The International Student Blog

I recently hosted a Hangout On Air on finding an international scholarship. If you missed the scholarship hangout you missed a lot of information! There were many great questions at the end so we were able to answer a variety of questions related to scholarships. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a brief re-cap on what you missed and you can also watch the video to get caught up.

First we must address that the hunt for a scholarship is just that- a hunt. Any great hunter will tell you that you’re not always going to hit your target on the first try and finding the target in the first place will take a while. This means that you need to stay determined. Before you begin the search understand that you will spend hours searching for scholarships and you will spend a few more hours applying to the scholarships you have found. Along with being determined, being detail oriented is a key component to winning a scholarship. You need to pay attention to if you meet the eligibility requirements and that you turn in every document and page to the application that is required. One oversight can cost you the scholarship.

Before you start your search, you will first want to create a “scholarship document.” Your document should include the scholarship link, deadline, amount, eligibility and what documents you need to submit to apply. Creating this document might not sound like it could help you win, but it can, and here’s why:

• Link: By notating the link it will make sure you can find the scholarship again! It might sound simple but once you find a great scholarship you don’t want to have to spend more time searching for it again.
• Deadline: This will help you prioritize which scholarship application to complete first so you don’t miss a deadline.
• Amount: Keeping track of the potential award amount is exciting, but will also help you with your budget.
• Eligibility: Writing the eligibility will ensure you are 100 percent sure you meet each of the eligibility requirements. I suggest typing these out on your document instead of copy and pasting. Doing this forces you to read each requirement before even starting to apply.
• Required Documents: As you acquire each document you need in order to apply, cross it off the list. This will allow you to easily see what else you need to obtain before submitting your application. Not having just one required document is enough to have your application thrown out. Include each of the documents that it asks you include.

After you’ve created this document it’s time to search! You can start your scholarship search here by narrowing down where you are studying, what you are studying and where you are from. Keep in mind that it takes time to find scholarships so get comfortable and don’t get discouraged.

Don’t forget to check out our other hangouts for more great information!

This entry was posted on Friday, May 30th, 2014 at 9:42 am and is filed under International Financial Aid, International Scholarships, International Student. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Written by Bryanna Davis

Bryanna joined EIC in 2011 after returning to the United States from teaching English in China. Her interest in international education, sparked initially by her own study abroad experience in Wales, led her to the company. Bryanna is originally from Missouri and is a graduate from the University of Central Missouri.

Other posts by Bryanna Davis