CMST240 Scholarship Development

Spring 2022

 

During the spring 2022 semester, I took a class on finding and applying for scholarships. Initially, I went into this class assuming I was not going to learn anything new, because I had already applied for and received scholarships prior to taking the class. Fortunately, I was able to change my attitude very early on in the class, and realized the class would provide a chance to practice my scholarship application skills. I ended up learning much more than I thought. We learned about the different types of scholarships and where to find them. I personally utilized Minnesota State University, Mankato’s scholarship finder, because due to the connection with the university it was very reputable. I utilized other scholarship finders as well, such as Bold.org and GoingMerry, but I found that those were sometimes difficult to use, and it was harder to find scholarships for which I was eligible.

 

The process of applying for scholarships is lengthy and requires patience and organization. I found that the best way to organize my many applications was to utilize my OneDrive. I created a graph to help organize which scholarships I was applying for and what I still needed to complete for them. I also created a folder for all of my essays. I found that many scholarships will ask the same questions, and I became a lot more productive by altering my existing essays for each scholarship instead of writing new ones.

 

We also learned how to write effective and intentional personal statements. One question I saw asked a lot was “Describe your academic and career goals.” While many scholarships would ask that same question, and it would be easy to submit the same essay to all of them, that is not good practice. I found that my essays turned out a lot better when I geared them towards the topic the scholarship is about. While I am still writing about the same goals, I’m focusing more on the parts of those goals that align with the type of student that scholarship is looking to support. Utilizing the writing center at my university and asking my peers to read my essays helped ensure my essays were clear, concise, and error free.

 

Asking for letters of recommendation was the part of this class I was the most intimidated by. But through the best practices we learned in this class, I now feel more confident in seeking out these letters. First, we learned how to identify where the letter of recommendation should come from. For a scholarship based on academics, the letter would be best from a professor. But for a scholarship based on volunteer work, the letter might be better from someone I’ve worked under as a volunteer. It should be personalized to the scholarship. I also learned that most people you have a professional relationship with are happy to write you a letter of recommendation. It’s respectful to provide them with any information you have regarding the scholarship, and not to read the letter after you have received it if possible.

 

I will use the knowledge I gained in this class to continue applying for scholarships. I believe what I’ve learned will also help me when I am applying to occupational therapy graduate programs. My personal essay will be stronger, and I will know how to utilize the resources available to me as a student to edit and further strengthen my essay. I will also utilize the connections I made in this class and ask them to write me another letter of recommendation for graduate school. I believe this class overall made me a better candidate for anything I apply for and pursue.