You have the transcript of your grades - stellar, of course.
You have your references and testimonials - all glowing, naturally.
You have in mind exactly what you are going to say during your interview before various demanding panels - it's all well thought out, earnest and compelling, obviously.
So you have everything you need for the scholarship application process, right? Read on for some useful advice on how to prepare yourself to go get other people's money. It may surprise you.
Take time, make time.
Applying for scholarships is not for the impatient. It can be a long, tedious process of applying for many different scholarships, pestering the same pool of folk over and over again for testimonials and of endless essay writing.
"I applied for 11 scholarships in twelve months and after a while it got kind of dispiriting being rejected all the time. I felt bad harassing my lecturers again and again for another reference and another reference. But in the end, I got offered two full scholarships within the same week!" recalled Alisha, who was finally able to pursue her master's degree with a scholarship to a from her island's government.
The lesson here is persistence and patience. Even if you are rejected, try again. Many scholarship applicants who don't get through in the first year are more successful the second or even third time around.
Scholarship application is also not for the hasty. It pays to take time and be painstakingly careful in filling out the various documents and writing any essays required for your application. Remember, scholarship committees tend to get far more applications than will ever make it to the interviewing panel. The majority of them come from intelligent, ambitious, deserving applicants - just like you. Spelling and grammar can sometimes make the difference between being cast aside in the first check and going on to the second round. In her article, "Judging Scholarships, Part I" Laura DiFiore, founder of FreSchl, reports that up to 90% of applications are tossed out in the first review.
Know what you want
This may sound obvious since you already know what you want - some money to go study! But it is far more than that. Do you just want to study for the sake of it? If so, you can probably stop reading here. Since all Caribbean nations are still classified as ‘developing', many scholarships offered are developmental. That does not refer simply to your personal development, but that of your nation. Hence you will get questions such as:
What do you hope to do when you return from studying?
Is this degree you're hoping to pursue beneficial to your country and in what way?
How will you apply your new knowledge to your present field or the field you hope to be in?
A convincing, goal-oriented applicant with upper second class honours will often do better than a first class honouree who just wants another certificate.
One experienced student advisor who administers a prominent scholarship programme emphasises this point, saying:
"In spite of the emphasis on good grades the scholarship should not be seen as a reward for being a good student, but rather as an opportunity for further education which will permit applicants to give back more to their communities. So the scholarship is not only to the student but essentially to the country as well. The scholarship committee looks for commitment to country and to the Eastern Caribbean."
Do your homework
In order to get US scholarships or to get into any US university, you have to do the various exams - the SAT for undergrads and the GRE or GMAT for aspiring post grads.
It is pretty much impossible to get away from if you want to attend a US university so make sure you do them well.
"I strongly encourage applicants to spend 40 hours or so, on revision. I suggest doing two hours twice per week for the ten weeks leading up to the test. That way the student understands the test materials, the format, the speed, and understands his or her own weaknesses and can do some work to correct deficiencies.
Applicants may make one of two mistakes about these tests. Either they think these tests are easy and not worth preparing for or they think the tests are impossibly difficult and impossible to prepare for. Neither of these is true," she said.
The Devil is in the Details
You should prepare yourself for the eventuality that you get a scholarship. This means taking care of mundane but vital details like having your immunisation record and travel documents organised. Trust us - it's worth your while.
"We require successful applicants to submit a medical form signed by their health care provider. We ask for the childhood immunisation record. If it cannot be found, the doctor will have to immunise them again. This is not fun and costs time and money," reminded Lynch.
In addition, if you want a scholarship to study overseas, you should have a passport. We know, it may seem obvious, but we'll say it nonetheless. Like we said - you would be surprised.
Check out what are the student visa requirements for the country you want to study in and try to ensure that you have met them beforehand. It could be dicey otherwise.
"I got my scholarship really late - down in August and initially I was supposed to attend a university in the U.S. But because it was so late, the university could not or would not get the documents that I needed for my student visa, sent to me in time. So I ended up switching to a British university I also had acceptance for, because they started later so it gave me more time to get my documents together!" said Sandra, laughing as she recalled the frantic days after she was awarded her scholarship.
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