What’s this semester hold for you? Are you graduating from Sinclair and plan to get a second degree? That’s simple enough, you know the layout of Sinclair.
Are you planning on using your degree to get a job? That’s also a simple fix. The Clarion gave information on how to do that (Search on Sinclair’s main page for “Career Resources”).
But, if you plan on graduating and going to a four year college, what do you do? First, meet with a specific academic advisor. Call (937)-512-3700 and talk to the person at the main desk asking to set up an appointment with an advisor that’s more specific to your major (the more knowledge on your major, the better). Possibly meet with the head of your major’s department. Ex. English or Creative Writing major would go building 5, room 143 or call them (check Sinclair’s website for “Campus Offices”).
After meeting them, see what advisor they recommend for your major. Even if you only have a half hour meeting, it may be just what you need to ease your mind about the transition.
It’s more than likely that at this point, you don’t know what to do. So talk with the advisor, if they don’t have the answers, let them direct you to someone who does. It would also be a good idea to contact the department for your major at the university you wish to attend and set an appointment to speak with them so they can walk you through the process.
Have any friends that attend a university? Ask them for advice. A big hurdle is just going to the university you plan to attend and apply to them first.
What about costs? Are you thinking about scholarships? Grants? Hopefully not loans… loans are the biggest trap there is. “Every student gets them,” do you know what loans get you? Usually in debt regretting your degree. It’s recommended you stay away from loans at all costs, or it’ll end up costing you from exceptionally high interest rates.
“As far as searching for scholarships, it’s great to try to find scholarship lists that are already created,” said Katherine Gonzalez, Financial Aid Officer in charge of scholarships. “For instance, we have our website at Sinclair.edu/scholarships and we have our external scholarships list.”
Gonzalez explained that there’s external links for scholarships that aren’t just for Sinclair, but can pertain to other schools too. They all have different requirements in order to apply of course. But if you’re thinking about going to a four year college next fall semester, when is best to apply for scholarships?
“This is really a great time to apply [Spring semester],” said Gonzalez. “And some external scholarships even are working a year in advance [to attendance].”
She recommends that if you plan to attend a four year college, start a year in advance to attending. It doesn’t hurt if you apply within less than a year. But if you send your application in early, the donors will be looking at your application longer.
A large reason people aren’t receiving scholarships is that the essay they wrote was limited. Only a couple paragraphs won’t suffice in standing out to the donors. There is also such a thing as too wordy. If your essay is too long, the donors may not want to read it all. About 500 words or less is suggested.
“I feel like there’s a misconception that not that very many people apply for these scholarships, or that it is easy to get scholarships—that there’s so much money out there that they’re just throwing it away,” said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez explains that there’s a good response at Sinclair for applying to scholarships. However, she further explains that perhaps particular students don’t take the application process as seriously as they should and don’t take the time to really perfect their applications.
“I mean, I think a lot of students aren’t being as strategic as they should be when applying to scholarships,” said Gonzalez. “We try to help out with that strategy here [Financial Aid Office].”
Gonzalez stated that students should be careful and make sure they meet the requirements of the scholarships. Double check what the scholarship is, sometimes the donors specify that preferential treatment will be given to people that fit their qualifications; such as, a certain kind of major.
Everyone wants to know what gives them a better chance at receiving an award. So, how can you maximize receiving scholarships?
“I think that someone should get at least two letters of recommendation, and not from your parents… but someone else you know outside of family,” Gonzalez said. “But even three would be better, add that in a packet with your essay when you submit your application.”
She continued and said that letters of recommendation are best not only with applications for scholarships, but to add to a resume in general. She explained that letters of recommendation can help out in a job search. She said that letters of recommendation are good from professors, bosses, and any other acquaintance like if you’ve volunteered and had a Volunteer Manager.
Gonzalez’s final tips were to utilize any resources you have even if they’re outside the Sinclair scholarships page. She said to do research and search for organizations in your field of study that might give scholarships to people with your major.
So, clean up your essay submissions; “beef it up” and make sure you aren’t making your essay too long or too short (remember, around 500 words is best). Attain a few specific letters of recommendation from accredited peers, not general letters that don’t capture your true abilities. And finally, reach out and apply to as many scholarships as possible, not simply a few, really maximize the potential and make sure you meet the requirements. Good luck in the scholarship search.
Ehron Ostendorf
Copy Editor