Scholarship selection committees often receive many worthy applications for a limited number of possible awards. How can you make your scholarship application stand out? The GEO Scholarships team has developed a few tips to assist you in crafting competitive applications for any scholarship:

1) Gather information and apply early.

The most common mistake that students make when applying for scholarships is waiting until it is too late. Deadlines for scholarships are often before, or well before, the deadline for the study abroad program application. Find out about all of the scholarships that you might be eligible for and create a timeline of the upcoming deadlines.

2) Do your homework.

Read through the scholarship application requirements and expectations before you begin. Think through which sections of the application will take the most time and effort, and plan ahead to organize your time. Do your research on the scholarship: 

• Who and what does the scholarship serve?
• What materials do you need?
• Does the scholarship require that you order official transcripts or request letters of recommendation?
• Double check the deadline: some scholarship application portals close at an exact time. For example, GEO Scholarships and the Gilman Scholarship close at 11:59 p.m. PST. Other scholarships such as the FEA close at 9:00 a.m. PST, and the Boren Scholarship closes at 2:00 p.m. PST. 

3) Read and re-read scholarship instructions, and follow them closely.

If the scholarship prompt requires a PDF submission, or expects specific formatting (such as 12pt font, 1-inch margins, single-spaced) do exactly as it says. Collect all the right materials and answer all of the questions. Make sure that your essays respond appropriately and thoughtfully to the prompts. Take note of the word limit or character limit.

4) Writing in your voice vs using AI/ChatGPT.

For study abroad scholarships, selection committees want to hear about your journey: your background, why you are passionate and motivated to study what you are studying in college, your long-term aspirations, and how your major/minor/goals are connected to the study abroad program or internship. The most successful essays will capture your life story in your own voice. It is becoming more common for students to access generative AI technology like ChatGPT to help write essays. While these resources can produce grammatically proficient text, know that AI cannot effectively tell a compelling personal story about your own life. Being able to explain who you are and what you want to achieve is especially important. This is what brings out your voice, your perspective, and your passion in a scholarship essay. Make sure you fully address the essay prompt, but also keep in mind the importance of having a personalized narrative arc in the essay that tells your story. 

5) A few common writing tips:

• Be specific about the academic goals that you would like to achieve. Most scholarships will ask that you explain how your study abroad program fits with your major and/or your career plans.  
• Assume that the audience does not know anything about your selected study abroad program or internship. Take the time to explain what the program is, what you will be able to achieve, and how it relates to your major/minor and long-term career goals.
• If an essay prompt has multiple sub-questions, do not assume that you need to structure your essay by answering each sub-question in order. It is often better to organize your essay in a way that flows naturally and tells a coherent story, while also making strong and specific arguments that address the prompt.
• Organization: Think through the purpose and structure of each paragraph. Try to have a topic sentence that gives shape and direction to each paragraph.  

6) Edit, edit, and edit.

If you are a UO student, you can share your essay drafts with our GEO Scholarship advisors. Make a scholarship advising appointment on Navigate or visit drop-in advising hours, visit the GEO Advising webpage for additional information. Additionally,  you can send your scholarship essay drafts to geoinfo@uoregon.edu. Drafts should include the scholarship name, essay prompts, and your name. Be sure that they are in an editable format such as Microsoft Word so that we can edit and include comments. We can sometimes take up to 3-5 business days to respond depending on the number of drafts we are receiving, so make sure you plan ahead. Have multiple sets of eyes on your application essays including friends, professors, advisors, and family. Read your essays out loud to assess the flow and organization of your sentences. Proofread for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, or inconsistencies that can detract from the quality of your essay.

7) Save backup files of your application.

Always have multiple drafts of your application, and store them in a separate backup location. This can be an online shared drive such as Microsoft 365 or Google Drive, your email, or an external hard drive. Computers can fail, and you don’t want to lose all of your hard work.

8) Do not wait until the last minute to submit.

Things can happen – technology can break down, you could fall sick, or schoolwork could get overwhelming. Always plan to submit at least 1-2 days before the deadline in case life gets in the way.