2017 Scholarship Presentation

May 2017

Why Apply?

• Many students haven’t calculated the cost of a 4-year degree

• Generally – you will be paying $6 000 - $35 000/year

• Hourly wage of part-time job:

• Scholarships make these costs more manageable!

• Scholarships can be $100 - $250 000

• Financial cost benefit• A $1000 scholarship can take about 4 hours of your time, but a

$1000 paycheque at minimum wage takes about 97 hours to earn

Today’s Overview

• Types of Financial Aid and Scholarships

• Available Resources

• How to Begin

• Application Tips

• Questions

Step 1

• Decide what you are interested in studying

• Decide where you are going to apply

Step 2

Become familiar with the resources available to you

1. District Scholarship Website

a. Scholarship Handbook

b. District Searchable Database

c. Sample documents

2. WGSS Resourcesa. Grad Newsletterb. Bulletin Board

3. Other opportunities to learn about scholarshipsa. Unlock your Future (Brittany Palmer – Spring + Fall Presentation)b. WGSS Scholarship Workshopsc. Post-Secondary Institution visitsd. C.U.E. + PSIBC

Step 3

• Prepare to Apply

1. Draft your Comprehensive Resume

2. Draft your Scholarship Essay

3. Consider who you will ask to write your Letters of Reference

4. How have you ‘given back’? Where have you lead?

Financial Aid

• Scholarships• Recognizing outstanding achievement

• Non-repayable

• Bursaries• Financial need-based, with reasonable achievement

• Non-repayable

• Loans• Repayable

• Financial threshold for government student loans

Types of Financial Aid

Scholarships

• Recognizes outstanding achievement

• Non-repayable

Bursaries

• Need-based awards

• Non-repayable

Loans

• Available through Gov’t or Financial Institution

• Repayable

Cost of Post-Secondary Education (Domestic Applicants)

UBC- VB.Sc. – 1 yr. on campus (30 credits)

Tuition, books, student fees: $7,500

Living on Campus: $10,000

UFV

B.Sc. – 1 yr. commuting (30 credits)

Tuition, books, student fees: $6,055

Average Tuition Cost/yr. in Canada: $6,000

Scholarship Resources

SD 35 Scholarship Websitesd35.bc.ca/students-

parents/scholarship-information

•Searchable Database

•Scholarship Search Engines

Scholarships & Awards

•Sources of Financial Assistance

•Steps to Applying for Scholarships

•District - Open Award List

Scholarship Handbook

•Sample Spreadsheet

•Sample Comprehensive Resume

•Sample Essay

‘To Do’ Tools

Scholarship Handbook

Three Steps to Applying for Scholarships

1. Comprehensive Resume Education / Academics

Volunteer

Awards

Experience

2. Organization Spreadsheet

Essay

Reference

3. Follow through....DO THE WORK! Complete the application

• Comprehensive Resume

• Essay

• Reference(s)

Preparation

• Spreadsheet

• Binder

• Zip DriveOrganization

• Research Opportunities

• Ask your References – 2 weeks ahead +

• Research opportunitiesActivation

Your Primary Resource

• SD35’s Scholarship Handbook

• Contains details from this presentation and examples

• Contains useful links to online scholarship databases

• The final version will be completed soon

Types of Scholarships

1. Provincial Government

2. Langley School District Foundation

3. Entrance Awards

4. Other Scholarships

•District Authority ($1250)

•Excellence + Achievement

Provincial Government

•“Local” – Walnut Grove Awards

•“District” – “Open” to all students in SD35Langley District

•Automatic Entrance Award

•Apply for Entrance AwardsEntrance Awards

•Parent’s Employer

•Credit Unions

•AthleticsOther Awards

1. Provincial Government

• BC Excellence ($5000 x 55)• Require school nomination (WGSS gets one nominee)• Note: in-school deadline earlier than award application deadline on website• Service based

• BC Achievement Scholarship ($1250 x 3000)• Automatic, based on highest cumulative average

• District/Authority ($1250)• For students who demonstrate excellence in one of 7 areas• Indigenous languages and culture, fine arts, applied skills, community service,

physical activity, International languages, technical and trades training

• Pathways to Teacher Education ($5000)

• Secondary School Apprenticeship Scholarships ($1000) • For students in SSA or dual credit programs

2. Langley School District Foundation

• LSDF administers funds from clubs, charities, businesses, etcon their behalf

• 40 district awards and more school-based awards.

• One application!

• Available to apply January, due Feb 23, 201

3. Entrance Scholarships

• Institution specific

• Vary in value ($1 000-$80 000)

• You will need to research these on your own because they vary greatly• Visit university website, or simply google “xxxxx university

scholarships” to find out more. Alternatively, call them!

• Handbook contains more details about local institutions

3. Entrance Scholarships Cont’d

Minor

• Automatic

• Grades-based

• $1000 - $10 000

• No application, beyond applying to the university and submitting grades

Major

• Additional application req’d

• Grades & service/leadership

• $5 000 – $80 000

• Application due Dec - Jan

Note: The following comparison is a generalization. Conduct your own research to be certain.

4. Other Scholarships

• Huge variety, $250 - $100 000

• Employers, local foundations, associations and companies offer these

• Each has their own application deadline, ongoing throughout the year

• We will discuss how to research these opportunities and what is required

• Major awards: Loran/TD have early deadlines

How to Get Started

1. Find Out What’s Available

• Create a spreadsheet database of ALL available opportunities

• Talk to parents about what unions, companies, service or organizations they are involved with – many offer scholarships

• Consult the SD 35 Scholarship Handbook

• Use the SD 35 Searchable Database

• Use other online databases to research scholarships• Handbook contains list of useful databases

• NOTE: Beware deadlines for applications requiring school nomination (Set your deadline a month ahead).

1. Cont’d: Scholarship SpreadsheetDon’t delete scholarships that you are ineligible for

Keep the website source here to help you find it online

Colour-coding makes it easier to track what scholarships have upcoming deadlines

Sort by due date to make it easier to prioritize applications

2. Know what they want

• Is a scholarship automatic (eg. based on grades only?)

• Does it require an essay? A reference letter? Transcripts? The more they want, the more time you need.

• Find out how well you fit their criteria

• Set your priorities, know what applications to do first• i.e. if you’re an environmentalist, apply for the “environmental

specific scholarship” before the “community development scholarship”

3. Stay organized/prepare• Make your scholarship binder and USB drive

• Binder contains reference letters, checklists, application forms, transcripts, etc.

• Use page sleeves/protectors

• USB has file folders containing all the application forms you found online and your working copies of essays, cv, etc… (basically your digital binder)

3. Stay Organized/Prepare Cont’d

• Create your comprehensive resume (or CV)• It should have everything you do, have done, have won, etc.

• This will be your master list, makes other applications much easier

• Up-date it throughout the year as you participate in volunteer opportunities or are nominated for awards

4. Contact your references and gather supporting documents

• Give your references lots of time – they will do a better job

• When you ask your reference to write a letter, provide:• your plans

• where you are applying

• brief description of the criteria for award you are applying for

• a minimum of at least 1 week before the actual deadline

• your comprehensive resume

• Collect transcripts and other letters early on.

• The Counselling Office needs at least 4 business days to prepare your transcript.

5. Complete the application

• Answer the question they are asking!

• Pay attention to detail; edit, review, check grammar

• Spend time on your application! They are giving out thousands of dollars, so they expect you to put in due time and consideration

• Have others proofread and edit your work

• Copy everything you submit and keep it in your binder or on a USB drive

• Check due dates -> must arrive by?? or be postmark by?? Remember mail takes time to travel!

Application Tips

• Find a theme!• Is your community service based on youth mentorship or helping

others overcome adversity? Do you aim to help the environment, or promote fitness and sports programs?

• Think about what you do, what it means to you, and most importantly, how it impacts you and the community

• Do not just say what you do, say WHY you do it and HOW

• Find a connection between the things you do

• Research the award criteria, and the foundation’s background/history -> What are they looking for in the application?

Tips Cont’d

• Save time by re-using essays, but make sure it still answers the question

• Always look for ways to update your essays and improve your writing

• Make your writing unique! Stand out from the crowd• If appropriate, use a story or anecdote to grab the reader’s attention

• Start early. Don’t wait until the deadline.

Repeat

• Continuously update your database, re-prioritize, and update your essays

• Scholarships are always available, it’s up to you to find them and apply

• Remember to send a thank you letter when you are awarded a scholarship

Questions?