15 Jul 2020

Many scholarships get left on the shelf simply because people assume they won’t get one, so they don’t even apply. But truth is, there are currently more than 4200 scholarships available to Australian students, across both the higher education and vocational sectors. Therefore, you've got a pretty red hot change to receive one! 

So how can you make a banger scholarship application? 

First of all, what is a scholarship?

A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student wanting to further their education at university.

There are a fair few types of scholarships with different criteria and values. For example, there are financial hardship scholarships to alleviate the stress of money if you can't afford uni life and there are academic excellence scholarships awarded to students based on their red hot abilities demonstrated by their ATAR, OP or results from previous tertiary study and equity, to name a few.

Scholarships come in many shapes and sizes, some of which cover tuition fees (in part or full), cover living and accommodation expenses, and even cover the whole lot or provide a stipend that students may use as they see fit. Most cover students for the duration of their course, while others only cover students for a year or require them to reapply.

The biggest thing you should take away from this article is that scholarships aren't that hard to get! Each student has a unique and individual set of life circumstances, skills and dreams so if you can show that through your bangin' application, you're good as gold!

What will you need to cover in your application?

You don’t need to be a great essay writer or the world’s best student to be awarded a scholarship. All you need is some gusto (enthusiasm, guys).

The scholarship application process is kinda like a job interview. You essentially want to make a good impression! This would include:

  • Starting early, bookmarking the web pages and coming back to them if they aren’t open or you don’t have all your documentation ready - you won't be rushing like a headless chicken to submit it!).
  • Completing the application with lots of detail about your circumstances.
  • Selling yourself! Get your foot in the door by talking about your strengths, skills, lessons you've learnt and the adversities you've overcome.
  • Some scholarships require a personal statement so get creative with it, share your story and how this scholarship could make a difference to you.
  • Checking for spelling mistakes and illegible writing. 
  • Making sure you've answered everything with great detail and within the guidelines.

How can you stand out?

You know how I mentioned gusto? Well, this is how you can curb your enthusiasm to suit your scholarship application so you can stand out amongst the rest.

  • Make that you beaut' personality of yours shine through your personal voice whilst staying professional of course. 
  • Make sure you're being specific to what's being asked from you on the application rather than having a generic template you copy and paste to every scholarship application.
  • Be passionate and include lots of details that help reveal who you are. 
  • Provide supporting documentation that can make a big difference to your application, as it backs up the claims you’re making. 

So what are you waiting for? Go get some scholarships, woo!