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Hello and welcome
again to the webinar

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on the office of major
scholarship advising.

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This is Dr.
Noor Borbieva,

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Director of the Office.

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This webinar is intended

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for students and
alumni who are

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looking for exciting
opportunities

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to further their
education and

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professional development
By applying for

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a major scholarship or

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competitive internship.

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In part three
of the webinar,

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you will learn
about what you can

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do right away to position

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yourself as a
great candidate

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for a major scholarship.

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Even if you are a year

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or more out from applying.

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You will also learn

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about what you can
expect when you are

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putting together
an application

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for a major
scholarship and

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what you can do to make

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your application
more competitive.

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It's great to start

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preparing early
if you think

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you might apply for

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a major scholarship
someday.

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1 to 3 years out.

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Here are some things
you can do to

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improve your
chances of success.

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First, make it your

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goal to excel
academically,

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maintain a high GPA and
challenging courses.

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Second, find
the disciplines

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and subjects you
genuinely love.

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This may mean you explore

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different topics
and courses,

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but genuine passion
for a subject areas

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stands out on a
scholarship application.

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Third, get
experience doing

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research in areas
that interest you.

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This can mean helping

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a mentor with
their research,

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such as in a lab or

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doing an independent
project of your own.

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If your research
activity culminates in

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a poster or published
work even better.

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Next, participate in

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extra curricular
activities

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that you truly enjoy

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and that reflect
your values.

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Run for office in

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those organizations
so that

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you get leadership
experience.

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Fifth, as discussed
in part one,

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many major
scholarships include

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travel or language study.

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So starting a
language early can

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make you a stronger
applicant.

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Six, seek out faculty

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whose interests you share.

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These individuals are
important sources

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of guidance and
information.

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They can be a source
of opportunities

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such as research
or work-study.

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And later on they
can serve as

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your reference
letter writers.

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Finally, it doesn't
hurt at this stage to

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familiarize yourself with

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the types of
scholarships available.

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And even to single
out scholarships

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that sound particularly
appealing.

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If you listen to part
two of the webinar,

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you have already
started that process.

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Six to 12 months out,

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you will want to
narrow down the list

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of scholarships you
are interested in.

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Put deadlines that are

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less than six months
out on your calendar.

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Start learning more
about the scholarships

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that interest you by

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looking on their websites.

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For each scholarship,

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first, check eligibility
requirements.

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It makes no
sense to invest

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time in a scholarship

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if you are not eligible.

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Also familiarize
yourself with

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the funding
organization's goals.

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Why do they offer
the scholarship?

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And given their goals,

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are you a good fit
for the scholarship?

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Next, you will
want to look more

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closely at what the
scholarship offers.

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If it supports travel
or degree study,

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does it provide enough
financial support

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to make it
feasible for you?

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If it supports
language study,

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are you interested in

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the languages it supports?

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Do you have the
required background?

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Finally, this might be

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a good time to have

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an initial
meeting with me.

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At this stage, we can talk

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through the demands
of applying

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and how you will integrate

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those demands with your
other commitments.

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Three to five months out,

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you're beginning to gather

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materials and work
on the applications.

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In the early
months, we may

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meet every three
to four weeks,

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especially if
you're getting

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started over the summer.

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But as a deadline
approaches,

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we will need to meet
more regularly.

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Why is that?

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My primary role
in the process

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is to help students with

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the written statements,

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which are one of the most,

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if not the most

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important element of
your application.

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In part four of
the webinar,

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you will learn
about the types

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of written
statements that are

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most common and how
I approach them.

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During our meetings,
we will also talk

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about letters of
recommendation.

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I will help you
identify the professors

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and mentors that are
most appropriate to ask.

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I recommend that students
get letters from

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individuals who know them

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in a variety
of capacities.

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For example, one professor who has
had you in class,

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and another who has helped

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you with independent
research.

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As soon as you've decided

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the people you
want to ask,

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you will want to
approach them.

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Ideally a month or

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more before
letters are due,

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It is good to give yourself

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extra time in case
someone you were

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hoping would write
for you isn't

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available and you have
to ask someone else.

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Finally, three
months out is

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a good time to figure
out what transcripts

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are required and how to
make sure they get to

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the funding organizations
by the deadline.

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As a deadline approaches,

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it is important
to check and

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double-check deadlines
and requirements.

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Make sure you have

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all the required elements

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and make sure you are

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submitting them correctly.

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I can help you with this,

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but every scholarship
is different

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and I worked with multiple
students at once.

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So ultimately you
are responsible for

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making sure everything

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is submitted correctly.

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Make sure your
letter writers

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know the deadlines.

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Your initial contact with

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your letter
writers to ask for

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letters should be at
least three weeks

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in advance of a deadline.

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After that, you can

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send additional reminders

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as deadlines approach.

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Your professors
have busy lives

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and they will
appreciate when you

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make their lives
easier in that way.

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It also demonstrates

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your professionalism
and confirms that

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you are serious about

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your application to
this scholarship.

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Finally, continue to stay

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in close contact with me.

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At some point, I may feel

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your essays are far
enough along that we

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don't have to meet
constantly and we can

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just exchange a few
more drafts over email.

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Even if that happens, I'm

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still more than happy
to meet with you

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to talk about all aspects

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of your application.

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At this stage, if

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the scholarship
you're applying for

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requires institutional
nomination

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or evaluation,

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I may need to submit

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some paperwork of
my own and possibly

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schedule an
interview between

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you and our campus
scholarship committee.

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After submission,
it can be

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a long and
frustrating wait

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to hear back from
some scholarships.

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Others have several
rounds of decisions

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and early rounds can

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be announced
quite quickly.

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If you make the first cut,

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you may need
to prepare for

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additional interviews.

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When you hear a
final decision,

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if it is positive,

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celebrate, and get ready

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to start your scholarship.

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That might mean
ordering a passport

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or getting ready to start

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a graduate program.

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If you didn't win,

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you might learn
that you are a

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finalist or an alternate
or semi-finalist.

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That in itself is a
major accomplishment.

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I know it can be

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disappointing
to put a lot of

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effort into an application
and not to win.

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But you should give

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yourself a lot of
credit for having

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the courage and

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the determination
to put together

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an application. These speak

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highly of your
long-term potential.

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Only a small
percentage of PFW's

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best students apply for
major scholarships.

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Also, whether
or not you win.

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I hope you can
view working on

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a major scholarship
application

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as a great learning
experience.

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You will learn
professionalism

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and improve your
writing skills.

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The experience will
no doubt serve you

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as you strive to
meet future goals.

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One last thing to consider,

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after
you take a break,

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the next cycle will start
before you know it.

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Maybe you should consider

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using all you learned
and applying

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again.

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Even if you didn't
win this cycle,

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you may find that
additional coursework

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or research experience,

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or just reflecting

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on changed goals
and applying for

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different scholarships
will make you

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more competitive
in the future.

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That takes us to the
end of part three.

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I hope you'll join
me for part four,

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in which you will
hear more about

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the application process
and especially what

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it takes to write
award-winning

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personal statements

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and project proposals.

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As always, if you have

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any questions or would
like to learn more,

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you are welcome to reach

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out to me directly through

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my email or check
out the website.