Steps to Prepare a Competitive Scholarship Application

1. Prepare an Application Development Timeline

Sketch out an application development timeline that works for you. Consider:

  • Have you spent time researching the scholarship program and reviewing the bios of past recipients, gaining a more nuanced idea of the fit between the scholarship and your goals and interests?
  • When do you plan on completing a first draft of the application?
  • When do you plan to meet with an ONSA adviser?
  • By what point will you need to request letters of recommendation to allow your recommenders enough time?

2. Define the Vision

Next, before diving into the scholarship application, it's important to first reflect on a set of questions that will set the stage for your application:

  • What impact do you wish to have in the world?
  • Looking ahead, what is a trajectory that you find particularly compelling?
  • Who is doing the type of work that you admire and find impactful?

3. Draft Your Application

Moving forward, it is important to determine which aspects of your background and experiences have laid the groundwork for - and evidence your commitment to - the vision that you have identified.

Your application should highlight formative and significant aspects of your background that provide insight into your credentials and motivation as they relate to the scholarship criteria and your chosen path.

4. Secure Appropriate Recommenders

Your recommenders should be individuals who know you well and are able to speak about you enthusiastically and offer relevant insight about you. Do not get letters from peers or family friends. As a matter of professional courtesy, you should ask your recommenders for letters at least three weeks in advance of the deadline. Preparing a competitive scholarship application requires a commitment to writing multiple drafts and completing multiple revisions with feedback from advisers and faculty.

5. Write and Revise

Preparing a competitive scholarship application requires a commitment to writing multiple drafts and completing multiple revisions with feedback from advisers and faculty. No one writes a perfect first draft and it takes time to present clear and compelling application essays. As you write, keep the reader in mind. Consider not only the content but also how you present the content in an engaging way to the selection committee.