strong scholarship applications
TRANSCRIPT
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE TO CIBER SUMMER PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
Campus-wide Scholarships CIBER Scholarships Outside Scholarships
IEFS (INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION FEES SCHOLARSHIP)
Campus-wide competition Need/merit Committee composed of faculty & staff
members from across campus Award amounts range from $1000-$1500 Awards announced by April 1 References and essays required Minimum in residence GPA required: 2.0 Deadline March 1 Application through GLOBAL ASSIST
AMERICAN AIRLINES GLOBAL LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP
Campus-wide competition One per summer Free flight on American Airlines Committee composed of advisors and staff
members Requires a blog while you are abroad Minimum GPA is 3.25 Deadline FEBRUARY 15 Application through GLOBAL ASSIST
TEXAS EXES AND FLYING LONGHORNS STUDY ABROAD SCHOLARSHIPS
Texas Ex Scholarship Must be US citizen Academic excellence and financial need will be considered Deadline March 1 $1,450 will be awarded to one recipient
Ex-Students Association - Flying Longhorns Study Abroad Scholarship
Must be US citizen Academic excellence and financial need will be considered Deadline March 1 One award of $600 Access through the TexasScholarships.org
Info for both: http://www.utexas.edu/student/abroad/funding/ut_scholarships.html
CIBER SUMMER PROGRAM NEED/MERIT SCHOLARSHIP
For enrolled CIBER summer abroad program participants
Students must have financial need References and essays required $1500 awarded to one student per program Deadline December 1 each year Application through GLOBAL ASSIST
CIBER PROJECT-BASED SCHOLARSHIP
Student proposes an innovative and creative project that shares his/her international experience
Specify your target audience and your project’s purpose
One award of $800 per program Deadline March 1 Application through GLOBAL ASSIST
BHP SCHOLARSHIP
Need/Merit based Must be a BHP student Requires references and essays 5 awards of $1000 Deadline March 1 Application through GLOBAL ASSIST
DELOITTE & TOUCHE SCHOLARSHIP FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDY
Awarded to MPA students participating in any of CIBER’s three MPA programs in Hong Kong, Paris, or Prague
$6000 will be awarded to MPA students going abroad through CIBER International Summer Programs in the summer of 2010
Need and merit based Requires essays and references Deadline March 1 Application through GLOBAL ASSIST
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT CENTER OF EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIP
Restricted to Supply Chain Management majors, undeclared majors who intend to declare SCM as a major, or ERB students with a SCM business concentration
Minimum GPA of 3.0 Need and merit based 3 Awards of $1000 Reference and essay required Deadline March 1 Application through GLOBAL ASSIST
ADDITIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS
Let everyone know you are looking for money!
Inquire with local (in Austin and in your hometown) organizations
Propose that local companies or organizations match funds you raise or have earned through other scholarships
Inquire with any local, state, or national chapters of religious, political, professional, or service organizations
Write up a quick one-page fact sheet introducing you, detailing costs, and outlining your goals to give to any contacts
SOME NOTES ON USING GLOBAL ASSIST
Your program code is required. This is a code specific to your study abroad program and connects you to scholarships that are available to your specific program.
You can find your program code by clicking the appropriate link within the GLOBAL ASSIST database or searching on the SAO search engine.
You must know your session: first summer session (all CIBER programs except Edinburgh) or second summer session (only Edinburgh).
Save as you go and save your essays as Word files on your computer before you paste them into the text box just in case there is a computer glitch.
SOME NOTES ON USING GLOBAL ASSIST
Your “Study Abroad Advisor” is the CIBER Program Coordinator, Angie Carter
Your references will be sent an automatically generated email from the system either as soon as you enter in their information OR once you submit your final application (your choice)
MAKING A STRONG SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
How do I find a reference?Who will read my application?What should I say in my essay?What will my audience want to know?
REFERENCES
Ask professors or instructors EARLY (one month in advance is very nice!)
Academic references are always preferred unless the scholarship specifies otherwise
Make sure they know that their reference is important to you
Provide them a SHORT description of the program, why/how it fits your educational and professional goals, and why this scholarship is important to you
Politely remind them of approaching deadlines Thank your references with a thank you note
WHAT MAKES A STRONG APPLICATION?START EARLY
Recommendations must be submitted online before the due date, so you must ask your references in advance of the due date
Give yourself time to research your audience Give yourself time to double-check that
everything is submitted in advance of the due date, if possible
WHAT MAKES AN COMPETITIVE ESSAY?REFLECTION
Before you begin writing:1) Define your purpose: Your purpose is NOT to
discuss how expensive the program might be, how you love listening to Scottish punk music, or how much you want to learn to dance flamenco. Your purpose is to persuade your audience why YOU deserve this scholarship.
2) Define your goals: Your main goal is to persuade the committee that you not only need this scholarship, but that you deserve this scholarship and its use will be an investment in your future educational and professional success.
3) Organize your thoughts: Your words are limited. What must you get across in your essay?
WHAT MAKES AN COMPETITIVE ESSAY?KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Find out as much as you can about the scholarship committee
Find out all you can about the goals or objectives of the department, program, organization or company offering the scholarship
Target their goals and objectives in your essay
The committee will choose recipients who will be good ambassadors for their goals and objectives
Write from the heart but concentrate on maintaining a professional tone and writing style
WHAT MAKES AN COMPETITIVE ESSAY?BE SURE TO ANSWER THE PROMPT
The committee has asked this question or presented this prompt because they want to know certain information about you: your intentions, goals, educational objectives, future career path
Clearly respond to the specific essay prompt and make sure you don’t forget to address any of its points
Use the prompt to differentiate yourself from the others—think about how it applies to YOU.
Plan how you’ll respond to an essay with multiple prompts so that you don’t repeat yourself or have to write “I already explained this above.”
WHAT MAKES AN COMPETITIVE ESSAY? VOICE
Make sure your personality is on the page Share your story: let them know who you are
and what makes you unique Be respectful, gracious, humble Speak in your own voice (rather than letting
a thesaurus speak for you!) Show that you are reflective and
introspective and have thought about this experience beyond how amazing it will be to be abroad.
Express your excitement to go abroad AND your realization that this is a special opportunity
WHAT MAKES AN COMPETITIVE ESSAY?SHOW DON’T TELL
Of course study abroad “means a lot to you” and of course it will “change you a lot”
SHOW the committee why this is the case and how this experience will make you more marketable when you recruit or apply to graduate programs
Illustrate your points with examples about how this experience will improve job prospects, graduate school applications, undergraduate experience, work with student organizations, and your personal growth
Use specific examples
WHAT MAKES A COMPETITIVE ESSAY? IMPACT
Why did you choose this specific program? How will this program influence your
educational experience? Why are you choosing to take part in a study
abroad program rather than going on a vacation or trip?
How will awarding you this scholarship add value to or help you accomplish your future professional, personal, and educational goals?
How will you give back? How will awarding you this scholarship add value to your campus, degree program, peers back at UT Austin?
WHAT MAKES AN COMPETITIVE ESSAY? NEED
What difference will this money make to you or your family?
Do you have obligations you want the committee to be aware of as they read your essay?
They are investing in you. Tell them why you are worth this investment.
WHAT MAKES AN COMPETITIVE ESSAY?REVISION
Give yourself time to read through your essay with fresh eyes
Share your essay with a friend to make sure that it makes sense
Take your essay to the writing center for additional help
Write the essay in a Word document to spellcheck it before you submit it in the online application’s text box
Read it out loud once before you submit it so that you can catch anything that sounds funny
WHAT MAKES A COMPETITIVE ESSAY? SUMMARY
Reflect upon your decision, goals, and purpose
Avoid typos by spell checking your document Specify why you must go abroad on this
program Specify why you need the money and how it
will be used Describe the program as an educational
experience that will be challenging and of value to the your future (rather than a “trip” or “vacation”)
Insist you need the money because the program is an investment in your future (rather than “because it is expensive”)
WHAT MAKES A COMPETITIVE ESSAY? SUMMARY
Research your study abroad location and find it on a map so that you know where you are talking about when you write about the location in your essay
Be realistic and avoid erroneous generalities such as “Europe is a great country to visit” or “I can’t wait to speak Brazilian!” or “I’m sure I’ll become fluent in French while I’m in Paris for five weeks because I’ll work hard!”
Adapt for your specific audience and make it clear that you have tailored this essay for them (rather than recycling one essay over and over)
RESOURCES
Undergraduate Writing Center Appointments and walk-ins 45 minute consultation http://uwc.utexas.edu/ Call 512-471-6222 or stop by the Center in FAC
211 to make an appointment Your study abroad advisor might be able to
help guide you Former scholarship recipients can share their
advice Purdue Online Writing Lab OWL
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/