Scholarship Don'ts.
Each year my company has a scholarship competition. Last year we awarded over $80,000 to students in the United States and Canada. The deadline for applications is tomorrow and after looking at over 250 applications, I thought I'd do something nice for all of you fine people out there. I'd like to offer you a list of things you should not do when applying for a scholarship. This list specifically applies to the essay portion of a scholarship application. Pay attention. This list could save your future.
1. No matter what question you are asked to write about, your essay should never be “I do not have time to go into this these things. Please call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx."
2. When the topic of your essay is how formal training in your field could benefit you… ‘I like to study” is not an appropriate answer. Actually, this is not an appropriate answer... ever.
3. When you submit your application, it is not wise to beg the judging panel to proofread your essay and make corrections. Even if you are foreign.
Now, this last issue can get a little tricky, so I would like to preface it by saying that the scholarship my company offers is an equal-opportunity award. We do not award scholarships based on gender, sexual orientation, or religious preferences.
4. When asked how formal training could benefit you, the statement “As a gay teenager, I could not for the life of me find a gay man involved in construction” really has no relevance what so ever. While we agree that “sexuality is the least of anyones worries," I'm sure that the judging panel will be happy that you “realized your passion for estimating once you overcame your concerns of being gay” and that you can be a “role model for future gay teenagers.” But once again, since none of these things have anything to do with how formal training in your specific field could benefit you... I'd probably leave it out and just stick to answering the question
That's all of the advice I have to offer you this year.... so until next time.... good luck! (And for those of you wondering, yes.... these were real applicants.)
UPDATE:
If you are a business administration major, you should probably know that "administration" is not spelled "administardian."
1. No matter what question you are asked to write about, your essay should never be “I do not have time to go into this these things. Please call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx."
2. When the topic of your essay is how formal training in your field could benefit you… ‘I like to study” is not an appropriate answer. Actually, this is not an appropriate answer... ever.
3. When you submit your application, it is not wise to beg the judging panel to proofread your essay and make corrections. Even if you are foreign.
Now, this last issue can get a little tricky, so I would like to preface it by saying that the scholarship my company offers is an equal-opportunity award. We do not award scholarships based on gender, sexual orientation, or religious preferences.
4. When asked how formal training could benefit you, the statement “As a gay teenager, I could not for the life of me find a gay man involved in construction” really has no relevance what so ever. While we agree that “sexuality is the least of anyones worries," I'm sure that the judging panel will be happy that you “realized your passion for estimating once you overcame your concerns of being gay” and that you can be a “role model for future gay teenagers.” But once again, since none of these things have anything to do with how formal training in your specific field could benefit you... I'd probably leave it out and just stick to answering the question
That's all of the advice I have to offer you this year.... so until next time.... good luck! (And for those of you wondering, yes.... these were real applicants.)
UPDATE:
If you are a business administration major, you should probably know that "administration" is not spelled "administardian."
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