A strong applicant has maximized their undergraduate experience. Here are some suggestions:
Take challenging courses GPA is important but so is the range and difficulty level of study, including courses outside your major.
Build strong communication skills Essays and interviews are an integral part of the scholarship application process. Fortunately, many of our liberal arts courses will help you develop the skills to construct a well-written or spoken argument.
Seek internships or volunteer experience Preferably in your field or related. This can begin in your Freshmen year with Community Learning but should continue and evolve in nature.
Summer Don’t forget the summer can also be a time to gain additional experiences.
Study abroad If possible, take advantage of study abroad or travel opportunities.
Extra/Co-curricular activities Get involved in organizations, whatever resonates with you.
Leadership Demonstrate your leadership abilities, make things happen. This does not only mean having a title; can you point to an accomplishment you initiated?
Practice Apply for smaller scholarships, essay contests. The more often you write personal statements, the better they should become.
Start early! Research potential scholarships and fellowships and begin the application process early.
Research Take advantage of research opportunities or creative projects with faculty or outside the college.
Reflect What are your goals, what have you accomplished? Think about getting from “HERE” to “THERE”.
Know people Take or create opportunities to meet faculty, staff and other students. Actively build out your network.
Explore your knowledge Read books outside of your course, newspapers, professional journals. All of these sources will become a reservoir of ideas, inspiration and information.
