开始
The University of Idaho 杰出的奖学金 Program helps all currently enrolled students and recent alumni learn about the many distinguished scholarships and fellowships available through governments, 私人捐助者, 基金会, 民间组织, 和公司. Students from universities across the country compete for a set number of funds awarded at the national level. In this context, the terms scholarships and fellowships are often used interchangeably.
提名和校园截止日期
Many of the national 基金会 which grant these awards require students be nominated by their university in order to apply; students are not able to apply for these awards directly. The U of I 杰出的奖学金 Program coordinates the campus selection process to select which students the university will nominate. Thus, you are initially applying for U of I’s nomination for the award, rather than the award itself.
Because the U of I must have time to conduct a campus selection process, the campus application deadline will be earlier than the final deadlines posted on the 基金会’ websites. Students must meet the campus deadline to be considered for these awards, 所以提前计划是很重要的.
直接应用
Some awards do not require a university nomination, and students may apply directly to the foundation granting the award. The U of I 杰出的奖学金 Program works with many students to craft and revise applications for these types of awards as well.
合格标准
Eligibility criteria are minimum requirements which students must meet in order to apply. The criteria which make a student competitive for an award is usually significantly higher than that for eligibility purposes. Some awards require students to be at a specific point in their college career (e.g.(大二、大三). These are not defined by the number of credits you have completed or your U of I-defined rank. This is defined by the amount of time left before you plan to graduate. If you are unclear as to whether you meet an award’s requirements, please contact us.
Start by gathering information and browsing the opportunities listed on this website. Our site provides brief descriptions of these awards; make sure to click through to the foundation’s official site for more information and full details about the award. Many of these sites have profiles of past winners — look through some of them. 这些学生看起来像你吗? Do they sound like they have similar goals or aspirations to you? This can be a good sign of whether you may be a good match for the award.
Attend an information session hosted by the U of I 杰出的奖学金 Program. If you are not able to attend an information session or none are scheduled for the opportunity which interests you, contact the program coordinator to set up an appointment.
Once you confirm that an award is right for you, you will begin drafting the application. The program coordinator and campus experts are here to help you with this stage — a large portion of our time is spent helping students draft and revise essays and short-answer questions for the application.
While each award has different eligibility and selection criteria, there are some things which can make students more competitive candidates for most awards:
- 保持你的成绩.
- Participate in undergraduate research.
- Develop ongoing relationships with faculty whom you can call on for recommendations.
- 寻求国际经验.
- Find one or two meaningful activities where you aspire to a leadership role.
- 参与社区活动. Successful students have ongoing involvement in community and service activities.
- 反思你的目标. 想想你的动力是什么, what you want to do next after U of I, and where you ultimately would like to end up professionally.
- 是有目的的. Make sure your activities move you towards your goals.