INCLUSION AND GENERAL EDUCATION

Here's how to get the scholarship you want:

• Take initiative.

If you want to a scholarship, you'll need to do the legwork yourself – no one's going to track you down just to give you a scholarship. Look for scholarship grants whose criteria you meet, and then contact the provider and request a scholarship application packet. Applications may be requested by e-mail by sending in a self-addressed stamped envelope. You'll never get a scholarship if you don't try, so be proactive in requesting information for yourself.

• Be punctual.

All scholarships providers set deadlines to which you must adhere, or else you'll lose any chance of getting the scholarship. Don’t miss the deadlines – if you can submit all the required materials before the due date, do so.

• • Be organized.
• Good organizational skills can really pay off. Try to keep your applications ordered by deadline date and give yourself plenty of time to complete the applications and send them in before the due date. Always keep letters of recommendation and transcripts on hand so you don’t have to get new copies every time they are required for an application. By doing this, you'll not only save time but also money. Create copies of your completed applications before you send them in and then file them in folders with labels containing the deadline dates, mailing addresses and phone numbers of the scholarship provider. Call before the deadline to see if your scholarship application was received. If your application was lost in the mail, you can send the extra copy that you made.
• • Be persistent.

Don’t expect for the scholarship process to happen overnight. You must be diligent about looking for new scholarships to apply for. Remember that the more applications you send to various scholarship providers, the better is chance of obtaining a scholarship.

• • Be optimistic.

Stay positive about yourself and your chances of getting a scholarship. Your hard work and the time spent searching for scholarships will eventually pay off.