Writing a Strong Application
A strong application is made up of some or all of the following: essays (often including a personal statement and a statement of purpose), references, transcripts, CV/resume, and interviews. Provided here are some guidelines to help you craft your application materials. OSU has staff and faculty available to help you prepare the strongest possible application.
Preparing a competitive scholarship application takes a great deal of time and effort. However, applicants to these awards have stated time and again that the time spent thinking and writing about their future plans was well worth the effort, whether they were awarded a scholarship or not. If you plan to apply to graduate schools or interview with prospective employers, the application process for these awards can provide you with valuable written application materials and interview experience. When you write your scholarship application essays, you will have to consider and then reconsider and define your future plans and goals.
Tips for Becoming a Strong Scholarship Applicant
1. Get to Know People
Making strong staff, faculty, and community member connections can help you to accumulate research experience, get connected with work and internship opportunities, and develop your skills and interests. When the time comes, these mentors can be great recommendation writers.
2. Become Involved
Get involved in interesting extracurricular activities that are meaningful to you. There are no formulaic "best" activities. What you do with them is more important. Get work, internship, and volunteer experience in your field. It's never too early to start looking for such experiences.
3. Pursue Excellence in Challenging Classes
Good grades are important for scholarship success, but the best students seek more than the grade. Train yourself towards intellectual curiosity. Take challenging and diverse courses outside your major.
4. Seek Out Leadership
This does not necessarily mean holding office in five different clubs. It means becoming an active player and contributor in your own way. Make things happen! Start your own organization if you see an unfilled need.
5. Do Your Homework
Spend time researching the scholarship's mission, goals, scholar profile, selection criteria, and application components. Talk with a previous scholar if you can. The best candidates are those whose values, skills, and goals align with those of the scholarship foundation.
6. Reflect Upon the Common Thread
Start assessing and reflecting upon your experiences, skills, and goals. What topic or theme keeps showing up? What problem do you want to solve? This will help you clarify your direction in life and reveal what steps you should follow to reach those goals.
7. Start Applying Early
Applying with plenty of time to spare will help you to create a stronger application, avoid unnecessary stress, and hel pyou get the most out of the application process.
8. Share Your Story
When starting your application, you'll need to decide which details to share in order to coherently and concisely convey your core truth to the readers. What do you want them to know? What themes do you want to highlight? Personal stories are the strongest way to connect with those reading your essays!