Write a paragraph or two on how this scholarship award will help you reach your
b)
education/career goals. In here, if your scholarship is from for a specific region (eg.
Northern Saskatchewan) explain how you having this scholarship will benefit the
region in the coming years and the company awarding the scholarship.
c)
If you have received any awards or letters of commendation, be sure to include these.
They will show you in a “positive light” to the committee.
If the scholarship requires that you write an essay, don’t simply use abstract
d)
information – use concrete examples. For example, instead of writing an abstract
essay about volunteering in the community, write about your experiences while
volunteering, what you learned while volunteering, the people you met and how they
bettered you as an individual. Scholarship sponsors want to hear about you and your
experiences, not about some abstract topic.
These are just a few examples to get you thinking. Limit your extras to three or four at
the most. Too many and you will “sour” your application. Again, MAKE SURE you
are not forbidden to add extra items before you do so.
Be creative to find things that make you look good and share them with the committee.
6.
Personalize the Letters of Recommendation. This conveys that you took the time to
make this application special. When you have a letter of recommendation addressed to
the specific organization or person that is administering the application process it says
that you took the time and effort to make this letter “Special” for them. If all you have is
a letter that starts “To Whom It May Concern”, it is better than nothing. But if you can
personalize the letter it says you cared to send the very best.
Tip 6a. Offer to do the work for the writer of your letter of recommendation. It is one
a)
thing to ask a person to write one letter of recommendation, quite another to ask them
for twenty letters. Once you have their letter, ask if you can put it on the computer so
the TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN can be personalized for each application and
your writer only has to “sign their name.”
b)
Tip 6b. Try to get three to five letters of recommendations in your files. This will
allow you to pick and choose which to send in for a specific application. Never send
more than three unless they ask for more.
Proof Read All Materials and Neatness is a MUST! Make sure you use correct
7.
grammar and there are no spelling errors. Proof read your essay, cover letter, extra items