The News That Brought Hope
Who knew paying for college could be so expensive! One thing I knew I had to do in order to pay for college was apply to scholarships, but I wasn’t sure where to start my search. The first thing I did was talked with my counselor. She told me that Loyola was offering 5 students from our high school to apply for the “Senn High School Scholars” scholarship. Right in that moment I realized I can do this, I can pay for college. But the process wouldn’t be that easy! The application consisted of answering two essay questions, each within 500 words. After I was done with my first draft, I went to my favorite teacher, Ms. Damlich, to get some feedback. After I proofread my two short essays like a million of times, I knew it was time to hit the submit button. I was scared that the essays wouldn’t be good enough for Loyola, but Ms.Damlich said they were excellent so I just went for it and waited to see what would happen. I also kept applying to other scholarships in case the Senn one didn’t work out.
Out of all of the applications, Loyola only selected 10 to be interviewed and I was thrilled when I found out I was one of them. I was also terrified because I had NEVER EVER done an interview before. To prepare, I started searching for common interview questions and how to dress professionally. I also had Ms.Damlich do a mock interview with me to help me be prepared. I also did this with different staff members because I wanted to do great. One of my teachers even made me do a mock interview in front of the whole class!!! When I arrived to the interview I thought I was going to be interviewed by only one person but no, I was wrong. I walked into the room and panicked when I saw three people sitting down ready to take notes and interview me. I told myself just be yourself, you can do this. After the interview was done, I realized it wasn’t so bad, but now I had to wait again, and in the mean time I completed more scholarship applications.
A month later, I was at the library and received a call from an unknown number. I answered and heard the voice of one of Loyola’s admission counselors. I started to feel nervous, I knew this was when I would find out if I had gotten the Senn scholarship. Guess what?! I got it! I was so proud of myself and my family was so full of joy! My mom called my family from Mexico right away to give them the news. All the hard work I put in throughout high school and throughout my application had paid off!
Whether you’re applying for a Loyola scholarship or an outside one, the following tips I learned throughout my process can be helpful!
* When doing an interview, dress professionally. Also, practice with friends, family, staff, or whomever to get you prepared. Don’t forget, the most important thing is to be yourself and be truthful.
* Never doubt yourself! I believe everyone has an opportunity to receive a scholarship as long as they put forth effort.
* Find scholarships that meet your requirements. The earlier the better! It doesn’t matter if the scholarship is just worth $500 because that money can add up and make a big difference.
* Apply to more than one scholarship. It will not hurt to give it a try.
* Keep a timeline of when the scholarships are due, so you don’t miss any deadlines.
* Ask others (such as teachers, counselors or even the librarian) to look over your application and essays.
* Some useful websites to get you started on searching for scholarships are: o http://www.fastweb.com/ o https://colleges.niche.com/scholarships/ o http://www.luc.edu/finaid/scholarships/external/ o https://www.gmsp.org/
* Also, there is an app called “Scholly” that matches you to scholarships. It’s about $3, but give it a try! They also have essay examples that you can look at.