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Getting a scholarship can be either incredibly easy or unimaginably difficult, and sometimes both at the same time. At AGF Tutoring we have helped many students find both full and partial scholarships. So just how does one go about getting a scholarship? And just what sort of scholarship as there are so many on offer – academic, music, athletic. You may be pleasantly surprised to find out that there are lot more scholarships out there than you had ever imagined. Let’s show you how you begin to go about preparing for that scholarship.
First and foremost, you – the athlete, the musician, the outstanding academic scholar – have to be clear and objective about your level of talent. This can be difficult to determine on your own, since you are probably only comparing yourself to a small pool of talent. Or you have no idea of actually how amazingly good you are as you have no tangible points of reference and may be missing out on the chance of a lifetime. Therefore, from the very get-go it is vital to get expert advice to determine your talent and potential realistically.
Second, you need to clearly identify your targets. Some schools may be a great fit in other ways, but can’t offer you a scholarship, while others may offer the wrong type of scholarship for your talents. Once you have a list of target universities you will need to understand the steps to apply for those scholarships. Sometimes scholarship applications are available online, but in many cases, you will need to contact the college or university well in advance of the usual application schedule and make contacts within your target departments to understand the process and your chances.
Third, try to put yourself in the position of an admissions officer at a highly ranked college or university. Universities with higher rankings attract more applicants, and recently these numbers have been increasing almost exponentially —especially with the emergence of China and India into the education market— while the number of places at the top universities has remained relatively constant.
For an admissions officer inundated with thousands of high quality applicants, all with excellent test scores, it can be frightfully difficult to distinguish scholarship material from someone who is not even looking for a scholarship and who is willing to pay the full fees. Still, an admissions officer wants to admit students who will enrich the fabric of the student body and so he or she is always on the look-out for extraordinary talent that may justify the awarding of a scholarship.
So how can you, the applicant for that scholarship, stand out and catch the attention of that admissions officer?
Even to be considered for a scholarship, a student’s scores need to be well above the school’s admission average. We have heard the same things time and again from parents and students: “But the university says that is the minimum score.” If the university wants a minimum score of say 25/36 in the ACT, then this does not mean that you can guarantee yourself a place and/or scholarship with that minimum score. All other things being equal, an admissions officer will choose the student with higher scores.
Even if you think that you are the next Steph Curry – who attended Davidson College – or Missy Franklin – who is still attending University of California at Berkeley – or one of our own successful athlete-scholars, do not misjudge the importance of your academic entry requirements. Of course, if you are focusing on an academic scholarship then everything rests on your test scores, grades, and perhaps prizes in competitions.
After clearing the test-score hurdles, the next thing an admissions officer will consider is your essays. Here you have a chance to engage his or her interest and sympathy. A well-written, attention-grabbing essay can be the element that pushes you over the edge into getting that scholarship.
There is definitely a lot of scholarship money available, especially athletic scholarships (currently a $15 billion market in the US alone and China rising very fast). But there is also fierce competition. Remember that the population of planet Earth is close to 8 billion and more and more people are connected to the Internet, searching, reading, educating themselves as to how they can realize that dream of attending Harvard or Berkeley. You can do it, really you can but it requires the right preparation, the right timing, the right advice and guidance, and the best possible application. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you it is easy or that there is quick-fix way of obtaining a scholarship. But if you work hard, plan well, prepare diligently and seek the right advice then you will honestly, fairly and squarely deserve that scholarship that you always dreamt of.
