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Major Scholarship advising
Are you a good fit?
Major scholarships are highly competitive and applying takes a lot of work. You are a great candidate for a major scholarship if one or more of the following are true:
- You are ambitious; you want to excel in your career.
- You are interested in travel and learning languages.
- You have a high GPA (over 3.7).
- You enjoy doing original research in your academic field.
- You plan to go to graduate school.
- You have a record of leadership in extra-curricular activities.
- You are willing to work hard in pursuit of your dreams
wORK WITH OMSA
Preparing a competitive application.
Maintain a high GPA while taking challenging courses.
Explore subjects and disciplines until you find topics you are genuinely passionate about.
Read! Subscribe to major periodicals and read nonfiction publications about topics that interest you.
Pursue research opportunities with faculty mentors.
Present your research at a conference or publish it.
Get involved with extracurriculars—prioritize fewer but meaningful involvements.
Study international languages, preferably earning credit for your study.
Set up a meeting with the director of OMSA.
Identify one or two scholarships you want to apply for in the next year.
Put the deadlines in your calendar.
Read the “how to apply” webpages of the scholarships you want to apply for. Download application materials.
Meet with the director of OMSA regularly.
Commit to 30-40 minutes of daily work.
Talk to mentors who will write you letters of recommendation.
Order transcripts.
Familiarize yourself with the online application system for the scholarship(s) you are applying to.
preparing your application
Your personal statement.
The most time-consuming element in a major scholarship application is the essay. Many students have never written anything like it. Work with the OMSA director to develop a persuasive statement that describes who you are, where you want to go, and why the scholarship you are applying to will get you there. You will be able to use what you learned throughout your career.