WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.000 music 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:09.000 Hello my name's Amanda. I'm a senior majoring in education at Western Oregon University. 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:12.000 We're going to start by discussing why you should apply for scholarships 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:14.000 and where to look for scholarship opportunities. 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:18.000 Later I'll share some great tips on making the application process easier. 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:21.000 So why should you apply for scholarships? There are many reasons. 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:26.000 The most important one is that receiving scholarships can offset your loan borrowing and save you money. 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:30.000 Also if you received a scholarship that's an achievement you can add to your resume. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:35.000 And don't forget, while you're working to meet all the requirements of your scholarship application 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:39.000 you're learning skills that will be useful after graduation when applying for jobs. 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:45.000 One of the places you can look for scholarships is the Oregon Office of Student Access and Completion or OSAC. 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:49.000 On this website there are $18 million worth of scholarships available 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:51.000 and you may qualify for many of them. 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:56.000 The great thing about OSAC is you can apply for multiple scholarships with a single application. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:60.000 Check out your options at oregonstudentaid.gov. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:02.000 Another great resource is community scholarships. 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:07.000 Community scholarships may carry smaller dollar amounts but there will be less competition for them. 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:10.000 Be sure to discuss scholarships opportunities with your high school counselor. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:13.000 He or she might know of some community scholarships 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:16.000 or scholarships that previous students have been awarded. 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:20.000 The internet will be your best resource for discovering national scholarships. 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:24.000 There are thousands of different opportunities out there but you have to be persistent in looking for them. 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:27.000 And of course admitted students can try for WOU scholarships 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:29.000 using the general scholarship application. 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:34.000 With one form you can apply to more than 80 scholarships available to WOU students. 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:38.000 When searching for scholarships there are lots of free scholarship sites you can go to 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:42.000 such as fastweb.com, unigo.com, and cappex.com. 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:48.000 On these search sites you'll fill out your information and be matched with all of the external scholarships you qualify for. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:51.000 Hopefully you'll end up with a very long list of possible scholarships 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:53.000 and you'll have to take time to sort through them. 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:58.000 It's all part of the process of finding free money so stay focused and really learn from the experience. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:01:62.000 It will likely get easier as you sift through all the information. 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:04.000 Before you start applying for external scholarships 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:10.000 you should know that you're going to run into a lot of advertisements and a lot of forms asking for personal information. 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:13.000 And once you submit your personal information you'll get even more ads. 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:16.000 It's kind of annoying but it's part of the process. 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:19.000 You have to give information to get information. 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:22.000 Just be prepared to provide what's required on the scholarship application. 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:26.000 There's going to be a lot of sorting through scholarships that don't apply to you. 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:29.000 You'll have to spend a lot of time going through and reading all of the requirements 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:32.000 to see if you actually qualify for each scholarship. 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:36.000 You might even run into sites trying to get you to pay for scholarship listings. 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:38.000 We recommend you do not go that route. 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:41.000 Scholarships and scholarship search sites should all be free. 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:44.000 Also don't forget the resources we talked about earlier. 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:47.000 Community-based scholarships and your high school counselor. 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:51.000 Community-based scholarship opportunities might not come up in your online searches. 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:53.000 So you'll have to find them in a different way. 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:56.000 Your high school counselor might know about them 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:60.000 or you might hear about them if you're out in the community doing volunteer work or other application building activities. 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:03.000 It's great to put your face out there to community members 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:05.000 who are going to be the people awarding these scholarships. 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:08.000 Your odds of receiving one is higher if people know who you are 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:10.000 and see that you're out in the community doing good. 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:16.000 Also some scholarships are only available to students who graduate from a certain local high school 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:18.000 or whose parents work for a specific employer. 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:21.000 Those are types of opportunities you need to be on the look out for. 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:25.000 Here are some pro tips for applying for scholarships online. 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:29.000 First create a separate email address you can use specifically for scholarship emails. 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:34.000 That way you're not getting bombarded on your personal email account with lots of spam and ads. 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:38.000 Second be prepared to find scholarships offered by corporations. 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:40.000 These are usually legit scholarships 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:42.000 but the application pool is probably very large. 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:48.000 And if you win one the company might ask you to appear in ads on the company website or in press releases. 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:51.000 We're not suggesting you don't apply for these opportunities. 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:53.000 Just know how they might be used. 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:56.000 Make sure to set aside time to do scholarship searches and fill out applications 00:03:56.000 --> 00:03:58.000 just like you would for studying. 00:03:58.000 --> 00:03:61.000 Many scholarship opportunities require similar materials 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:04.000 such as an essay question or letters of recommendation. 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:09.000 You'll find the application process much easier if you gather all this info ahead of time 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:12.000 so you don't have to search for it while filling out the forms. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:17.000 Create a list of the awards you've won, the accomplishments you've achieved, and the volunteer work you've done. 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:18.000 Save all your essays. 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:22.000 Have pdfs of your recommendation letters ready to attach to applications. 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:26.000 Finally you might want to partner up with a friend to sort through scholarship opportunities. 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:29.000 That way you don't have to read through all of them on your own. 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:33.000 You'll be able to screen a lot more opportunities and figure out which ones are the best fit. 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:38.000 As you can see from this graph February through April is when a majority of deadlines for scholarships fall. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:40.000 Be sure to stay on top of things 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:43.000 and remember to start applying before those deadlines are right around the corner. 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:47.000 When awarding scholarships committees are looking for several different factors. 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:49.000 One is your academic achievements. 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:53.000 They'll look at your GPA, your ACT, and SAT scores 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:56.000 and then any academic awards you might have received. 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:58.000 They'll also want to see that you've done some volunteer work in the community 00:04:58.000 --> 00:04:62.000 or you've participated in after-school activities or clubs. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:07.000 Make sure to include any leadership positions you've held and whether you played sports in school. 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:10.000 Typically scholarship applications include an essay portion. 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:15.000 Committees expect it to address the prompt given and for the essay to be well-written. 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:17.000 You want your essay to really stand out. 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:21.000 Scholarship committees read thousands of essays so yours must be memorable. 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:25.000 Of course selection committees want applicants who meet their ideal candidate profile. 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:29.000 Don't waste your time and theirs by applying for scholarships where you don't meet the requirements. 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:33.000 Some scholarship awards are made based on the candidates financial need. 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:39.000 Be prepared to provide income info for yourself, your parents, and FAFSA information if asked. 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:43.000 Now I'm going to finish up with some tips to make your scholarship application shine. 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:45.000 Your job on these forms is to sell yourself. 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:48.000 You need to show you're a great person who's worthy of their investment. 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:53.000 Some ways to make yourself an ideal candidate are to get involved with your community and your school. 00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:56.000 Put your name and face out there in the community. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:60.000 A lot of applications want you to talk about your community involvement or your leadership experience. 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:02.000 Make sure to keep your grades up. 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:06.000 Fill out your FAFSA and have that information on hand when applying for scholarships. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:09.000 Take the time to give your essay the thoughtfulness it deserves. 00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:14.000 Donors love experience that is unique, impactful, longer term, 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:18.000 self-initiated, cross-cultural, or related to your specific field of study. 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:24.000 Before you begin writing understand the purpose of the writing and the motivation of what they're asking from you. 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:27.000 Why have the donors asked you to write about this topic? 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:29.000 What do they want to know about you? 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:32.000 Analyze the organization. Why does it exist? 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:34.000 What is this scholarship about for this organization? 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:36.000 Why are they providing these funds? 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:40.000 Put yourself in the shoes of the person who will be reading your scholarship essay 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:41.000 and cater that essay towards them. 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:46.000 Remember writing a scholarship essay is totally different than writing a school paper. 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:48.000 In the essay you are trying to sell yourself. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:51.000 You are telling them why you are deserving of this scholarship. 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:53.000 Be unique and interesting. 00:06:53.000 --> 00:06:57.000 Make sure your writing mechanisms are flawless and stay within the given word count. 00:06:57.000 --> 00:06:59.000 Don't stray from the prompt. 00:06:59.000 --> 00:06:62.000 Writing good essays is like a job, so treat it as such. 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:05.000 Hopefully you're going to get paid for it in the end. 00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:08.000 Well that about covers this presentation on scholarships. 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:12.000 I hope you've gotten some good ideas for how to find and apply for scholarship opportunities 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:15.000 and I look forward to meeting you when you join us on the WOU campus. 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:22.000 music