Like many large grants, Fulbright applications require candidates to compose a number of small written components throughout the document. Most people speed through the process of writing these blurbs, fiddling with word combinations within the live application platform to get the character-count just right. But these small clusters of writing should not be an afterthought…
Writing a Confident and Thematically Driven Personal Statement for Fulbright
Like many large grant organizations, the Fulbright Foundation requires applicants to write both a statement of purpose and a personal statement. Regardless of your personal background, a strong personal statement for a large grant application like the Fulbright should always have a clear focus: the content of it should always serve the overarching project proposal…
Writing the Fulbright Statement of Grant Purpose as a Practical Document
During my time at the UCLA Scholarship Resource Center, I worked with several graduate students on the development of large grant proposals like the Fulbright. In that work, I noticed a tendency among humanities and social sciences students to overemphasize the intellectual value of their work in application materials. Repeatedly, I found myself making suggested…
5 Lessons Learned When Winning a Fulbright on the Third Try
It was during my master’s program at the University of Cambridge, that I realized how much I wanted Brazil to be part of my doctoral research. One of the reasons that I returned to UCLA for the PhD, instead of staying at Cambridge, was to engage closely with the campus’ rich resources, faculty, library collections,…
The Myth of the Fully-Funded PhD: Using Scholarships to Mitigate the Financial Realities of Research Degrees
When you decide to go to graduate school of any kind, you are making a financial decision that will dramatically affect your earning capacity for the duration of the program and throughout your life. While the caliber of school, available mentorship opportunities, and research resources are important factors to consider when making a decision about…
Do Scholarship Databases Like Unigo Actually Work?
When I first started teaching students at UCLA how to search effectively for scholarships online, I strongly encouraged students to sign up for Unigo, a profile-based scholarship database. Together, students and I would sit down and discuss strategies for filling out profiles as comprehensively as possible. All too frequently I found myself reminding students to…
A 5-Step Approach to Generating Your Master List of Scholarship Applications
Given the decentralized nature of listings for university-funding opportunities, most of the scholarship searches that you conduct will happen on the internet. Rather than depend on automated databases or mobile apps to conduct these searches for you, I strongly suggest that you take a proactive approach by designing and conducting your own experimental searches online….
STEM Graduate Applicants: Get the Scoop on the NSF and Hertz Fellowships
If you are thinking about putting together an application for a STEM Master’s or PhD program this Fall, you should not miss the opportunity to apply for large grants that will support your research and educational goals. Many of my students at the UCLA Scholarship Resource Center have worked with me throughout their undergraduate degrees,…
7 Habits of Highly Effective Scholarship Seekers
In my four years at the UCLA Scholarship Resource Center (SRC), I must have given my introductory workshop about how to perform effective scholarship searches online to thousands of parents, students, and prospective students. Every time that I picked up the phone, gave campus presentations, or faced someone who had just walked into my office…
Use These 5 Questions to Conduct a Draft Analysis of Your Scholarship Essay
Most students do not realize that the process of writing a personal essay for scholarships is more than just a chance to tell stories. It is an opportunity to write a very specific form of argumentation or persuasion. Of course, when it comes to writing about our lives, it is pretty difficult to identify the…
Scholarships Related to 3 Health Communities: Cancer, Mental Health, and Chronic Conditions or Disabilities
During my four years at the UCLA Scholarship Resource Center, I learned how to work carefully with a diverse group of students through the flexible concept of “community.” In order to connect students with as many scholarship resources as possible, we had to go through a relatively awkward phase of “getting to know the student”…
Why are Scholarships SO HARD to Find?
When students and parents first start searching for educational scholarships online, they’re often bewildered. As a scholarship advisor, I am often approached with questions like: “So, what’s the trick?” I wish I had the keys to a simpler, more organized version of the internet, but the truth is, I don’t. Blame it on the internet…
Three Community-Based Scholarships That Will Change How You Search for Scholarships
The vast majority of first-time scholarship searchers believe they either have to be brilliant or belong to certain ethnic, racial, religious, or financial communities in order to qualify for merit, need, or identity-based scholarships. I prefer to think about organizations and individuals who have created scholarship opportunities as generous entities that wish to support people…
How to Perform an Effective Scholarship Search
Most students who are looking for scholarships start with a simple question: “Where can I find a list of scholarships that are perfect for me?” During my time at the UCLA Scholarship Resource Center, I used to swivel around in my chair and say, “This whole office is a list. So is the internet.” Though…
What Is a Scholarship? And Why Didn’t I Get One?
This time of year is the most popular time for students to start asking questions about scholarships. Admission notifications have gone out for most graduate programs, and offers related to financial aid packages, admissions-based scholarships, and teaching positions quickly follow. For many recent admits, the moment of admission initiates a series of raw moments in…
The Personal Statement That Got Me a Large Scholarship to Cambridge
In October 2008, I submitted an application for a Masters program in Latin American Studies at Cambridge University. At the time, I was a bit lost in life; I was what they call a “super-senior” at UCLA, taking my last three General Education requirements during Fall quarter of a fifth year. I had already walked…
The Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Application Essay Tips
This post focuses on application strategies for pre-doctoral students and graduate student applicants to apply for three years of funding from the Ford Foundation through The National Academies of Sciences. What to Know About the Ford Foundation Fellowship Since 1936 The Ford Foundation, created by members of the Ford family, has turned what started as…
