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How to Write a Resume for a Scholarship

How to Write a Resume for a Scholarship

You are defined by your goals they say. Good quality education and a purposeful degree is a dream of every other person out there. Who doesn’t like to outshine among their peers and lead a goal-oriented successful life? For this very reason, there are thousands of students who aim for international education.

Now that the cost of international education is very high and managing the overall expenses associated with it are no child’s play. Considering these factors more and more students attempt to take advantage of college scholarships and financial assistance programs.

There are thousands of scholarships available to all segments of the population for nearly all types of career programs. A successful scholarship search requires the student to pay attention to his abilities and likewise appear as a strong candidate among his fellow applicants.

Most of the people are typically unfamiliar with the idea of a scholarship resume. In fact, some parents reading this might be wondering what are they supposed to have in their 18-year-old chicken eating son’s resume.

Scholarship resumes are not a compulsory part of the application process, so it seems like extra unnecessary work. But, it is essential, especially if you want to stand out from the crowd.

The competition to win a scholarship is very high so it’s better to present your case in such a way that ensures you some extra cookie points. A well-prepared resume gives you a good sense of where you stand among other applicants.

To help you through this step of the scholarship application process we have jotted down a few hows’ and wows’ for you to write a scholarship resume.

Become a Research Guru – Gather all Information

Scholarship resume requires some serious self-research, it’s not a going with the flow or slam poetry kind of a task. The wise thing to do first is to gather all the relevant information about what has to go on your resume and shape your experience timeline according to it.

Make a list of every creative activity, achievement, honor, awards, internships everything from one to all. Then do a critical analysis of the very list and categorize the information which is worth featuring on your resume. Try to be as accurate as possible with the dates of events.

Now for bonus insights, research every possible scholarship program and make a list of top qualities required, based on the vision and mission statement, website and the alumni students. Here you have to play slightly tricky by fitting into the required criteria.

Revamp the wordings of your resume text to better fit the scholarship requirements, this will show the selection committee your potential to become a relevant asset for them.

Let the Formatting Game begin – Organize the Information

After finalizing the information that is going up, figure out how it should look. Organize your data in a manner that will seem objective, professional and impressive enough to the committee.

Center your basic information at the top of the page i.e. your name, phone number, and email address. If you are still using your cool-dude offbeat email address, consider changing it for your own good.

Make a professional-sounding address with your [email protected]. Divide your information into four sections using bold headings: Academic Experience, Extracurricular Activities, Work Experience, and Achievements and honors. Almost all of the details that you need to put down on a scholarship resume falls into one of these four categories.

Adjust the names of headings to make your resume look even better and impressive. Leave spaces between each section to visually break up the overall resume.

How to Write a Resume for a Scholarship

Honesty is the Best Policy – be Truthful and Specific

Urge to write a resume embellished with achievements and great things may sound great to you. However, just to make your resume stand out you should never add information that you can’t back with proofs and actions.

You don’t necessarily have to become Prince Alexander in order to win a scholarship. It’s okay to frame your abilities, interests, and achievements in an impressive manner but stay honest while doing so; don’t write down those skills and accomplishments which you don’t process.

Also, refrain from going on and on about your minor irrelevant achievements, this won’t get you extra nuggets from the committee. Instead, try to present an objective view of your achievements, this will help judges understand your conscience.

The Dos and Don’ts – Some Basic Tips

Writing a scholarship resume is not the hardest thing in the world, your ultimate goal should be to stay concise but thorough. Use a straightforward style to provide the committee with your information. However, you should keep in in mind the following tips:

  1. Try to avoid “I” statements, as these aren’t typically used in resume writing. Go for bullet points to keep things simple.
  2. It is vital to choose an easy-to-read font. If you aren’t sure which to pick, you can’t go wrong with Ariel, Calibri, or Verdana. Just make sure the size doesn’t exceed 10 to 12-point range.
  3. List your achievements and experiences in descending order, from current to earliest.
  4. You could also mention why you are applying for the so and so scholarship and how it will help you in achieving your goal.
  5. Refrain from providing personal information such as marital status, religious affiliation, political views or sexual orientation.
  6. Try to limit your resume to one page, if possible, because they usually get only a quick review, so the committee may not like to read some lengthy details about any kid.

Don’t Forget the Final Touches – Editing and Proofreading

Never forget to proofread your resume. Cut out extra words and unnecessary information that doesn’t get right to the point and edit is to make it error free. Small grammatical or spelling mistakes will ruin your impression and chances of selection. Ask your teacher, parent or counselor to read the resume for you.

You may feel skeptical about writing your own resume for you are not really confident about yourself, but please refrain from asking someone else to write it for you. Do research, get some sample copies to learn how to do it – help yourself. We are sure of one fact that you are gonna nail this.

Good luck!