If you are interested in applying for SRTC Foundation Scholarships, our Foundation experts are here to help! Read on for our top scholarship sucess tips!
The “How To” Overview:
In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete 5 easy steps.
- Log-in to your Okta account. On your Dashboard, you should see tiles that resemble those pictured below. Click on the tile labeled "AwardSpring
- Complete the General Information tab and the Qualification Questions tab. Some information should pull over from your Banner account and some you must fill in.
- Request and receive at least two letters of recommendation. And don't forget: current students must request at least one letter from an SRTC faculty member. (You only have to have two letters, even if you are applying for multiple scholarships.)
- Upload an unofficial copy of your transcript from Banner.
- Write a unique and original 250-word essay for each scholarship for which you are applying. AwardSpring will automatically tell you which scholarships you are eligible for based on your general application answers.
Scholarship Success Tips:
- Apply early! Scholarships open about two months before the deadline each semester. Letters of recommendation take time to write. Essays take time to perfect. Give yourself ample time to make sure your applications are the best they can be.
- After submitting your general application, and once at least two letters of recommendation have been received on your behalf, AwardSpring will automatically notify you of all the scholarships for which you are eligible. Apply for each and every one. The more scholarships you apply for, the more likely you are to be awarded!
- No scholarship application is complete without at least TWO letters of recommendation. This does not have to be a daunting task:
- Current students must request at least one letter from an SRTC instructor. Make sure the instructors you ask are familiar with you, and be sure that you give them reasons to want to write nice things about you.
- Contact these individuals BEFORE you put their name and email address into your application. A face-to-face meeting, a phone call, or even an email goes a long way.
- Ask EARLY. Don't put it off, because the letters might take a long time for your references to write. Remember, these instructors and professional references are doing you a favor. Explain that you are applying for scholarships. Ask them if they would mind writing a letter of recommendation on your behalf. Ask them to write their email address for you. Explain to them that they will receive an EMAIL request for their letter of recommendation. Remind them of the scholarship deadline. Tell them to check their junk or spam folders if they think they’re not receiving the request link.
Avoid Common Mistakes:
- Follow the scholarship prompts and answer EVERY question. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
- Make sure to register your account with the email address you check most often. This is how we will notify you of missing items from your application as well as whether or not you received a scholarship.
- Ask someone to help you by proofreading your essays. Use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. The majority of points are taken off because students did not have someone proofread their essay. Don’t let grammatical errors be what keeps you from getting a scholarship.
- Pay attention to essay word count. Essays less than 250 words may result in disqualification.
- Don’t forget to upload your academic transcript. Current students can view transcripts by logging into Banner (see attached instructions).
- Please, please, please, please, please, please, PLEASE – get those two letters of recommendation. These count as 50% of your score! It is YOUR responsibility to check AwardSpring for the status of your letters and follow-up with your recommenders.
- Be aware of the deadlines! There are no extensions, and letters of recommendation will not be accepted after the deadline, either.
Make Your Essay Shine…
- Make sure to write more than the minimum 250 words. The review committee wants to see your time and effort to write a quality essay that is above the minimum word count and worth $500+!
- Follow the essay prompt! Be as detailed as possible in your essay. Be specific with your goals and aspirations. The more the review committee can learn about you, the better.
- Do not use the same essay more than once. The goal is for the committee to learn as much as they can about you and your goals. Essays are randomly checked with plagiarism software. Plagiarism on even one essay will result in disqualification from all scholarships you apply for.
… and Stand Out From the Crowd
- While it is not a requirement, titles and paragraph indentions demonstrate professionalism.
- A well-researched essay goes a long way! Don’t forget to give credit where it is due. While there is no need for a works cited page, please let us know where you gathered your information from.
- Be yourself and tell an interesting story, especially if the essay prompt calls for a personal reflection or your point of view.
- Lastly, do not insult the people reading your essay. Do not say anything negative about the essay prompt, or the scholarship application process. (Duh, right?)
Two Weeks Before the Deadline
Don't forget to follow up on those letter of recommendation requests. Checking to see whether the recommendation letters have been turned in is easy (and it’s YOUR responsibility). Just log back in to your AwardSpring account. Choose the application tab. Select letters of recommendation. A “pending” status indicates that you have requested a letter while a “submitted” status indicates the recommender has responded to your request.
It is a great idea to follow up with a phone call or email to your recommender if they are in “pending” status. Ask if they received the email request. Repeat the email address back to them to ensure it is correct. Correct any errors in the email address or resend the email to make sure it is on the top of your recommender’s email inbox.
When in Doubt, Contact Us!
The Foundation staff is always happy to help students! If you get stuck, contact one of us to talk through it or schedule an appointment to review your application before you hit “submit.” Foundation staff DO NOT review the applications, so we can assist without bias.
Christina Reneau
Director of Resource Development creneau@southernregional.edu
(229) 225-4060