THE SCHOLARSHIP JOURNEY: A Personal Experience – How I landed my first scholarship after series of rejections.

“Dear XXXX,

Thank you for applying to the 2024 edition of the XXXX Scholarship program . We just completed a comprehensive review of your application. We regret to inform you that, after careful consideration, your application has not been selected for this year’s scholarship.
Please understand that this decision does not reflect any shortcomings in your profile or your suitability for graduate education. This year, we received over 13,300 applications, and the competition was exceptionally fierce“

“Dear XXXX,

We are delighted to inform you that after a rigorous and competitive selection process, you have been chosen as one of the recipients of the XXXX Foundation Scholarship for the 2024 academic year. Through your application, you have demonstrated exceptional academic performance, leadership qualities, and a commitment to their communities. Your application stood out among many, and we believe you have the potential to make a great difference in the future…..”

These are two excerpts from two different kind of responses as far as scholarship applications are concerned. These statements are not new to many scholarship seekers just like I was and it is a common knowledge that the first letter is no doubt more popular amongst applicants than the second. So popular infact that it had been given a nickname dubbed “Love letters”. This is an irony truly as there is absolutely no feeling of love when you get such letters . It leaves you feeling shattered, defeated, heartbroken and possibly frustrated due to the amount of efforts and energy put into each application process. These are feelings I can relate to and these are feelings I am sure a very great number of those reading this at this time can definitely relate to. I can remember quite vividly a certain year I chased scholarships so much that my thoughts at most times were crafting statements of purpose or how to get recommendation letters from my lecturers amongst others. In spite of all this, I got the letter that at that point was the most heartbreaking but turned out to be the turning point in my scholarship journey.

“What was this letter?”

It was a rejection letter once more. What made this one particularly worse for me was the fact that I spent months on this particular application and had so much hop in it that I was going to be shortlisted. What worse feeling would it be that I decided to wake up to check my mail at 2am after waking up and saw the hated phrase “….We regret to inform you that….”. I was really broken by that cause that made it 15 scholarship applications, 0 acceptance letters, 10 rejection letters and 5 applications not responded to. However, in the midst of that sadness by 3am, three questions came to mind, the same questions I would challenge you to ask yourself as you seek to move from the plague of constant rejections into acceptance. These three questions reshaped my mentality till date in the process I will share with you subsequently

Question 1:

“Why am I always getting rejected?

Question 2:

“Is it a me problem?“

Question 3:

“How do I start winning these scholarships?“

Question 1: “Why am I always getting rejected?”

Before answering this question, it is important to note that the first step into solving problems is to stop apportioning blames to situations or others when things don’t go well in your life. Trust me, you will only be granting yourself the fake sense of satisfaction that life is not just fair to you whereas in the real sense, you only get as much as you put into life.

Now back to the question, The answer I discovered when I searched deep is the same answer I will give to you now. I came to realize that scholarship bodies don’t reject you as a person, they only reject your application. Scholarship bodies receive thousands of applications with each application window and it is only befitting that they select who they feel is the most deserving of their scholarship. They don’t know these people so the only thing that can connect the applicants to the review committee is the application and the quality of that application is what determines whether such applicant will be accepted or rejected.

When I discovered this, I told myself that if out of 15 applications, I am getting none, the problem is definitely not them, It has to be me. Now many may be wondering what I mean by this statement. The question coming up on your mind might be “Am I not good enough to get a scholarship?” “Are my qualifications poor?” I would be addressing this shortly.

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Question 2: “Is it a me problem?”

The answer to this is in relation to what I have said earlier, What I discovered was that the problem is not in you as a person, It is in what you are presenting and how you are presenting it. Let me give a scenario. A first class student with stellar performance, awards and certificates who does not know how to harness this into an application will get beaten to a scholarship award by someone who knows how to do this and is informed on how to shape the best possible application. Scholarships are all about how well you can prove yourself to align to what they want in a potential scholar, with each scholarship being peculiar in the profile of its scholar.

For me, I told myself that I am good enough to get scholarships and I was going to strive to get an acceptance mail so I got to work. Before I move on to the point on how I began to win these scholarships, I should mention that it is not enough just being open to the fact that you deserve scholarships or want to get scholarships, you have to be ready to put in the work and this involves changing strategies, and adapting one that is peculiar to you.

Question 3: How do I start winning these scholarships?”

Building up to this point, we have addressed two critical steps in the journey to achieving success in scholarships. The first was realization and the second was self-acceptance. After these, the next thing I did and would also want you to consider is developing strategies. How did I start? The first thing I did was to make contacts with those scholars I knew were multiple winners of scholarships and requested to have conversations with them. Schooling in the south-west, this was no problem at all as there were a lot of scholarship winners in my school.

I sought to have conversations with them and hear their perspectives as regards scholarship applications and how they were successful. I took notes and here are 3 things I gained and would love to share with you.

1. All scholarships are not the same.

Yes, you heard that right, all scholarships are not the same, each one is peculiar in their own way and the first mistake you can make as an applicant is to give the same kind of application to every scholarship you apply for. There are different categories of scholarships, some are need-based, some are merit-based and the others may also be research-based. Tailoring your application to fit the specific category of scholarship you are applying for is your first escape out of the route of rejection story.

Having learnt this, the next time I came across a scholarship, i did not just rush into the application page to apply as I usually did, I went to the organization’s website to read up on them, their values and with this painted a picture in my head on their ideal kind of candidate. With this, I knew how my application was to look like.

2. Be in the know

Information is power, they say. When it comes to scholarship applications, Information is invaluable. I discovered that another way to put yourself in a position of advantage is to seek information and tips from past winners of the same scholarship you are applying for. Engage them with series of detailed questions and take notes. In addition to this, always be informed about details as regards to the scholarship you are applying. Take their rules very seriously and follow all instructions to the letter.

3. Take time to craft your applications

Scholarship applications are something that requires a lot of time and effort especially when it comes to writing personal statements. This is not something you should rush as it will result in a half-baked application filled with errors and does not reflect you as a best candidate for that particular scholarship. To achieve this, start working on your application early, craft your SOP properly, proof-read it and also send it to previous winners of that particular scholarship for assessment and possible corrections.

Note that your personal statement should reflect your qualifications, achievements, and your suitability for the scholarship you are applying to. Scholarships are not given out of pity so just focusing on your financial constraints or mishap from your background won’t do you the good you think it will. Scholarships are given as a reward of dedication and perseverance despite unfavorable situations so in explaining your poor background, share your victory stories despite of your background. It proves to scholarship committees that you are a person of potential and worth investing in.

Also remember to emphasize on your strengths a lot in your applications be it academic, community service, leadership skills or whatever you feel will give your application a big boost. As we say, “You sef no small”.

Applying these tips took me from 15 scholarship rejections to 5 scholarships in the space of two years with the first one coming just two months after I applied these principles. I count this as a blessing from God but it doesn’t take away the principle that things do not just happen. If you want to see a different result, do something different.

Do something different today!

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