More work now leads to less work later

June 18, 2022

I wanted to share something that has helped me throughout my baccalaureate studies is making extra homework.

I can already hear the groans of disbelief:

“You made yourself extra homework on top of being a STEM major?!”

Yes, yes I did make myself more work to do.

More work to do now means less work to do later. I’m talking about applying for scholarships. More writing now means less student loans later.

I am lucky that I attend the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC) which has its own department that handles scholarships. There are many internal scholarships offered at UWEC for nearly every major or even interests. Since there are many general classes that all students need to take, like math or English, that if a student needs to take multiple classes in the same department, they can still apply to English or math department scholarships if they did well.

Many scholarships have GPA thresholds. Applying for scholarships is like applying for a job. The “requirements” are loose and are more of the most ideal student/situations that may not exist that year. Even if you don’t meet all the requirements, you may just get the scholarship if there aren’t enough applicants in the selection pool.

Chances are, you are also attending UWEC and can apply to the internal UWEC Gold for Blugolds. I will share the fastest way I use to get to the scholarship portal.

Have your phone handy!

I am starting from a desktop with makes it easier to have multiple programs open at once. I like to copy/paste the scholarship prompt into a word document to make sure I answer the question in full. Writing for scholarships is a lot like interviewing for a job. You need to sell your experiences and worthiness for the award, while avoiding gross hyperbole. Make yourself look good, in an honest fashion.

Start at www.uwec.edu.

In the search box on the top right, type in: Gold for Blugolds and then press enter.

Click the second link which leads to an online PDF that has a link to the correct Gold for Blugolds page where students can log in.

Click the hyperlink in the PDF to go to the Gold for Blugolds site.

Login using your UWEC credentials and double authenticate using the Duo Mobile app on your phone.

After logging in, the top navigation strip looks like the below picture.

All open/attempted applications and completed/submitted applications appear under the 'My Applications" page.

"My Awards" shows all awarded scholarships. This is where scholarship monetary amounts are accepted. This is also the easiest place to find information to fill out thank you letters. It is important to be as accurate as possible on the "Dear ..." line.

Handy guide applicable to writing Thank-You letters to other scholarships.

UWEC gives a handy guide to filling Thank-You Letters. This guide is applicable to writing thank you letters to other scholarships for other schools .

Search first for Admissions scholarships

The most important sub-page for students using the Gold for Blugolds resource for the first time is the Scholarships Search.

I personally recommend filling out the general admissions scholarship application first since these do not need any essays written for them. If you are involved on campus enough there are bound to be scholarships that could be awarded to you.

Next scholarships to look for are the department scholarships. I am a Biochemistry Molecular Biology major so I am eligible to apply to both the Chemistry and Biology department scholarships. I have also applied to the Mathematics and Physics department since I did well in those classes. Department scholarships can be applied to multiple years. Just be sure to change the essay or write a better version than last years.

Thirdly, look for other scholarships through the emails that the school sends out. For example, The Goldwater Scholarship which has program requirements. The professors need to nominate students for the award, sometimes it is prudent for the student to ask if they may qualify just to get the ball rolling toward a nomination. https://goldwaterscholarship.gov/eligibility/

Second look for department scholarships

The Honors department; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) department; Office of multicultural Affairs; and various student organizations may all have their own scholarships. Not every scholarship is in the "Gold for Blugolds" website. You may need to ask about other scholarships by sending emails or visiting the offices.

Make a positive impact with your professors

Nearly all scholarships offered through departments ask for recommendations letters from faculty. Be sure to start and maintain a good relationship with some professors in the department you plan to apply for scholarships for. The interactions outside of class helps the professor learn more about you so they can write a more persuasive and accurate recommendation letter.

Since recommendation letters are needed for graduate school applications, use scholarship recommendation letters as practice asking professors for letters. I like to ask different teachers for letters as a way to continue my professional relationship with them. It creates a dialog where I show that I am grateful for their time, effort, interest and investment into my future.

Don't be discouraged if as an incoming freshmen, there aren't many scholarships! this is normal. More scholarships open up to you as you advance in your degree. The more quality work you are able to put in now when writing for scholarships the easier your time after graduating will be. I hope this walk-through helps.