How to apply for scholarships--tips

[emily g]

This is a thread to collect information about how to apply for scholarships.
Please contribute by adding your personal knowledge and/or links to useful resources. :)

I will start with what I think is the most important advice I can give: Apply for A LOT of scholarships. I'm not talking about 10, I'm talking more like 100. I know that sounds crazy, but if you apply for 100 you will end up getting perhaps 2 or 3. Which is probably just what you need.

Some people apply for one or two scholarships and then just give up when they don't get anything. They gave up way too early--you have to be a lot more persistent than that.

And that's another bit of advice. You don't need to be talented or smart to get a scholarship, you just need to be persistent. Money goes unused each year because people don't apply for it, so it might as well go to you. :)

[emily g]

The Art and Design Scholarship Guide (http://www.artschools.com/articles/scholarships/)

This article is excellent because it's geared specifically to art students.
It has tons of good ideas and lots of links to follow up on.

[Ryn]

I will start with what I think is the most important advice I can give: Apply for A LOT of scholarships. I'm not talking about 10, I'm talking more like 100.

Whew, okay! I asked for 40 transcripts from my guidance counselor about a week ago, and when I went in to pick them up today she only gave me four. She didn't believe that I could possibly be applying for more than several scholarships. It's good to hear that this is indeed a feasible strategy and I'm not just crazy.

Thanks a lot for this forum section and your work on it Emily, it's really helpful.

[emily g]

You're welcome, Ryn!

I do indeed think it is a really good strategy, and I like to think of it as a type of game. You are not going to be chosen for every scholarship, so it makes sense to apply for a lot of them. This way, if you are turned down, it's not that big of a deal. You have a lot of applications out there, so you are that much closer to getting a "yes" from one of them.

Let me know if there is any other help or info that you need!

[Storyboard Dave]

Whew, okay! I asked for 40 transcripts from my guidance counselor about a week ago, and when I went in to pick them up today she only gave me four. She didn't believe that I could possibly be applying for more than several scholarships. It's good to hear that this is indeed a feasible strategy and I'm not just crazy.

Thanks a lot for this forum section and your work on it Emily, it's really helpful.


What a GREAT story!

I love hearing the fact that you're actually pushing your guidance counselor! Bravo to you for applying to so many scholarships. For the footwork you're putting in now, it'll pay off for you in the long run.

Good luck with the applications. :bounce:

[artheat]

i live in pakistan so my friend may i have a chance to get the scholarships. about me recently i done my diploma in fine art so plz told me that aportunaty is for the people all over the world

[emily g]

artheat, each scholarship has different requirements, and I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for.

[emily g]

Joanne Levy-Prewitt writes a weekly newspaper column called "College Bound - A weekly guide to higher education"

It is often published in the Education or Financial sections.
You can do a search for her name and the title to find the website of a newspaper that carries the column.

For example, I found her column here (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/qws/columns/college?term=&smode=and&Submit=S&dmode=preset&period=all) and was able to search the archives.

She has good financial information and answers readers' questions about paying for college.

[pocketfreak]

This is an interesting thread, I was also wondering what your opinion might be to consider the extent at which a scholarship and its certificates are significant in terms of an artist working within the industry - this is with regard to a circumstance where an artist could integrate within the industry and exceed boundaries that usually oppose people without having an orthodox series of qualifications to justify themselves as competent! So ultimately, in this qualification versus portfolio, to what extent is either more significant? I don't intend to discourage a scholarship of course, since I am currently studying for one - haha. I do find it interesting though, about the sheer dynamics embodied in the art world and its industry ^^

[Maidith]

You're right Emily, A LOT of scholarship applications it is! :D The more you apply for, the higher your chance is of getting one.

I applied at 70 (!) different institutions for a scholarship/study grant for Angel Academy of Art and actually received one.

[Doudou]

Hey, Emily, i can't thank you enough for this interesting and useful thread, I've been surfing around for scholarships since last year, to take a Master in Advertisement Design, and I'm Finishing my BFA in Painting this year, I have been looking for those mostly in Europe, not the US, as i live in Egypt, and i'm more familiar with Europe, UK in particular, so i found this site, it's really helpful for those who are looking for Post or Undergraduate Deg. in the UK: prospects
(http://www.prospcts.ac.uk)
Also, In France, the "Ecoles Superieurs" are higher than the Universities, so for Media Art, the ESMA (Ecole Superieur des Metiers Artistiques ) is an example, and the works of its students is really Nice.
So i hope these info could be useful:)

[Mischavie]

I have no stories to tell myself, but I'm working on it... ;P

As the posters before me have said, persistence definitely seems to be the key. My best advice comes from advice that has been drilled into my head from people all around me (many who have, in fact, won scholarships through persistence), and that is to "apply, apply, and apply some more!"

The best sites for scholarships I know of are fastweb.com and schoolsoup.com. It's also always good to check with the college you're interested in for they offer scholarships to students who apply to their school. Finally, always apply for the FAFSA. Even if you don't get any need-based aid from FAFSA, you'll need this application to apply for some scholarships, too.

Anyway, that said... best of luck. :) May we all achieve our dreams.