Tip # 4: Appy for Everything

It's such a wonderful feeling... I am totally done my graduate school applications! It has dragged on for the better part of a year (including choosing schools, writing the GRE, writing statements of interest/personal statements, filling out forms, asking people for references, mailing packages, ordering transcripts... it's a lengthy process.

This leads me to Tip #4: Apply For Everything. I'm of the opinion that every scholarship/award/school will accept someone, so it might as well be you. I obviously don't suggest spending all your spare time applying for things, and I certainly wouldn't advocate applying for things that have fees (some scholarships have massive application fees... I'd be skeptical about these ones), but if there's a scholarship/award/fellowship that sounds appealing, and there's not cost but your time, go ahead and apply.

This applies to (no pun intended) prospective students as well... there are all sorts of scholarships to apply for, so do as many as you can. I'd say the priority though has to be those scholarships and awards from the school you intend to attend, since you'll have a much better shot than the national awards. Also consider how many of each scholarship are awarded; if it's one in Canada then perhaps your time is better spent elsewhere if you aren't a stellar student and haven't saved the world yet.

After applying to a few awards/scholarships/schools, it does get easier. For example, you can just copy out that list of awards you've already written and can cut and paste paragraphs from essays. However, be careful to tailor each essay to its application procedures and guidelines. They will be able to tell if you cut and paste the whole thing. Make sure you speak to what they are looking for in applicants. My professor always tells me not to be subtle, make sure it's staring the committee right in the face.

So go ahead and apply, apply, apply... You may be pleasantly surprised and you'll never know unless you try.