Perhaps you’ve applied for a number of scholarships, and one day, you receive a letter. You open the letter and begin reading, “Congratulations!” Hey, you’ve won a scholarship! Great. Now what? Here are some of the P’s and Q’s of scholarships and experiences that have worked well for successful Scholarship Junkies.
Thank You Letters
The first step you can take is to write a thank you letter. Who exactly are you thanking? Well, you can thank a number of people—the organization sponsoring the award, the scholarship selection committee, even the program director who sent you your award notification letter. It doesn’t have to be like a speech at the Oscars, but at least thank the judges who spent countless hours reading over thousands of applications.
Scholarship Junkies Founder Sam Lim wrote thank you letters after receiving scholarships with the intention of keeping in touch with the organizations. (You never know how they might be able to support you again later on down the road with potential jobs or internships). After expressing his gratitude and how he proud he was to have been selected a winner, he’d provide his contact info and assure them that he’d stay in contact with them (more below on how to keep in touch). If you plan on following up with another letter, this thank you note can be brief but do make sure to mention that you plan on keeping in touch.
Scholarship Recipient Speeches
For some scholarships, you may be asked to speak at a winner’s banquet or reception. Many people, if not most, are afraid of public speaking (some people say it’s more feared than death), so what should you say? Scholarship speeches are really an opportunity for the organization to showcase their winners. Basically, the audience will probably consist of organization members, community leaders, etc. A Scholarship Junkie might think of the situation this way: the audience already likes you, so don’t feel like you have to impress them or win them over. Tell them who you are and what your goals are. Perhaps share a short story from your life to tie it all together. So before you start stressing out over what to say or who to thank, just remember to have fun. The audience is there to celebrate your achievements so, please, enjoy the moment.
Also, when accepting your award (perhaps they’ll present you with a giant check), you may be asked to speak a few words. It’s always a nice gesture to acknowledge any other winners (some scholarships will award 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.). From Sam’s experience, this can earn you brownie points from organization members (always great to make a good impression, especially if they may be considering you for an internship later on). If you’re not sure what to say, just say something from the heart and really mean it. Think about how you’ll be able to use it for your education, how it affects your family, etc. You’ll probably want to thank the organization, the judges, the people in charge of the awards banquet, your family, and perhaps a teacher who recommended you. Regardless of what you say, a short message of gratitude can go a long way.
Requesting funds
If you receive an award notification letter in the mail, it will probably include an instruction sheet on how to request your funds for the upcoming school year (or when you enroll at a college or university). There may be a form that you need to fill out with the contact information of the scholarship office at your school and your student information. You may want to double check with your school to find out where scholarship checks should be sent. Keep in mind that most universities have a financial aid office and a separate scholarship award office (sometimes known as student fiscal services). The financial aid office determines your financial aid award package, and the scholarship award office actually handles the money. You can find the appropriate information by visiting the school’s website or calling the scholarship office.
Once you’ve sent in your form, checks will either be mailed directly to the school or sent to you to take to the scholarship office. In some cases, the checks may be co-written to you and the school with the task of submitting the funds to the school as your responsibility. More than likely, the checks will be sent directly to the school and deposited into your account.
If for some reason you do not receive any money even after submitting your information back to the organization by the requested date, you will want to call the organization and check on your award status. Sometimes they do not have sufficient information like where to send the check. Do not assume that they just decided not to award you your funds. As the scholarship recipient, it is your responsibility to make sure they have the correct information in order to give you the correct award amount.
Keeping in touch
Finally, an important aspect of winning scholarships is that you now have an entire network that is willing to support you. This network, which comprises organization members, community leaders, and others affiliated with the scholarship program, can offer you a rich pool of opportunities like jobs, internships, mentors, and more. Scholarship organizations like to know how their scholars do in school, what their hobbies are, and any updates about their lives. It’s a nice reminder for them of why they contribute to scholarships for students to attend college.
If you’ve already sent a short thank you letter immediately after receiving your scholarship notification letter, take some time after you’ve settled down to write them a longer letter with the updates they love hearing about. They want to know your plans, your interests, your goals, etc. It’s always nice to get some reassurance that they’ve made the right choices in selecting you as a winner. Let them know where you’ll attend and what you plan on studying. Perhaps how you will give back to the community. Whatever you choose to write just write it from the heart.
You may ask, “Who am I writing to?” Take some time to find out who the major sponsors are for that particular scholarship and address the letter to them. Perhaps write two or three letters if there are multiple sponsors. One of the best ways of keeping organizations up-to-date on your college experience is to create a quarterly newsletter, or even simpler, a nice email. Send it to the different organizations and anyone you might have met at an awards banquet or even your friends and family. By keeping in touch and remaining visible, you can show the organization that you appreciate their generosity and that you’re thankful for their support. This sort of networking can work wonders for you if ever you’re searching for a mentor to guide you, a summer internship or even a job after graduating.
These tips are just some of the ways you can make the most out of your scholarship awards. You may find, through your own experience, different ways of showing your appreciation, keeping in touch, and building your own network. Nevertheless, if you have won scholarships, these tips can help you find that there is more to scholarships than just financial rewards.
