Hello FIRST community! While there may be a variety of ages reading this issue, this article is aimed at those who will be graduating high school in upcoming years! One major question you may have about the post-secondary application process likely involves scholarships. Multiple members of the FIRST Canada youth council have won major scholarships to help finance their education. Below is the advice of Michelle, to help those applying in the future. Michelle was a FIRST Canada Women in STEM Scholarship runner up.
How did you tackle writing scholarship applications? Did you have a certain process for essays, short answer questions, etc?
I like to throw everything down in a document which I called “Things I have Done”. In this document I put every accomplishment, event, and experience I have done. I also like to add on the impact it had on me or others. This helped me not forget anything. This is a great starting off point for most applications! While writing, I like to throw everything down so that I don’t miss a good idea. Then, I go back through multiple times to refine things and make sure the most important information is there.
What was your best resource for finding out about different scholarships?
I use ScholarTree. They send emails with a short digest of newly available and closing scholarships each week.
Any last advice?
The worst thing that can happen is a rejection, but even then you’re just at the spot you started at. You miss every shot you don’t take, so apply!
