Taperman articles

Advance Preparation and Winning a Scholarship.

Having searched and selected some (a) scholarships that best fit your needs as well as (b) ones that you have the highest chance of winning – (depending on how well you meet the requirements stipulated by the sponsor), the next step is to work your way to winning one or more scholarships. The under mentioned tips should be of help in your attempt to secure scholarships for your college education.

(1) Each sponsor will have his own deadline for receiving applications and ensure that you send in your application well in time.

(2) Prepare your application and your essay about yourself in a professional manner presenting your vision / mission / objectives / achievements / how you have overcome obstacles on your way up (if any), your philosophy, ambitions, goals exploiting your plus points vis-à-vis the sponsor’s criteria to your best advantage. Remember to also get well in advance your other supporting documents such as references, testimonials, certificates etc. highlighting the required criteria of the relevant sponsor.

(3) Some sponsors will (a) state their requirements / goals / specifications very clearly (b) whereas some may not. In the case of (a) identify the sponsor’s criteria and tailor your application to satisfy his requirements to the maximum. Highlight your qualifications / abilities / qualities that the sponsor is looking for most. But in the case of (b) in the absence of the sponsor’s clear instructions and requirements, you will have to assess his needs and aspirations by trying to obtain more information about the sponsor through more internet searches etc., and prepare your application accordingly.

(4) Some sponsors will (a) select the winning candidate/s purely on merit (b) while others will resort to some random form of lottery to select the winner/s. In the former case, where the primary objective is rewarding talent, apply for a limited number of scholarships where you have the highest probability of being selected on merit (provided you have at least the minimum qualifications). Work extra hard on those applications and try to put your best foot forward when it comes to the interviews. In the latter cases where the selection is on some form of lottery or luck, apply for as many scholarships as possible giving preference to scholarships where the amount on offer is high, since you have nothing to lose and your preparations need not be so perfect or painstaking as in the former case.

(5) In addition to the above, there may be exceptional circumstances where for example the sponsor is looking for a person bent on such aspects as community service, leadership qualities etc. In such cases you will do well to obtain references and other certificates from third parties concerned. On the other hand another sponsor may be looking for someone with innovative ideas or with artistic talents such as music, art, dramatic art, etc. 

Yet another sponsor may prefer a person with an excellent academic record, high prowess in expression and communication with good writing skills. There are scholarships specially targeting those with exceptional abilities in sports. In all these cases, it is very important that you are well aware to whom you are applying and that you design and execute your application accordingly to best suit the sponsor’s requirements. You can maximize your chances of selection by applying for various local scholarships that are not widely publicized.

(6) Finally, a word of caution:  It has been emphasized above the importance of properly identifying a sponsor’s objectives, goals, aspirations and then to tailor your response to maximize the satisfaction of the sponsor’s requirements. Therefore, in the case of scholarships where the final selection is on merit, make absolutely certain that you qualify for the scholarship. If not, do not waste your time in applying since he is sure to receive absolutely qualifying applications ten times more than his requirement! So your application which does not meet the minimum qualifications will be immediately rejected on receipt and the selection committee will never see how good and talented you are in other respects.

The best alternative to this problem is, for example, if the sponsor has asked for a GPA of 3.6 and you have only 3.5, to try to keep on improving until you reach the minimum requirement of 3.6. That is why it is also so important that you do the search for scholarships as early as possible. Further, to score additional points with some sponsors you may have to submit references, certificates, project reports etc. which can be achieved only with time stretching over a reasonably long period and never instantly. 

Remember that searching for scholarships, getting organized and advance preparation, followed by tailoring your application to the exact requirements of the scholarship ably supported with references, certificates, recommendations, project reports where necessary and last but not least the interview are the key factors for your launching pad to ultimately securing a scholarship.

For your further information in assessing your chances of securing a scholarship, here are some past statistics that could be a guiding indicator to you:

The raw probability of your winning any scholarship = 1 in 15 (or 6.7%) with an average scholarship valuet of around $ 2,000.

The probability of your winning a least competitive scholarship (e.g. selection method – random / lottery) is 1 in 10 or (10%).

Probability of your winning a most competitive and high value scholarship  =  1 in 400 (0.25%).

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