Scholarships 101
Karen Daniels
Financial Aid Counselor
Central Washington University
Bldg. 29 –main office- Room 269
(509) 963 3838 – danielsk@cwu.edu
2014-2015
Main Campus
Phone (509) 963-1611
Fax (509) 963-1788
finaid@cwu.edu
www.cwu.edu/scholarships
Who has Scholarships to offer?
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Local groups give scholarships to students in their own town/area like Dollars for Scholars
Service Organizations like Kiwanis or Rotary
Fraternal Orders/Masonic Lodges
Community Education Foundations
Community-Based Scholarships -many of these community-based organizations don’t come up in webbased scholarship searches. Check their websites and their Facebook
The easiest way to find out about these scholarships is to ask around!
Group Affiliation- Ethnic Groups *Gender Groups *Religious Groups *Labor Unions *Clubs
*Local Businesses *Social Organizations *Political Organizations *Professional Associations
National Awards- National Educational Foundations such as the National Merit Scholars or Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation. These are usually merit or need-based. They give out “many” large awards
and are often quite competitive.
Recommended Scholarship Sites
www.TheWashBoard.org
www.cwu.edu/scholarships
www.scholarshipamerica.org
www.desmoines.dollarsforscholars.org
www.fastweb.com
www.scholarships.com
www.educationgrant.com
www.finaid.org
www.studentscholarhips.org
www.college-scholarships.com
www.scholarshiphelp.org
www.collegetocareers.com
www.scholarshipsexperts.com
www.financialfinder.com
www.scholarships4school.com
Notes
GSA
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Log into your MyCWU
Navigation: Campus Solutions  Self Service  Campus Finances  Scholarship Application
o You can’t make changes to your personal data; all info is pulled from your student record.
Errors? Contact admissions
o Answer all questions and then it will show you a list of all the scholarships you are automatically
entered into. The next page will show the list of your matches that require additional materials.
o Use the worksheet provided to organize your scholarships and use it as your to-do list.
o Upload your documents and submit the application. You can come back and re-submit
documents or change anything as often as you want. You MUST RE-SUBMIT EACH TIME!!!!!!!
o The last submission will be the one used.
Scholarship Tips
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Essays: Refer to the Essay handout in this packet.
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Letters of Recommendation:
o Ask EARLY! Give your writer plenty of
time to complete your letter
o Ask for several copies
o Letters of rec do not need to be
submitted in sealed envelopes—you can
attach them to your application
o Send a quick thank you note- you might
need one again or want them as a
reference as well- it will set you apart
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Resumes:
o Check with the Career Center for help
writing your resume
o See example in your packet
o Employers only read your resume for 6
seconds!
o Keep related content in the first third of
the page
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How soon will I know if I won a scholarship?
A: End of May
Q: What are my chances of winning?
A: It varies from scholarship to scholarship; ones that require supplemental materials always have
fewer applicants.
Q: Do I have to reapply every year?
A: Yes, you do, but some of your application data is saved.
Q: How will I be notified if I’ve won?
A: Letter in the mail between April and June
Q: How will I be notified if I haven’t won?
A: E-mail to your CWU account in late June
Q: Can I call and ask for awarding information?
A: No, we will not answer any questions about the process until it is complete in May
Q: Is there a paper application I can fill out instead?
A: No, the online application is the only one
Q: Is the GSA for both Grads and Undergrads?
A: Yes, there are a few scholarships for grad students; most are for undergrads
Q: If I win a scholarship and transfer to another school, can I take it with me?
A: No, it can only be used at CWU
Q: Can I use the scholarship for this current year?
A: No, it’s only good for 2014-2015
Q: I don’t see any scholarships for my major on the GSA; does that mean there aren’t any for me?
A: Check with your department
Q: Where do I get info on how scholarships affect my financial aid package?
A: Visit the Financial Aid Office’s website at www.cwu.edu/financial-aid
My Questions:
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Central Washington University Westside Career Services
Experience Portfolio – Resume Preparation Exercise
Create an Experience Portfolio by writing about each of your jobs, internships, volunteer positions, class
projects, or extracurricular activities. Focus primarily on those experiences that might be relevant or provide
transferable skills for your next job or internship. Use adverbs to describe the skills/strengths used and answer
the questions:
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What did you do?
How did you do it?
What did you accomplish or what was the result?
(Partner – Ask your partner to describe an experience by responding to the questions above. Write down what
your partner says, making sure each experience statement conveys a clear description of what they did, how
they did it, and what they accomplished.)
Example – EXPERIENCE #1 – Job
 Managed the daily operations of 10 staff members increasing productivity by 20%
 Developed yearly team budget of $1,000 resulting in savings of $250
 Provided upper level managers with accurate information for decision-making in order to focus on other tasks
 Instructed new personnel on organizational operations creating highly trained staff
Example – EXPERIENCE #2 – Job
 Developed a Web site, as a project lead for a non-profit youth organization, allowing community to seek services online
 Scheduled, assigned, followed-up on tasks, and solved problems as they arose resulting in professional Web site
 Communicated with client as project progressed to assist in creation of successful software program
Example – EXPERIENCE #3 – Job
 Built relationships and trust of neighborhood residents to create safe environment for school children
 Prepared and delivered a case study presentation of community achievements to senior management
Example – EXPERIENCE #4 – Volunteer Position
 Maintained accurate records for budgets over $100,000 as treasurer for a volunteer organization
 Provided exceptional summer camp experience for orphans in Mexico helping them to improve their English
 Translated from Spanish to English for groups of up to 85 people
 Coached disabled athletes who participated in Summer Olympic events allowing them to experience sense of
accomplishment
 Coordinated school bazaar raising over $20,000 for scholarships
Example – EXPERIENCE #5 – Extracurricular activity
 Served as president of Black Student Union, developing new programs and events
 Planned lecture series for Black History Month resulting in increased membership in organization
 Represented and advocated for student body while promoting student interest as Senator
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Coordinated elections, including planning, recruitment, and promotion
Example – EXPERIENCE #6 – Academic/Class Project
 Constructed and managed a theoretical $1 million portfolio
 Formulated in-depth financial analysis using current financial models
 Coordinated all aspects of team project collaborating with team members and instructor
 Conducted extensive research and final report on ability of human services agencies to connect with homeless population
 Created dynamic Web site for non-profit agency
 Conducted library research, organized, and wrote papers for college classes graduating with honors
Resume Preparation Exercise Page 2
Use additional pages to fully describe each of your experiences (jobs, internships, volunteer positions, class
projects, or extracurricular activities), particularly those that are relevant and/or support your objective.
OBJECTIVE:
Targeted job or internship
RELEVANT COURSEWORK:
RELEVANT ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES (Extracurricular activities/class projects):
RELEVANT EXPERIENCES (Jobs/Internships):
OTHER EXPERIENCES (Volunteer Activities):
Scholarships
Places to search:
Different social, political, religious (etc. )groups I belong to are:
My parents and I work for:
Their affiliated groups are:
What industry do I want to enter?
What businesses are in that industry that might have scholarships?
What professional organizations in that industry should I seek out?
Who do I know that might have other leads?
Scholarship Essay Tips
Scholarship applications will often require that you complete a personal essay based on a given prompt.
Sometimes the essay requirements are specific, and sometimes they can be vague and broad in scope. In
order to write a “Wow!” essay, there are a few things to keep in mind:
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Scholarship essays should help your reader understand where you think you stand in relation to a
goal, expectation, need, issue, or standard
They should closely follow the prompt or question
They are about YOU and/or YOUR thoughts about a subject
They often tell stories or provide narrative support for your main points
They provide evidence of your desire, commitment, and qualifications
They often lay out future plans
They invite your reader to get to know you and how you think
When you begin constructing your essay:
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Read the prompt and instructions, including word count and formatting. Do not deviate from those
requirements.
Plan what you will say. Craft an outline or take notes before you begin writing the essay. That will
help you to stay focused and to make your main points quickly and clearly. Be sure you keep the
main prompt or question at the forefront of your thoughts.
Know your audience. Remember that the essay is about you and your thoughts, but you should also
align those thoughts with the values or core beliefs of the organization to which you are applying.
Research the sponsoring organizations so you know what is important to them and how YOU fit into
those values or beliefs.
Use clear, professional language and correct grammar and punctuation. Avoid humor, sarcasm,
emoticons, and exclamation points.
After you have a complete draft, read the prompt again and make sure your essay addresses the
question/requirements. If you find that you are getting off point, tighten it up and revise.
Writing Center
The Des Moines Writing and Math Center offers peer tutoring in both Writing and Accounting/Finance.
Writing tutoring hours are M/W 10-2 and T/Th 10-5
For a writing tutoring appointment, stop by 29-313, or email westsidewc@cwu.edu.
Accounting/Finance tutoring hours are T/Th 12-5
Tutoring is offered on a drop-in basis.
General Math Tutoring is available online T-Th and Sunday through the Canvas Online Tutoring course.
For students who cannot make it to campus during office hours, the Online Learning Commons provides peer writing tutoring
services for all CWU-Des Moines students. Tutors can work with you on any assignment for any class to help you build your
academic writing and research skills. Tutoring is available via email or through the "Online Tutoring Course" in Canvas.
Email Consultations: Email consultations are available on a first-come/first-served basis by
emailing your paper to onlinetutoring@cwu.edu.
TheWashBoard.org is a free, web-based, nonprofit scholarship clearinghouse that
matches Washington scholarship seekers with Washington scholarship providers.
Benefits for Counselors
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Help m ore st ud ent s in your com m unit y find scholarship s.
Help st ud ent s access scholarship s you m ay not know ab out .
Help st ud ent s and p arent s keep inform ed of st at e and fed eral financial aid op p ort unit ies.
A llow s you t o share w it h und erclassm en t he p ot ent ial f or scholarship s in t heir fut ure.
How to use theWashBoard.org
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Reg ist er for a user account .
Fill in t he p rofile as com p let ely as
p ossib le.
Get scholarship MA TCHES t o consid er.
A p p ly and sub m it ap plicat ions b y t he
d ue d at e.
A s a Counselor, w e have t he cap ab ilit y
for y ou t o w ip e t he p rofile clean in one
click, t o m ake w orking w it h m ult ip le
st ud ent s fast and easy.
What’s New in 2014-15?
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Im p roved Mat ches
Easier t o navig at e
New cat eg ory of crit eria called
“ Personal Info” list s specific at t rib ut es
( i.e. first -g enerat ion, US Cit izenship,
household inform at ion) w it h
scholarship d ollars connect ed t o t hese
at t rib ut es.
“ My Mat ches” p ag e is only for OPEN
scholarship s w here st ud ent m eet s A LL
t he req uired crit eria.
Young er st ud ent s looking for fut ure
scholarship s should use t he “ A ll
Scholarship s” filt er.
TAKE 5 to UPDATE 5
St ud ent s ret urning t o t heW ashBoard .org
need t o up d at e t heir p rofile reg ularly.
Encourag e your st ud ent s t o t ake f ive m inut es
t o up d at e t hese five crit eria:
> GPA & Grad e Level
> Field of St ud y & Careers
> Personal Info Pag e
> Colleg es Being Considered
> A ffiliat ed Org anizat ions or Com p anies
Scholarship Tips for Students
• St art early & keep looking . One d ay
isn’t enough.
• Follow t he d irect ions and m eet
d ead lines.
• A p p ly each and every year.
• Scholarship s aren’t just for jocks or
sm art y-p ant s.
• DO N’T PAY ANYONE t o help you
find free m oney!
Email: info@theWashBoard.org
Call: 1-888-535-0747 x8
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