Scholarships 101
Workshop
Wednesday
January 14th
Bldg. 29 - Room 214
&
Thursday
January 15th
Bldg. 29 - Room 101
CWU
Des Moines
3:30pm – 4:30pm
Last chance
this year!
FILL YOUR PIGGY BANK !
C W U S C H O L A R S H I P S - G S A - O U T S I D E R E S O U R C E S - T I P S T O A P P LY
Karen Daniels
Financial Aid Counselor
Central Washington University
Bldg. 29 –main office- Room 269
(509) 963 3838 – danielsk@cwu.edu
Main Campus
Phone (509) 963-1611
Fax (509) 963-1788
finaid@cwu.edu
www.cwu.edu/scholarships
Overview
 How do I get scholarships?
 Where can I get scholarships?
 How do I complete the GSA (General
Scholarship Application)?
 How do I apply for the COB scholarship?
 Where can I get essay writing help?
Scholarship Hunting
SCHOLARSHIP HUNTING IS A SKILL SET
THAT WILL COME IN HANDY AFTER GRADUATION:
 Meet an application deadline
 Follow application instructions closely
 Identify your strengths and express them to others
 Prepare materials for others’ review
 Compete against other qualified candidates
 Learn to persevere through disappointment
Scholarship “Hunting Season”
It starts early!
Most scholarship deadlines are from
October
to
March
for funds to be used the following school year
Two Sources of Scholarships
Private Donors
Institutional
 Community-Based
 CWU General
 National Awards
 Group Affiliation
Scholarship
Application
 Departmental Awards
Community-Based Scholarships
 Local groups give scholarships to
students in their own town/area
 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
What do you belong to? What industry are you trying to get into? What groups
do your parents or other family members belong to? What about where they
work?
National Awards
 National Educational Foundations
such as the National Merit Scholars or
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
 Usually merit- or need-based
 Many large awards
 Competitive
How do I find
scholarships I
might qualify
for? 
Search the Web



WashBoard Stats:
34% of listed scholarships
require a GPA of 3.0 or
higher
More than half of
scholarships are not
based on financial need
The scholarships listed in
2013-14 represented over
6,600 individual awards.



www.theWashBoard.org
A non-profit scholarship matching
service
Enter your criteria and the search will
return scholarships that you qualify
for
www.cwu.edu/scholarships
Upcoming deadlines for outside
scholarships
Announcements of brand-new CWU
scholarships
Other Websites for Scholarship Searches
At least use
these

sites, they
will be the
most help.
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
www.theWashBoard.org
Create your profile
www.theWashBoard.org
Check your matches
www.theWashBoard.org
Complete your applications
Search CWU’s List – Check monthly!
www.cwu.edu/scholarships
CWU General Scholarship
Application
C W U F O U N DAT I O N R A I S E S F U N D S
FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
O C TO B E R 1 S T – M A R C H 1 S T E V E RY
YEAR
O N E A P P L I CAT I O N T H RO U G H YO U R
S A FA R I AC C O U N T = OV E R 1 0 0
SCHOLARSHIPS!
Who Gives Money to the Foundation?
 CWU Alumni
 Community Members
 Local & State Businesses
 Current CWU Students
 Student Impact Scholarship
 Legacy Impact Scholarship
The generosity of people who care about CWU is what makes
YOUR scholarship possible!
Step 4: COMPLETE THE ONLINE APPLICATION

https://my-tst.ea.cwu.edu/guest/?tab=PAPP_GUEST
 Log into your MyCWU
 Navigation: Campus Solutions
Self Service
Campus Finances
Scholarship Application
Jump to slide 33
TAB 1: Personal
Data
You can’t make
changes on this
tab…all info is
pulled from
your student
record
TAB 2: Scholarship Questions
Get familiar with…
The magnifying glass icon
 Refer to the step-by-step guide for how to look up
pre-determined categories
Get familiar with…
The Plus Sign
 Refer to the step-by-step guide for how to add
extra information to your application
TAB 3: High School Activities
Complete this tab, even though you are now in
college
Pre-determined categories—use magnifying glass
icon to look up your activities (use free-form
description area to enhance the information)
Select your grade levels that apply to the activity
Click the plus sign to add more categories
TAB 3: High School Activities
TAB 4: College Activities
Same format as the High School Activities Tab
Pre-determined categories—use magnifying glass
icon to look up your activities (use free-form
description area to enhance the information)
Select your grade levels that apply to the activity
Click the plus sign to add more categories
TAB 5: Volunteer Activities
Free-form entry of information
Dates of service must be in MM/DD/YYYY format
TAB 6: Scholarship Selections
Use your friends, the magnifying glass and the plus
sign, to find your scholarships
Refer to your list of scholarships that you qualify for
that require supplemental materials
Attach your documents directly to your application!
**No Supplemental materials means you
automatically will be looked at for that scholarship!
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS
Electronic Attachments
Paper or E-mail Submission
Quicker
Easier
Editable
Save on postage
Assurance that we
received it
Wastes paper
Cost of postage
Unsure whether we
received it
Can’t make edits once
you turn it in
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS
PDF files
 Essays: PDF
 Letters of Recommendation: PDF of
scanned letter with original signature
and letterhead
 Documentation: Scanned PDF
Refer to step-by-step guide if you have trouble attaching!
TAB 7: Certification
Optional checkbox: Authorize CWU to publicize
your name if you win
You MUST click “Submit” on this tab to complete
your application
Come back and edit as many times as you want
before March 1st
You’ll receive e-mail confirmation of completion
CONGRATULATIONS!
That’s all you need to do to
apply for GSA Scholarships!
College of Business Application
TO DO
 CHECK ELIGIBILITY
 SUBMIT ALL
DOCUMENTS IN
THE CORRECT
F O R M AT
 COMPLETE
F O L L O W - U P TA S K S
College of Business Application
Eligibility Requirements – check before you apply
 3.0 GPA for the major and CWU/transfer combined
 Enrolled FULL TIME (12+) in Business program
while you receive the scholarship
 Can’t graduate before Winter 2016
 Read directions
 Nothing will be accepted after Feb 2nd at 5:00 PM
 Read that full list at
cwu.edu/business/student-scholarships
College of Business Application
How to Apply
 You have to apply online- can’t save your work
 Use the paper application to make sure your ready
 Collect all unofficial transcripts
 Not transfer credit report
 From CWU and all other schools- via ours and their websites
 Find two references
 Format is a printed email with required information


View the step-by-step guide on our website
One COB faculty is preferred
 Get that essay started!
College of Business Application
Essay
 An uploaded essay, 1000 words or less (which will
be evaluated for written communication skills),
addressing any or all of the following:





A) Honors, awards, civic and extra-curricular activities
during college
What I’ve done
B) Educational goals
Where I’m going
C) Other goals and aspirations;
Why me?
D) Significant work experience
E) Special considerations relevant to the evaluation
committee’s decision
College of Business Application
Answer questions
 Page 3- Answer all question
 Should match other materials
 Don’t understand the question? Likely that’s not you
 Financial Need?
 Did you submit a FAFSA and complete any paperwork you
needed?
 Were you offered at some point a subsidized loan?- check
award letter in mycwu or email
 See me if you still have questions
College of Business Application
Submit materials
 COB has very specific requirements
 Follow directions! Don’t give up now!
 All your docs need to be in 3 files
1)Essay
YourCWUID-YourLastName-Essay (ex. 12345678-Smith-Essay)
2) Unofficial transcripts- put all schools in one file
YourCWUID-YourLastName –Transcripts (ex. 12345678-Smith-Transcripts)
3) References email- put both into one document
YourCWUID-YourLastName -References (ex. 12345678-Smith-References)
College of Business Application
Follow-up tasks for the winners
 PLEASE NOTE THESE REQUIREMENTS FOR
THOSE RECEIVING AWARDS:




1) Submit electronically a short biographical summary, a
thank you letter, and a photo to the sponsoring organization.
2) Maintain full-time status (12 credits) and meet all award
criteria for the period of time they receive the scholarship.
3) Scholarship funds must be used by winter quarter 2016,
but may be typically used as early as summer quarter 2015.
4) Students receiving awards must attend the May 2, 2015
CB Honors Banquet at the CWU-Des Moines campus.
Success Tips
I ’ VE G OT A LI ST O F
SCH O LAR SHI P S, N OW WHAT ?
Step 1: MAKE YOUR LIST
Make a list of each scholarship
you qualify for that requires
supplemental materials
Refer to the GSA Organizational Tool handout
A Helpful Tool!
Step 2: PREPARE YOUR MATERIALS
Essays
Letters of Recommendation
Resumes
Various Documentation
Strategies for Successful Essay Writing
 Make sure you qualify for the award
 Start early—don’t write your essay at the last
minute
 Stay within the essay topic and word limit
 Let the reader get to know YOU
 Cite specific examples and give details
 Have other people read your work
 Think about what everyone else will
write…and then write something different
 Use the writing center!!!!
Sample Essay Questions
 Applications will be evaluated based on an essay (500-1000
words) describing, in specific terms, how you hope to use your
IT management education/background to make a positive
impact in the business world.
 A 500 word letter of intent that identifies the applicant and
describes the applicants drive and dedication to social justice
causes.
 In 150 words, tell us the most unique or interesting thing you’ve
every done to make or save extra money.
 Why do you want to be a teacher? vs
 Why would you make a good teacher?
Letters of Recommendation
 Ask EARLY! Give your writer plenty of time to
complete your letter
 Ask for several copies
 Letters of rec do not need to be submitted in
sealed envelopes—you can attach them to your
application
 Send a quick thank you note
 You might need one again or want them as a reference as
well- it will set you apart
Resumes
 Check with the Career Center for help writing your
resume
 See example in your packet
 Employers only read your resume for 6 seconds!
 Keep related content in the first third of the page
What we’ve learned today
 It pays to apply for scholarships
 Scholarship hunting season is during the fall and
winter of the year BEFORE you plan to use the
scholarship!
 The web is a great search tool, but not the only tool
 It takes time and energy to apply for scholarships
 The GSA is all online and it’s easy to complete!
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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
Frequently Asked Questions
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
Frequently Asked Questions
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
Q: If I need help filling out my GSA, where do I go?
A: Consult the step-by-step guide; come to Barge
Hall 115
Got a Question?
5-10 minute Q & A