7 Stages of Scholarship Applications

1. Scan the horizon for relevant scholarships.

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Depending on your location, nationality, subject and profile, there may be a number of scholarships you could be eligible for. At this point, it’s just a matter of scanning through long lists of scholarships and picking the ones you may be a good fit for.

2. Deliriously write up your personal statement by candlelight.

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Your admissions essay will be at the core of your application. As such, it needs to be 100% top notch stuff. You need to write it and rewrite it a thousand times and get it proof-read by your friends, family and professors to filter out any rogue typos and spelling mistakes, which could cost you your scholarship…

3. Drown your sorrows.

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There may be many times during the application process during which you find yourself feeling despondent, insecure and exhausted. This is completely normal. Figuring out how to fund a university degree can be an incredibly stressful and demanding mission but, remember, it’s not an impossible one! Plenty of students have cracked it before you, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to.  

4. Pick yourself up and go jogging in Central Park to the inspiring tune of Shia LaBeouf’s ‘just do it’ speech in loop.

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Nothing quite beats a motivational jog to clear your head and come up with an action plan. A helpful tip: try listening to Shia LaBeouf’s incredible motivational video! Just do it!

5. Beg for references.

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Do this early enough to give your referees enough time to write up a great reference! Also – try to resist the impulse of asking just anyone to refer you. You need to secure the best letter(s) of recommendation imaginable – so only ask teachers you have a good rapport with and who have taught you for a fair while.

6. Hope your transcript gets sent off/received in time to meet deadlines.

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You need to ask your school or university to send off your transcript as early as possible to avoid last minute delays. You don’t want to miss the scholarship application deadline just because your transcript was left sitting in a mailroom for a couple of days.

7. Stare out of your bedroom window, watching the rain glaze the glass….

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… While you wait to hear back.

The anticipation and the long-ish wait for decisions may be more stress-inducing than the scholarship application itself, but at least now it's out of your hands!