Enhance your scholarship applications

Working on scholarship applications? How do you ensure you’re submitting the best possible application?  Tips from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC.  Read more…

While there are various ways to qualify for the different types of financial awards out there, scholarships are marks-based. Therefore, the most important factor is your report card - most scholarships require you to have a minimum mark of around 80% to be eligible to apply. 
In addition, further documentation may be required.  (It’s important to note here as well if it’s an Entrance Scholarship, you must not have previously attended a post-secondary institution).

Typically, involvement in activities that exemplify leadership and community service are required for eligibility.  So, be sure to keep track of when and how you participated in such activities, and whether they were volunteer or paid positions. 

Some examples would be with organizations such as YM-YWCA, Boys and Girls Club, Rotary, Big Brothers and Sisters, sports or camp involvement, and other school and community clubs. 

Asking for letters of reference or recommendation from a supervisor is also a good idea. Organize these, along with other detailed notes of your involvement, in a binder.  This will save a lot of time and come in handy for many years.

But judges are also looking for something deeper.   It’s not just about how many hours, or the number of activities you’re involved in.  “We look for details like how many people the student’s involvement positively impacted, and what the depth of that impact was” explains Gordon Down, manager of TRU Financial Aid and Awards.

“We want to ultimately be able to determine the student’s actions were altruistic” says Down.
The deadline to apply for TRU Entrance Scholarships is March 1st.  Visit www.tru.ca/awards for applications and more information. To apply to TRU, visit www.tru.ca/apply.