Ten Tips for Winning Scholarship Applications

Ten Tips for Winning Scholarship Applications
-- by Kay Peterson, Ph.D. at FastWeb

Before you submit your scholarship application, check out these tips, provided by scholarship sponsors nationwide.

  • Tip #1: Apply only if you are eligible.Read all the scholarship requirements and directions carefully to make sure you're eligible before you send in your application.
  • Tip #2: Complete the application in full.If a question doesn't apply, note that on the application. Don't just leave a blank. Supply all additional supporting material, such as transcripts, letters of recommendation and essays.
  • Tip #3: Follow directions.Provide everything that's required, but don't supply things that aren't requested—you could be disqualified.
  • Tip #4: Neatness counts.Always type your application, or if you must print, do so neatly and legibly. Make a couple of photocopies of all the forms before you fill them out. Use the copies as working drafts as you develop your application packet.
  • Tip #5: Write an essay that makes a strong impression.The key to writing a strong essay is to be personal and specific. Include concrete details to make your experience come alive: the who, what, where, and when of your topic. The simplest experience can be monumental if you present honestly how you were affected.
  • Tip #6: Watch all deadlines.To help keep yourself on track, impose your own deadline that is at least two weeks prior to the official deadline. Use the buffer time to make sure everything is ready on time. Don't rely on extensions—very few scholarship providers allow them at all.
  • Tip #7: Make sure your application gets where it needs to go.Put your name (and Social Security number, if applicable) on all pages of the application. Pieces of your application may get lost unless they are clearly identified.
  • Tip #8: Keep a back-up file in case anything goes wrong.Before sending the application, make a copy of the entire packet. If your application goes astray, you'll be able to reproduce it quickly.
  • Tip #9: Give it a final "once-over."Proofread the entire application carefully. Be on the lookout for misspelled words or grammatical errors. Ask a friend, teacher or parent to proofread it as well.
  • Tip #10: Ask for help if you need it.If you have problems with the application, don't hesitate to call the funding organization.

Study and Scholarships Info in New Zealand

What opportunities are there for study in New Zealand?

Oriental Bay in Wellington.

So you’re interested in coming to study in New Zealand? If you do, you won’t be alone! Over the last few years we’ve had a steadily increasing number of international students seeking education in New Zealand.

International students can only obtain student visas for full-time study towards a New Zealand qualification with providers who are registered and approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. You can search for an education provider on the New Zealand Qualifications Authority website.

You can find a list of all our universities. It’s easy to compare what they offer you. Remember to look at the international students section – they all have one.

Educationnz also lists institutions by type. And at International Student Services you’ll find lists of institutions and what courses they offer.

English language schools

You’ll find many lists of English language schools on the Internet. Our links provide four comprehensive lists:

Regional tours

To find out more take a tour of our regional study opportunities and click on the different regions of New Zealand. Each one will tell you something about the area and the study opportunities there.

Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students

The Ministry of Education operates a Code of Practice that provides a framework for looking after international students. It covers pastoral care, accommodation and provision of information.

Study and Scholarships Info in Switzerland

The Swiss system of education is essentially the responsibility of the cantons. Therefore one cannot really talk about a Swiss educational system but only of several independent and different systems. The differences in the education systems for the first eight or nine years of school have arisen through the federal structure of the state and the variation even shows itself within the different language regions.

For example the German-speaking cantons have no uniform designation for similar types of schools, and it was only in 1985 that the cantonal electorates voted to introduce a uniform start to the school year in the autumn.
However, if they are looked at in very simplified terms, certain common characteristics can be made out among the cantonal school systems. After a voluntary period of kindergarten fully financed by the state, most cantons have nine years compulsory schooling (in eight cantons eight years). This compulsory schooling for all children capable of normal education consists of a primary school period of four, five or six years. There then follows a choice of schooling, putting varying demands on the pupils, and known collectively as the secondary level I. In many cantons both levels of compulsory schooling are called the "Volksschule" (elementary school). Individual cantons are largely responsible for their administration and curricula.

The elementary school normally passes their pupils on to either vocational training or into a secondary level II. These high schools (gymnasium) are a preparation for university. At this level the independence of the cantons is limited considerably by the matriculation requirements laid down by the Confederation. Vocational training is also supervised by the Confederation. Elementary education is free while at the higher levels of education, even if they are state supported, fees are charged in individual cases or students are at least expected to pay for their learning material.

Important links
Swiss universities, degree recognition issues, please visit the homepage of Rector’s Conference of Swiss Universities: www.crus.ch

International Baccalaureates: www.ibo.org

Swiss private schools, please visit the homepage of the Swiss Federation of Private Schools: www.swiss-schools.ch

Swiss Hotel Management schools, please visit the homepage of the Swiss Hotel Schools association: www.aseh.ch

Study and Scholarships Info in Austria

In Austria there is a wide variety of institutions of tertiary education. Since 1993 Austria also offers Fachhochschul-Studiengänge (degree programmes) in addition to the universities and private universities. The postsecondary sector also includes the teacher training colleges and institutes, the colleges and institutes for the training of religious education teachers, the post-secondary colleges for the training of vocational teachers and the post-secondary colleges and institutes for the training of teachers for agricultural and forestry schools. An overview of all fields of study at the Austrian universities and universities of the arts can be found at the Austrian Study Guide; the current Fachhochschule degree programmes can be found in the FH Studyguide. This electronic study guide provides information and contact addresses of all Austrian study programmes (in German and English) on the web.

Study and Scholarships Info in the Netherland

Most international students in the Netherlands have a great time while experiencing a new culture and a challenging academic environment. However sometimes not everything goes as planned. Students can run into problems. The types of problems students could face are varied, but can generally be solved at the host institution. And this is the first place to turn to to resolve the issue. However sometimes, you, the international student, do not know where to turn to or who to contact. This may happen, for example, if the problem lies outside the institution.

To help international students get the help they need, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has asked Nuffic to set up a helpdesk. This new helpdesk will have a specific mandate to provide foreign students in the Netherlands with the information they need to deal with a problem they are facing. Nuffic will not deal directly with the problem itself, nor will it offer solutions, or mediate on anyone’s behalf.

In practice, this means that the ‘International Student Helpdesk’ will mainly be giving information about the criteria and the rules that apply in a given situation, about the way certain things work in the Netherlands, about who can be contacted for help, and about how to file a complaint if that is what the student wishes to do.

The helpdesk will not give any information about what courses or scholarships are available in the Netherlands. This sort of information can be found at www.studyin.nl.

If you want information about Nuffic scholarships, or if you have a problem with a scholarship, please contact the scholarship desk directly. If you want information about visas or credential evaluation, you should contact these desks directly too.

Continue

Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)