A SUCCESSFUL SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
Before you start preparing your
application make sure that you have chosen the right scholarship. Do you match
all the eligibility requirements? Carefully check all the scholarship
information provided on ScholarshipPortal.com, but also visit the website
of the scholarship provider. Do you match the profile? You will be investing a
lot of time in this application and you will want to prioritise.
If you have made sure you have
picked the right scholarship, it is time to prepare your application.
Most of the time you will need to prepare the following documents:
- Certificates of your previous education (first degree, school leaving exams etc.)
- Letters of recommendation (work/academic)
- Language certificate (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS)
- Motivation letter
- Curriculum Vitae (resume)
- You sometimes need to provide examples of your past work (an essay etc.)
Make sure all of the documents
you need to apply for the scholarship are in order before you start to
write. You won’t want to go back to them after writing your letter, only to
discover you are missing an important document. Also, and we cannot stress this
enough, start in plenty of time. This will give you the opportunity to make
your letter stand out and you will not have to rush with the deadline. You
also want to make sure the application forms are filled in neatly and
that nothing is missing. Make sure there are hard copies of every
document you are sending, because if anything goes missing you won't want
to start all over again.
Certificates of your previous
education
Depending on your university it may
take some time until you receive your transcript of records, diploma etc.
Try to get them (and some certified copies) as soon as possible. Ask the
university as well as the scholarship provider for the possibility of using preliminary
documents in order to meet close deadlines.
Letters of recommendation
Letters of recommendation are an important
part of every scholarship application. Since your professors and employers
might be busy, try to get in touch with them as soon as possible. However, carefully
read the requirements of the scholarship you would like to apply to. Some
of them have very specific rules about the letters of recommendation and do not
accept general ones.
Who can you ask for a referral?
The best place to go for letters of
recommendation is teachers that have taught you for a while or your
personal tutor. They will probably know you best and can give you a strong
letter of recommendation. Some scholarships may allow you to have non-academic
references as well (from an employer or community leader etc.). If this is
the case, and they know you well, you can ask them.
What to do?
Ask your potential source if
they would be able to write a letter of recommendation for you. You
should also give your source more than enough time to complete the
letter.
Make sure you provide your referee
with the following:
- the scholarship application information;
- an updated version of your CV;
- the most recent versions of the samples required for the application;
- a short paragraph on your accomplishments.
You may wish to check with your
referee if it is ok for you to suggest certain qualities to highlight in the
letter - in some countries, this is the norm, whereas in others this is frowned
upon, so check before you suggest anything! Remind them when the deadline is
approaching; do not assume the letter will be sent by them once they have
agreed to write it. Some scholarship applications allow your referee to send
the information straight to them by email / online form, but others will
require a printed letter. If you need a printed letter, collect the letters
from your referee personally. In some countries, you will need your referee
to put the letter in an envelope and seal it with a signature to ensure that no
one has tampered with it. Your scholarship provider will be able to advise you
about this.
Language certificates
If the language of the program you
apply to is not your native language you are usually required to obtain a certificate
showing your language skills. For English, TOEFL and IELTS are
the most widely accepted among scholarships and universities worldwide. Be
aware that it takes some time to prepare, take the test and receive the
results.
Motivation letter
The motivation letter is a crucial
part of your application. It gives you the chance to really let your
personality shine through on your application. It should include the reasons
why you think you should receive the scholarship, why you want to study at
the particular university and course as well as details of any other relevant
information. Different scholarship providers may require different information
in your motivation letter; they usually list details of what they need on their
application pages.
Need help writing your application
letter? See our handy guide: How to write a scholarship motivation letter.
Read more info :MORE INFO CLICK HERE
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