Tackling the job of applying for college is an exciting yet stressful time. Even more stressful is the task of raising enough money to attend your dream school. While financial aid and both government and private loans are available to students, even more appealing is the scholarship. Reducing tuition by just a thousand dollars can mean a big difference in your tuition bill each month. Finding the right scholarship can be as difficult as finding the right college for you. Scholarships are tailored specifically towards certain student qualifications and requirements. Being able to narrow down the scholarship pool to those scholarships you qualify for is the first step.

Narrowing it All Down
Because many of the large, private scholarships are open to everyone, the applicant pool can be huge, numbering in the hundreds and possibly even thousands of students. Jump that hurdle at the end. Start with scholarships whose applicant pool is smaller and for which you qualify. The best places to start are locally. Scholarships may be offered exclusively to students at your high school or at the college you are attending. Start by visiting your guidance counselor or the financial aid office of the college you plan on attending and asking for scholarship applications available only to students attending the school. Check your local library as well, as many scholarships are community based and sponsored by an organization wishing to give money to a local resident. Many local businesses and social organizations sponsor scholarships and will have a much smaller applicant pool. Ask your parents to check with their employers to see if the business offers scholarships to children of employees.

Looking Everywhere
Once you have exhausted your local and school resources, you can turn to the more daunting task of seeking out and applying to scholarships offered to the open public with no restrictions on school being attended or residential status. These scholarships do not come without criteria, however, and many have very strict guidelines regarding grade point average and standardized test scores. These scholarships often post information and applications through the internet and are often listed within a scholarship search site. Scholarship search sites are databases comprising thousands of scholarships. A student may enter their information in an internet form, and the site will then narrow down available scholarships to those for which the student qualifies. This is a good method to use when searching for scholarships that have rigid grade point average and standardized test requirements. It may not be so useful for scholarships aimed more towards athletic achievement, community involvement or extracurricular accomplishments.

Apply only for those scholarships for which you clearly qualify. If a scholarship specifies only students with grade point averages over 3.5 will be considered and you do not meet that requirement, do not apply, regardless of how stellar the rest of your application may seem. With applicant pools so large, scholarship selection committees will discard applications not meeting the initial qualifications before even looking at all the other qualities and accomplishments a student may have. Apply to scholarships whose qualifications you clearly meet or exceed first, and then work your way down to scholarships you may not be as highly qualified for. Some of the large, private scholarships are open to applicants based upon gender, ethnicity or financial ability. If you qualify for one of these groups, spend time researching scholarships open exclusively to these categories. The applicant pool will be significantly narrowed and many students may not have thought to search for such specialized criteria.

The Earlier the Better!
Start your scholarship search early. Many scholarships have early deadlines, with some ending at the beginning of your senior year. If possible, try to do most of your research and searching during junior year and have your application documents and papers ready. Not only will you get a head start on some of your fellow students, but you can also devote more time to schoolwork and college preparation by finishing your scholarship hunting early. Less stress is key to a time like this and finishing your scholarship search early will be a relief to you and hopefully to your wallet!

Source:

http://www.scholarshippreparations.com/the-hunt-for-the-college-scholarship

Scholarship preparation can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few years, depending on how much time and energy you have to commit to the process. If you are truly serious about savings thousands of dollars on college tuition bills, then the more time you can spend preparing for the scholarship process, the better chance you have of receiving a scholarship that can significantly reduce the cost of college. Whether you’re a high school freshman or a senior, you can begin preparations to increase your chances of being awarded with a scholarship.

Starting With Your Grades…
One of the first things most scholarship committees require and pay careful attention to is your grade point average. The grade point average represents the cumulative grades received in all classes you have taken while in high school. Some high schools will weight classes differently depending on type and difficulty level. For example, a calculus class may be given greater weight than a health class. All high schools have a maximum achievable grade point average. Most common is the 4.0, representing straight A’s. However your high school decides its grade point averages, it’s important to keep your grades up in school. If you’re a freshman, give yourself a good start and try to attain the best grades possible. If you are further along in your high school career and have received average or marginal grades, try to boost them up. Even a couple points on your grade point average can mean the difference between qualifying for a scholarship and just missing the required criteria. Many colleges and scholarship committees like to see improvement over a student’s high school career. If you haven’t done as well as you’d hoped, don’t give up now. Work even harder and show the scholarship selection committee you are motivated and enthusiastic about higher education.

Don’t Skimp on Standardized Test Scores
Another very important number scholarship selection committees take into consideration is the standardized test score. The SAT score is the most commonly used and often required for many college and scholarship applications. Unlike grade point averages, which may be weighted differently at different high schools, the SAT is a test given to all students applying to college and gives the selection committee an idea of how applicants score against one another. If you have done very well in high school and have a great grade point average, don’t start slacking now. Your SAT score can put you out of the running if it’s too low. Similarly, if you’ve received marginal grades and do not have a stellar grade point average, your SAT score can be your savior. Students receiving perfect or very high SAT scores are often given high consideration even if their grade point average is low. Study for the SAT. Take practice tests, consult with friends who have taken the SAT or take an SAT prep course. While it may seem like you’re contributing a lot of time or money for a test that lasts only a few hours, the thousands of dollars you could save by winning a scholarship based on your high SAT scores would be well worth it.

One Sport, Two Activities? What’s Right For You?
In addition to your grade point average and SAT score, selection committees like to see your commitment to an activity or sport that interests you. While students are often advised to present a well rounded application showing their involvement in many different programs, keep in mind that many other applicants will have done this very thing. Picking one or two activities or sports that you not only excel at but are passionate about can look much better on your scholarship application. Not only does it set you apart from the other applicants, it shows your dedication and motivation to activities that interest you, and such ambition is an important quality to scholarship review boards.

The Rewards at the End
Preparing yourself for a scholarship is not an easy task, and will often feel very stressful or unrewarding. Don’t forget why you are taking the time and effort to prepare yourself so well. All your time and energy now could mean a significant savings during college, and can mean less stress on you and your finances.

Source:

http://www.scholarshippreparations.com/its-never-too-early-for-scholarship-preparation

The scholarship essay’s purpose is to answer the question posed in a manner that portrays the author through personal touches unique to that student’s paper. While it may seem a simple task to write a response to a question, injecting a bit of your personality into your writings is not always so easy. Many applicants suffer from the belief that the essay is merely an example of how well you write and how you compose your response to the question. While the scholarship selection committee certainly does not want a poorly written paper, the main objective of the essay is to gain insight into the applicant. After all, up until now, the application has consisted of merely filling in blanks and providing general statements. The essay is the first glimpse into the individuality of the student.

What’s the Question?
Some essay questions are very general or broad, asking questions about why you think you deserve to win the scholarship or what person or event has influenced your personality or your future goals. Other questions are much more specific and tailored to the purpose of the organization, particularly if the scholarship is for students pursuing a specified degree or major. More personalized questions, like the former mentioned, are easier to write distinctively, especially if you genuinely express your feelings and motivations. More specialized questions, like the latter, are more difficult to inject with a sense of your personality and require a lot of thought. Always try to include a little bit of your personality in your writing without completely disregarding the question or getting off topic.

Who’s the Sponsor?
Important to your essay answer is also information about the organization sponsoring the scholarship. It helps to know a bit about what the organization does, why it was founded and what its mission and goals are. It is more likely than not that the organization is seeking a student who understands the mission of the organization and whose own goals and ambitions in their education and future correlates with the goals of the organization. Remember, to, that the scholarship selection committee is likely to be made up of judges who are members of the organization and who will be looking for applicants with qualities similar to that of the organization. Having some background information on the organization can also help you to understand the purpose of the essay question and help you understand what type of a response the selection committee may be looking for.

Revise and Modify
After writing your essay keeping these tips in mind, don’t forego the resources available to you in making your paper the best it can be. Writing an essay and sending it in without reading it over or making revisions is probably not going to win you the scholarship. A good essay takes time and patience, and requires many revisions and critiques. Ask an English teacher, writing specialist or a parent to review your essay and comment on it. The more people you can have read your essay and give you feedback, the better. You don’t have to accept all the advice offered, but a third party perspective can pick out mistakes and give suggestions you may have overlooked or not previously thought of. Revise and modify your essay as many times as is necessary until you feel you have a paper that answers the question and injects a little bit of your personality and style into it. Remember, the scholarship committee wants to know about you and this is your chance to give them some insight.

Source:

http://www.scholarshippreparations.com/a-personal-touch-on-scholarship-essays

If you’ve made it to the interview stage of the scholarship process, it means the selection committee has determined you as a qualified candidate and a worthy recipient of the scholarship. While making it to the interview stage is great because it means you are a finalist and, for the first time, have a realistic and genuine opportunity to win the scholarship, it can also be very stressful. Up until now, you’ve been able to spend time answering application questions with unlimited response time. You’ve been able to modify and revise answers and ask others to review and critique your responses. In the interview, your time for answering is limited, you cannot easily modify your answers, and you have no one there to tell you whether your answer is a good one or whether it needs a few tweaks. Just like the rest of the application process you have already been through, dedicating a lot of time and patience to preparing for the interview greatly raises your chance of success in clinching the win of the scholarship.

Review Everything
Begin your preparations by reviewing your application and all your answers. The interview judging panel will likely have your application and all your responses in front of them and will be able to see quickly whether your written answers and your oral answers are the same. Memorize your responses and know them cold. Your next step should be to research and study the organization sponsoring the scholarship. Often, the judging panel will be comprised of members of the organization and they want to know that the student they are selecting to receive their scholarship knows something about the organization sponsoring it. Read the information provided on the application, and check external sources such as the internet for more details. What is the mission of the organization? Who founded it and why? What service does the organization provide today? Know as much as you can about the organization and be prepared for questions relating to it.

Keeping it Simple
You also want to be prepared for the questions that can have very broad, open-ended answers. Interviewers often ask applicants about awards or honors they have won, hobbies or activities they are involved in, future goals and plans, events and people that have influenced your personality or aspirations and sometimes your financial standing, if the scholarship is awarded based on financial need. While these questions may seem fairly straight forward with answers you could easily give, make sure you have answers to such questions composed beforehand. The last thing you want is to ramble on while giving an answer because you had not first thought about how to phrase the answer.

The Big Day
Once you have prepared yourself for the questions, make sure you are prepared for the actual interview day. It is always a good idea to make a “dry run” to the interview site if you are not already familiar with its location. Know where to go, where to park and what room to meet the judging panel in. Plan on arriving a few minutes early to allow for traffic or other delays. Eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast and dress in clean, appropriate clothing. Smile and address the judging panel confidently. Keep eye contact when answering questions. Take your time, and relax. If there is a question you are unsure how to answer or do not know the correct response, do not try to bluff your way through it or start rambling. Take a breath, compose your thoughts, and respond clearly and simply. Keep your answers short, concise and to the point. Always stay on topic. Remember, the selection committee has already determined you are qualified. Now you just have to prove the person they have selected on paper is the same person they will meet face-to-face.

Source:

http://www.scholarshippreparations.com/youre-a-finalist-how-to-finish-first-in-the-interview

Your high school career is almost over. You’re ready for the next big step. College. While making preparations for college you begin to think about the high costs of education. With many schools costing over $30,000 per year, it’s good to start planning early for these costs. Scholarships provide students who have excelled in certain areas of their high school career with money to help cover the expenses of attending higher education institutions. The scholarship search itself can be a stressful, time consuming process, but with a few hints and some helpful advice, it can be a little easier and more enjoyable.

Start Early
One of the hardest parts of scholarship searching is not leaving yourself enough time to explore your options. Some scholarship deadlines are very early, at the beginning of senior year in some cases. If possible, have all your scholarship research done early so you can focus on other important tasks during senior year, such as coursework and college applications.

Make a Profile
There are literally thousands of scholarships out there. You don’t want to waste time applying for scholarships if you don’t meet the minimum criteria. Make a profile for yourself so you can quickly look through scholarships and match the qualifications with your profile to see if you meet the requirements. Write down your grade point average, standardized test scores, activities, sports, ethnicity, gender, religious background, financial need and any other attributes or qualities you may have which a scholarship committee will be looking for.

Narrow Down the Choices
With so many scholarships available, and so many students applying, the applicant pool can number in the hundreds and even thousands for some scholarships. Start with scholarships you have a better chance of winning, such as scholarships open only to students at the high school you attend or college you plan on attending, scholarships sponsored by local businesses or clubs open only to residents of your community and scholarships open only to a specific gender or ethnicity. Your chances increase significantly if you fall into one of these categories because the applicant pool is automatically narrowed down by the refined criteria.

Use Your Resources
There is a vast quantity of resources available to you. Make use of them. Check with your high school guidance counselor for scholarship applications available only to your school’s students. If you know the college you want to attend, visit the financial aid office and see what is available. Take a trip to your local library, as many keep scholarship applications from nearby companies and businesses. Ask your parents to check with their employers to see if the company offers scholarships to employee’s children.

Internet Searching
The internet is a great tool for scholarship searching, but the variety and sheer amount of scholarships available can be tough to get through and more than a little stressful. Try out a scholarship search website that allows you to fill out a profile and then matches you with available scholarships. Because of the easy access most students have to the internet, be careful of the scholarships you apply for, as these will tend to have a very high applicant pool. Don’t waste your time applying to scholarships you think you have little or no chance of winning. Don’t apply for scholarships whose criteria you do not meet. Try and narrow down the ones available for you and shoot for the scholarships you seem most qualified for.

Be Thorough
Yes, it’s a lot of work. You’ll go through a lot of paper and it will involve a lot of writing and typing. Bu for the thousands of dollars you stand to save by winning a scholarship, the rewards really outweigh the stress and workload. Have patience, take your time, and good luck!

Source:

http://www.scholarshippreparations.com/beginning-your-scholarship-search

The essay could be considered the singularly most important aspect of your application because it gives the scholarship selection committee a chance to get some insight into you, your personality, your influences and your goals. The scholarship essay should tell the committee something about you, even if the question is very technical and specific. The committee should remember your essay because it is different from the others and leaves the reader remembering it and thinking about it.

Know the Question – While you certainly want to inflect some of your own personality into the essay, make sure you have carefully read the question first and understand what is being asked. An essay can be worded perfectly and fantastic to read, but if it doesn’t answer the question, the selection committee is going to remember it as being the essay that went off topic. Some scholarship applications ask very general questions such as your future goals or influences in your personality or life. Even then, be sure you understand just what the question is asking of you.

Do Some Background Research – Yes, you want to interject some of your personality into your essay. You also want to make sure the selection committee knows you understand the purpose of the organization sponsoring the scholarship. Do some research into the organization. Find out who founded it, what its original purpose was, its stated mission and objectives. Armed with this information, you are in an even better position to analyze the question and relate it back to the organization’s ideals. If doing a little research helps you understand the type of answer the committee is looking for, then you’re already a step ahead of the other applicants.

Create an Outline – From a young age, we are taught, as students, to outline our ideas on scratch paper before beginning to write. Your essay should be no different. Jot down important points you want to touch on and relate the different sections of your essay to the areas of your personality and life you want to mention. Try and organize your outline into the different parts you want to include and then put the parts into order. Always remember, you need an introduction paragraph, the main body of your essay, and your final conclusion paragraph.

Begin Writing – You can now begin actually writing your paper. Make sure to leave yourself plenty of time to write the paper, review it and make necessary changes. Try to include everything you have in your essay, but always remember to stay within the required word limit or page limit. Not following directions is another quality the scholarship committee doesn’t want in its scholarship recipient. Once you’ve written your essay, read it over and look for immediate mistakes such as misspellings or grammatical errors.

Share It – Before sending your essay in with your application, you should share it with an English professor, writing specialist, parent or all three! It’s good to have as much feedback as possible and to receive all types of advice. Remember, you don’t have to take all the advice you receive, but critiquing is helpful because other parties may pick up mistakes you overlooked or have suggestions you had not previously thought of. Once you’ve reviewed the feedback and modifications others have suggested, take your time to revise the essay. Keep reworking it until you feel you have an essay that answers the question clearly and concisely, gives the committee some insight about you and is a paper you could fully expect to receive an excellent grade in your English class. Congrats! You’re done! Send it in with the application and be ready for the next step!

Source:

http://www.scholarshippreparations.com/how-to-write-your-college-scholarship-essay

If you’ve made it past the application phase and have been invited to an interview, it means you’ve been selected as a qualified candidate and scholarship recipient – you’re a finalist! You’re that much closer to reaching your goal and actually winning the scholarship you’ve worked so hard for! But in order to move from finalist to recipient, you have to get through the interview with flying colors, and do it better than the other finalists!

Prepare – As with every other stage of your scholarship application, take a lot of time to prepare. Review your application, read over your essay question and response and look into the background of the organization sponsoring the scholarship. You should know all the information you’ve provided on your application and should be prepared to answer a few questions about the organization itself.

Write Down Questions – Spend a few minutes writing down as many questions as you can think of that an interviewer could ask you. Popular questions tend to be those about your future goals and aspirations, events or people that have influenced your life or personality and questions about your education and eventual career.

Practice – Once you have a good number of questions, ask a friend or parent to practice with you. Have someone ask you questions without prepared responses and get used to the process. It can be stressful being asked questions you don’t have memorized answers for, but with some practice, you will feel more comfortable with the situation.

Character – While practicing your interview questions, don’t forget your composure and personality. The selection committee wants to see if the person they’ve viewed on paper is the same individual they meet in person. You’ve been selected as a finalist, be confident! Maintain eye contact, smile, and speak clearly. Address the judging panel when you first arrive at the interview, and sit up straight for its duration. Take your time answering questions by first taking a moment to analyze your answer.

The Day Before – You should have everything prepared the day before the interview. Have your clothes cleaned and pressed and ready for the next morning. Make sure you know how to get to the interview site, where to park and which room or building to meet your interviewer in. If necessary, do a “dry run” so you don’t get lost the next morning.

The Big Day – Get up early enough to prepare yourself. Eat a healthy breakfast. Make sure you are clean and presentable. Do not wear ripped, ragged or wrinkled clothing. Leave yourself plenty of time to arrive and leave time for traffic or other delays. Try to arrive ten to fifteen minutes early. Do not bring drinks, food, or cigarettes with you.

A Few Final Words – Don’t forget your confidence. You’ve been chosen as a finalist, you’re close to the end, and this interview could clinch that extra tuition money! Good luck!

Source :

http://www.scholarshippreparations.com/how-to-give-a-great-scholarship-interview

Whether you’re a freshman in high school just starting your higher education, or a senior looking forward to the upcoming college year, you can prepare yourself for scholarships by creating a great looking application and setting yourself apart from the crowd. Everyone has the opportunity to apply for scholarships and the number of applications a scholarship selection committee views can often be of astronomical proportions. It’s easy to go through a few hundred applications and breeze through yours, forgetting it as the reviewer moves onto the next application. Creating a unique, unforgettable application is attainable by every student, regardless of where you are in your preparations or how much time you have left to prepare.

Grades – Everyone knows grades are one of the most important factors scholarship committees look at when determining whether an applicant is qualified. Many scholarships carry a minimum grade point average. If you’re just starting out in high school, you can start preparing a great application by keeping your grades high. If you’re further along in high school and have received marginal or average grades, there’s no time like the present to give them a boost. Even students with a poor grade point average can boost it up several points with a semester of two worth of higher grades. Scholarship committees like to see improvement over a student’s high school career as well. It shows dedication and maturity. Keep those grades as high as possible!

SAT – The SAT, and other standardized test scores required by some scholarships, represent the other very important number, aside from grades, when viewing applications. Because high schools weight grades differently, and use different ranking systems, the SAT score is the only current method for scholarship review boards to compare applicants against each other. Your SAT score represents your rank among all other applicants. For students who have not received the best grades in high school, the SAT is a great way to show scholarship reviewers you are serious about higher education and have the ability to perform well in school and make use of scholarship monies. For students who already have great grades, a poor performance on the SAT could be devastating to your application. A great SAT score will always be remembered by scholarship selectors. Try taking as many practice tests as available. If your school offers practice tests, make use of them. Buy a book of SAT sample questions and practice, practice, practice! If you can afford an SAT prep course, many guarantee certain scores or improvement and the money you save by winning a scholarship can offset the cost of such courses.

Extracurricular – It’s hard to set yourself apart through grades and SAT scores unless yours are truly outstanding and above the rest of the applicants. But only a few applicants can achieve that. For others, and equally important to scholarship selection committees, extracurricular activities can give students that unforgettable edge they are seeking. Don’t try and do every club and sport just to give yourself a well-rounded application. Scholarship selection committees like to see diverse backgrounds and individuality. If there is a sport you excel at, or a club you are particularly interested in, put your time and energy into that. It looks much better to have won an award or achievement in an activity you are passionate about, then to have an application full of numerous activities, none of which you really loved or showed achievement in.

A Few Final Words – Presenting a great application that sets you apart from the other applicants is tough work. It takes a lot of perseverance and a lot of personal time that you may think could be better used towards other activities. But when the college tuition bill comes and your expenses are several thousand dollars less because of a scholarship, you’ll feel the rewards of all your hard work.

source :

http://www.scholarshippreparations.com/gpa-sat-and-what-else-what-you-need-to-prepare-for-a-scholarship

From Tara Kuther, Ph.D.

As a college professor, many students approach me for letters of recommendation. Writing these letters is one of the most challenging aspects of my job. How do you fit a comprehensive profile and assessment of a student into a 1-2 page letter? How do you ensure that students provide you with all the relevant information that will help you to write the best letter than you can? How do you protect yourself from liability in writing letters of recommendation? This article takes a closer look at tips to help you in writing letters of recommendation.

Inform Students
Students tend to be uninformed about their needs and responsibilities in seeking letters of recommendation. Guide students by providing them with a detailed list of what will assist you in writing a letter on their behalf.

Many professors create a handout or web page listing the desired information. Here are some suggestions:

• Explain the purpose of the letter
• Desired focus of the letter (e.g., discuss my research skills and experiences in your lab, or discuss my responsibilities as a teaching assistant in your class)
• Useful skills (e.g., computer, statistical, or interpersonal skills)
• Related experiences (extracurricular, work experience, clubs, volunteer work)
• Courses taken with the faculty member, with grades and sample work (e.g., term paper)
• Reasons for pursing graduate study
• Resume
• Transcript

Think About It
Do not immediately agree to write a letter on behalf of a student. Instead, take a little bit of time to think about it and reflect on your experiences with the student.

Be Honest
If you don`t know a student well or cannot write a positive letter on his or her behalf, explain your reservations to inform the applicant. If he or she insists, you can either refuse, write a neutral letter, or include negative evaluations with supporting behavioral examples.

Get Permission
Obtain the student`s written permission (the signed recommendation form included in admissions packets for most graduate programs is suitable)

Be Specific
Use specific examples to support your statements. Specific examples will enhance the value of positive comments and will protect you from legal action. If you choose to include unfavorable information, you must include specific examples to illustrate your point.

Organize the Letter
An effective letter of recommendation is structured. Begin your letter by indicating for whom you are writing, what they are applying to, and an overview of the tone of the letter. Indicate to what extent and length of time you have known the student. Your next step should be to review grades and your records regarding the student.

Next, provide specific examples that illustrate the student`s intellectual ability, capacity for independent and original thought, knowledge of the field, or attitude and motivation. Close by reiterating your overall recommendation and its strength.

Beware of Ambiguity
Letters of recommendation tend to be overwhelmingly positive. Because most letters are inflated, readers examine them as if they were written in code. Recommendation letters thus become a projective test wherein any ambiguity is questioned. Any equivocal information might be interpreted in a negative light, even if you did not intend so.

A letter of intent is typically written by a student who is looking to sell himself to an undergraduate college/university, a graduate school, an athletic department at a college/university, or a business that provides an internship. The purpose of the letter of intent is a sales pitch. You are selling yourself and your abilities.

As a student, you have probably spent a great deal of time researching the schools and programs that interest you. Once you have narrowed down your choices to the ones that you believe fit you the best, it’s time to introduce your best self to the right people. That’s where the letter of intent comes in.

1. Determine the name and address of the right person to receive the letter. You don’t want to address the letter to “Department Head” or worse yet, “To Whom it May Concern.” Unless the letter is directly addressed to the right person, it’s not likely to get read by that person. A quick phone call to the institution or place of business can usually get you the information you need.
2. Write the letter using the proper business format. This is not a casual, friendly letter. It needs to look professional. Use a simple font such as Times New Roman or Arial.
3. Introduce yourself in the first paragraph of the letter. Include what year you are in school, what school you currently attend, and any information that is pertinent. For example, if you are writing to the basketball department of a school, it would be appropriate to mention that you are the captain of your high school basketball team.
4. Next, describe why you are writing the letter. Describe how you first learned about the school or program, and how you became excited about it. how to write a letter of intent
5. Now it’s time to state your credentials. Tell the reader why he should consider you for this school/program. This can be in paragraph form or a bulleted list of your accomplishments. Be specific and be honest.
6. In the following paragraph, say some good things about the school/program. Flatter the reader, but don’t go overboard with flattery for fear of appearing insincere. Describe why you find the school/program so appealing, and how its strengths and your interests are ideally matched.
7. Request a response. Express your desire for an interview. Make sure that you include all of your contact information in the letter so you can be contacted for the interview.
8. Finish the letter with “Sincerely,” and your signature.
9. Length. Keep the letter to one page in length.
10. Proofread. You are trying to sell yourself, and a misspelled word or typo can look very bad.
11. Revise and let others see it. Show your letter to a guidance counselor or student advisor and ask if it is well done. Make changes if necessary.
12. Make a copy of your letter before sending it. In the event that the letter is lost in transit, you then have the ability to resend without starting from scratch.

Quick Tips:

• If you have not heard from the recipient within a week, make a phone call. The person could be receiving hundreds of inquiries, and a phone call may single your letter out from the pile.

• If you are writing more than one letter of intent, tailor your letters to be as specific as possible to the school/program you are writing about.