Texas Tech University

Applicants

Be a Strong Candidate

External scholarships look for more than just a high GPA. Students who are competitive for prestigious scholarships have involved themselves in academic, leadership, extracurricular, community, and service activities.1

Successful scholarship applicants are highly motivated independent thinkers.
Go out and get in involved in different activities, they will give you something to write about in your personal statement. Review committees are looking for individuals who know themselves and what makes them unique.

Successful scholarship applicants have breadth and depth of courses taken – most advanced courses that you can take in your field. Are you challenging yourself? Are you becoming a well-rounded person?

Do you have a resume showing you have a passion and are pursuing it?

Throughout Your Academic Career: "Claim Your Education"2

  1. Model from: http://topscholars.illinois.edu/timeline.html
  2. Adrienne Rich http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic469725.files/Rich-Claiming%20an%20Education-1.pdf

Be Proactive 

  • Get to know your professors, even those who teach large classes.
  • Select courses that do more than just satisfy a graduation requirement. Take ones that challenge you in new and different ways
  • Seek out mentors among faculty, staff, and students
  • Take advantage of faculty office hours
  • Try new things, test out interests and talents, develop passions
  • Join activities and organizations across campus and in the community
  • Be intellectually curious. Attend lectures, brown bags, presentations on a variety of topics
  • Make contacts, get to know people, network
  • Treat summers as more than just "time off". Summers are also important to your university experience. Try research, internships, community service, travel (US or abroad), try and find work related to what you think you want to do as a career
  • Ask questions, make statements, and try out different intellectual approaches
  • Apply for internal and external scholarships, awards, and other opportunities
  • Get involved in a research project
  • Explore your passion