You probably have educational goals at the moment. You want to obtain your Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. degree in a prestigious university, but you lack the financial requirements to do so. And, what shines bright as a possible solution for this concern is obtaining a scholarship. Maybe you’ve tried applying for a scholarship that didn’t turn out great. Or you haven’t at all, and you’re willing to give it a try, but you don’t know how to go about it all. You’re in luck today; this article is for you. There are numerous universities and organization s offering free scholarships to students. This guide will tell you how to get the scholarship of your choice.
Here are some benefits of obtaining a scholarship:
- Learning without financial constraints gives room for professional development
- Helps students connect and network with people
- Enable you to realize academic and career goals
So, where do you start? The best place to start is online. Search for a list of ongoing scholarships and choose the one most suitable for you. This is actually essential because there are thousands of scholarships available as well as funding types like prizes, grants, fellowships, competitions, and many more. An exciting fact about these scholarships is that some don’t depend on your academic performance level. A variety of factors qualify you for specific scholarships, such as your country of origin, your subject of study, and in some cases, your religious organization. It all depends on whoever is offering the scholarship.
When you’ve found the scholarship most suitable for you, the next thing to do is make sure your documents are in order. Before writing your application, it is best to make sure you have all the necessary documents in hand. Some certificates that may be required of you to produce are:
- Language certificates (for example, TOEFL, IELTS)
- Certification from your previous institution
- Recommendation letters (academic or work)
- Letter of motivation
- Your resume
It is essential to have these documents ready before you start writing your application. After investing so much time and effort in writing your application, knowing you’re missing an important document may be heartbreaking. Be aware that language certificates take some time to prepare for, take the test, and receive results. Another important thing is to start on time! This will give you enough time to make your letter stand out.
Recommendation letters are a vital part of every scholarship application. Some scholarships have specific rules about the letters of recommendation. Therefore you have to make sure you read the requirements carefully. For the question of “who can I ask for a referral?” It’s best to approach teachers that have taught you. They may give you a strong recommendation based on their knowledge of you. Some scholarships accept non-academic references as well. If this is the case, and they know you well, you can ask them.
This article will focus heavily on how to write your motivation letter for scholarship applications properly.
Letter of Motivation
A vital aspect of your application is the motivation letter. Sufficient information is extracted from the letter to assist a selection board in determining if applicants qualify to participate in the program; Hence, it is crucial your letter states vital points that relate your academic proficiency with your proposed field of interest and personality.
What is the Significance of a Motivation Letter?
Thousands of people apply for scholarship opportunities making the selection process competitive. To reduce this list of numerous applicants, the motivation letter comes in handy. This is why it is so important. Candidates who showed character traits sought after by the organizers through their letter of motivation are selected for the program.
Structuring a motivation letter
A letter of motivation can be structured in two ways.
The first way of structuring your motivation letters is often called the classical method. Three sections are involved in this method. They include; introduction, body, and conclusion. There’s no harm in using this way. It’s perfect if you want the body of your letter to tell a story. That way, the flow of reading is not broken.
The second way you can structure your motivation letter involves using 5-7 paragraphs. For this method, 3-4 paragraphs are dedicated to the body of the letter. This method is beneficial because it gives the body more paragraphs, giving each paragraph the liberty to emphasize a completely different point.
Let us see what these three parts of our letter should contain:
- Introduction
What do you do when you try to interact with someone new? You’ll probably introduce yourself, giving the person some information about you. The same thing applies to this part of your letter. Basic information such as your name, the highest level of education attained, choice of program, and your reasons for applying. It would be best if you endeavored to include the necessary contact details at the top-left corner of the letter before you start your introduction.
- Body
It is necessary to strictly ensure the requirements/guidelines set by the scholarship organizers are adhered to while you work on this section. The body is the most critical aspect of your letter. Tell them about your plans, future aspirations, dreams, and goals. Mention how beneficial obtaining the scholarship will be for your academic and career goals. Sell yourself in this section, focus on your strong points!
- Conclusion
The thread is pulled together here. You are summing all points previously made, also stating your objectives and goals. Express your appreciation and close the letter.
You might be wondering how long the letter is supposed to be. There is no specified word count for the letter. But it cannot be too long or too short. The goal is to concisely give the best possible argument, including those tiny details.
General tips on writing the perfect application:
- Take out time to brainstorm
Spend some time to ask some questions. Ask: why you? Why this program? Why should they consider you? This will help bring your strong points to light.
- Your tone matters!
Although the letter is about you, you’d want to speak in a personal and yet professional manner. Use sound reasoning to show them your worth, don’t beg for the position or tell sad stories to gain pity. You are worthy! Show them.
- Stay on point
Avoid being caught up in your storytelling. Be concise; try to relate your introduction to your work’s body to create a unified piece.
- Be genuine and positive.
Try to be yourself. Let your confidence and originality speak through your words. It’s worth noting that a team of professionals gets to review your work, and they’ll be able to spot a fake/pretentious one when they see it.
- Review your work
After writing your work:
- Give it some days.
- Come back to it and read it all over again.
- Check for spelling and grammatical errors.
- Re-write any phrase or section if you see the need to.