Jason Lum
INTRODUCTION TO SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS
I.Instructor Background
A.Ordinary Family Background
B.Impetus
1.Purely financial
2.Didn’t want high student debt
3.Learned by doing
C.Result
1.After all my schooling, no debt
2.Racked up nearly $250,000
3.Defied conventional wisdom about law school scholar.
D.Lessons
1.Much of what is known is wrong
2.Current literature frustrates rather than motivates
3.Debt can and must be avoided
E.Students Have Little Appreciation of Student Debt
1.Study after study shows wide gap btw expectations and reality
2.Repaid student loans come from after-tax income
3.Many professionals carry higher monthly student loan repayments than mortgage payments
F.Can Limit Life Opportunities
1.High income positions (with low quality of life) may be only option
2.Slowing economy may extend repayment obligations further
3.Tax deductibility of student loan interest is limited
II.Five Biggest Myths About Scholarships
A.Good Grades/Stand. Test Scores Mandatory—NO!
B.Small Scholarships are a “Drop in the Bucket”—NO!
C.The More Expensive the School, the Less Affordable—NO!
D.Plenty of Good Written Material Exists on Scholarships—NO!
E.You Must Have Financial Need to Win Scholarships—NO!
III.How to Find Scholarships
A.Before Anything Else, Know Thyself
1.List your organizational affiliations
2.Know your racial/ethnic background
3.Understand your parent’s organizational affiliations (e.g., work, union, community)
4.Before searching, know your limiting criteria
B.Published Scholarship Guides
1.Large directories are complicated
2.Targeted at narrow criterion
3.Beware: dated material abounds
4.Part of the process, but not significant
C.The Internet
1.Good and getting better
2.Scholarship websites
3.Search engines (
4.Problem: information overload
D.Organizations
1.Identify all local affiliations (union/military/ethnic)
2.Cold call and inquire
3.Narrowest competition in most cases
4.Thinking Outside the Box
IV. Setting Up A Timeframe
A.When to Begin Planning
1.If in High School: late Junior Year or early Senior Year
2.If in College: all throughout, but no later than fall of Senior year
B.What to Start Doing Now
1.Get a paper planner with weekly and monthly layouts
2.Create a chart to track applications req’d, sent, rec’d
3.Bolster weak areas
C.Six Months Before Deadline
1.Almost exclusive attention on essay
2.Identify strategic recommenders
3.Get transcript and duplicate
D.Three Months Before Deadline
1.Give recommenders information
2.Finalize essay and distribute
3.Creation of activity list
E.One Month Before Deadline
1.Incorporate relevant essay changes
2.Request updated transcript if necessary
3.Collect letters of recommendation
F.Sending your Application
1.Deadlines are usually very firm—take them seriously
2.Use FedEx/UPS—even if not in a rush
3.Copy every piece of paper even remotely relevant to your application
V.Letters of Recommendation
A.Don’t Be Complacent
1.Many people—incredibly—consider this the throwaway requirement undeserving of much attention
2.Popular recommenders rarely are good ones
3. “Name” recommenders (e.g., mayor, senator) rarely effective
B.Choose Wisely
1.Look for blend of personal experience and availability
2.The person’s teaching abilities are completely irrelevant
C.How to Ask (and What to Ask For)
1.If unsure, be polite but firm in asking what person will say
2.Blend request with genuine praise for recommender
D.Follow-up
1.Every two weeks find a pretext to get an update
2.Maintain attendance and attention in class
3.Thank-you notes—don’t rub egos the wrong way
4.Other Tips
5.Send it all together (if possible)
VI.The Effective Activity List
A.Fact-Gathering
1.You belong(ed) to more organizations than you think
2.Start early, review resources (e.g., yearbooks, checkbooks)
3.Think broadly
B.Leadership
1.Vital component—it’s what scholar. cmtes pay close attn to
2.Don’t minimize contributions
3.Prominently display
C.Listing
1.Place leadership roles on application proper
2.Always attach separate list
3.Date and chronologize
D.Special Note on Awards
1.If prior scholar. have been won, don’t list dollar amount
2.Project image of need
3.Non-monetary awards (e.g., Eagle Scout) always prominent
VII.The Critical Point: Essay
A.Why the Essay is Critical
1.Your only chance to make a case before the cmte
2.Allows you to separate self from others with similar backgrounds
3.You have exclusive control
B.What Everyone Does (Wrong)
1.Recycling the admissions essays
2.Using the same essay for multiple competitions
3.Regurgitating the activity list
4.Working without others
5.Boring the reader
C.The Essay Purpose
1.View the essay as a marketing tool
2.Answer their question: “Why You?”
D.Preparing the Essay
1.Learn and embrace the purpose of the organization
2.See what previous winners have written
3.Examine yourself and emotional events
E.Topics
1.Convey a life story with emotion and vigor
2.Event need not be significant or recent
3.Great topical areas: ethnic pride, volunteerism, academic project
4.Areas to tread carefully: religion, political activism
F.Starting the Essay
1.Passion-based opening paragraph
2.Outline the essay—“skeleton” that you will add “meat” to later
G.Completing the Essay
1.The initial story-telling paragraph links to the very last paragraph
2.Thematically, each paragraph between the first and the last must flow from this story
3.Be specific with events and stories, answer this question: “How does this story explain who you are and why you should win?”
H.“Finishing” the Essay
1.Perform multiple drafts until you think its ready for submission
2.Give a copy to four people (or more) whose opinion you value
3.Encourage frank comments—be prepared to redraft or even redo the essay
I.Final Notes
1.The shorter the essay requirement, the harder it will be
2.Quality essays can be done in a short amount of time with the right inspiration—but this is rare
VIII.The College Financial Aid Office
A.Important Relationship
1.The office has probably at least two advisors—make an appointment immediately
2.Introduce yourself and let him/her know your needs
B.The People Are Vital
1.Mock interviews
2.Often prescreen for college nominees
C.College-Awarded Scholarships/Grants
1.Awareness of need may play a role in annual funding
2.Rewarding those who actively try
3.Discretionary awards usually decrease annually—but not always
IX.Final Thoughts After Winning
A.Domino Effect
1.One win leads to another
2.Ratchet up the level of competition
3.Remain vigilant of opportunities
B.Economize in College
1.Scholarship money, like loan money, is what you make of it
2.Postpone major purchases
3.Avoid credit problems
4.Work-study opportunities
C.Keep Spirits High
1.If you don’t win at first, analyze why
2.Expect setbacks but build on lessons
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