to know who they are going to

grant their award to.

The awarder wants to know who is going to publically represent them.

Fine Tuning Your Application:

Check and Revise:

- spelling and grammar?

- did you say what you set out to?

- clarity and logic?

- chronological order (start with most recent)?

- have you highlighted your most important characteristic?

Fine Tune Your Application

- have you asked peers, Writing Center tutors , instructors,

mentors to review and comment?

Letters of Recommendation

Provides the “other” voice to your scholarship package

Builds your credibility

Adds emphasis to your package

Speaks to how others view you

Who To Ask for Letters of Recommendations:

Who is familiar with your work?

Faculty

Administrator

Organizational Advisor

Community Leader

How to ask for a recommendation:

Provide the recommender with:

Copy of the application, or information about the application;

Copy of your vitae;

Information relevant to the application;

Copy of any essay related to what the recommender should address;

Would the recommender be willing to revise if necessary;

Make sure the recommenders are appropriately qualified.

Why Should You Carefully Select Your Recommender?

Strong recommendations will enhance your chance of winning.

Note: some applications (like All USA) are very specific about who

writes the letter of recommendation.

Make sure the recommenders are appropriate and follow the

application criteria.

The Winning Package:

Is strong, honed, meaty.

Has a theme reflecting your eligibility for the particular

scholarship.

Has strong recommendations relevant to your application,

relevant to who you are, and relevant to any theme in the

application.

Many thanks for the ideas:

Alesha Vardeman and Fred Hills

Pi Chi Chapter

Phi Theta Kappa

McLennan Community College

and

Leslie Ann Munro, Ed.D.

Professor English,

Leeward Community College

Pearl City, Hawaii