A post was published on how to get scholarships in Nigeria sometime ago but this article would give you tips on applying for the various scholarships.
Scholarships can be a great way to pay for your education in the university. We stated that cost of education at universities are skyrocketing but with the scholarships available all over the world, an average student can get scholarships worth more than $40,000. Each year, thousands of scholarships go unclaimed simply because people haven’t applied for them.
Below are some tips on how to apply for scholarships to stand a better chance of landing a few of them. Some of these scholarships may even cover cost of tuition, books, and other expenses
Tips for Applying for Scholarships
1. Create a List of Available Scholarships
Create a list of all of the different scholarships you qualify for. This is going to take some research and luckily, there are countless sources online that will tell you who is offering scholarships. You want to focus on ones that are within your major, designed for your school, as well as for the ethnic group that you are contained within. There may also be other circumstances that are in your life that would allow you to qualify for scholarships. This includes financial need, merit based, active in the community, child of a military service member, and more. Don’t be afraid to dig through your background and use anything that may help you to get a scholarship.
Also Read: How To Get Scholarships In Nigeria
2. Write Different Scholarship Essays
Often, people see ‘essay’ and move on. Please do ensure you write the essays. Scholarship committees want to see you are willing to make the effort to receive the money. A 500 word essay doesn’t have to take a lot of time, but it does have to come from the heart. Be honest and make sure to follow the instructions. Many scholarships ask you to write the same kind of essay, but sometimes a committee will change things up and ask you to write based upon a given prompt. Use ideas for persuasive essays and don’t go off topic as it could cause your application to get discarded.
3. Participate in Community Service
Volunteering within the community is a great way to get scholarships. Not only can it help you to qualify for the scholarships from such local organizations as the Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce, but also demonstrates that you are a well-rounded person.
4. Write a Resume
Writing a resume is a good thing because it will allow you to apply for more scholarships and complete applications faster. Pretend as though you’re applying for a job and include everything that a scholarship committee should know about you. Include jobs, volunteer work, organizations you have been a part of and everything else. This will ensure you don’t exclude anything during the application process.
5. Apply For More Than 10 Scholarships
Don’t be afraid to apply to more than 10 scholarships. With online submissions becoming more common, it likely won’t cost any money to apply for the scholarships, so the only thing that it’s going to cost is time. Branch out and include some of the other aspects of your life. Maybe you took a course in high school that would allow you to apply for a scholarship being offered by an organization. There are millions of scholarships offered and the more you branch out, the easier it is to find out about them all.
6. Apply For More Rewarding Scholarships
Many people look at the scholarships that are worth $500 and $1,000 because they assume they are easier to get. While this may be true, you would need dozens of them to cover all of your educational expenses. The ones that provide $10,000 or more often require you to do more and because they are not awarded to as many people, they are deemed the “long shots”. If many people toss them aside because they are too much work, the committees for said scholarships are not getting that many applicants. You could have a shot at these and it’s worth applying because, although it’s a long shot, you could be the lucky recipient. The money rewarded could be enough to cover 2 or more semester’s worth of tuition or even more.
Follow the tips mentioned above and i can almost guarantee that you stand a better chance of landing that scholarship you have always been dreaming about.
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