Let’s talk about scholarships today.
This short article on scholarships will cover briefly the search for a scholarship, the application process, where to look for the right scholarship for you, and some tips on securing one.
I want to start by addressing one of the biggest misconceptions around the topic of successfully securing a scholarship. The majority often want to believe that securing a scholarship is simple, easy, and straightforward. Well, coming from someone that experienced the entire process, I usually respond by saying: “Why do you think someone will offer you a chance to study for free and make the process easy, you have to earn it, for sure.”. The fact is that human beings are naturally lazy and hate the things that will stress us or our brains. I strongly believe that with determination, consistency, and perseverance, securing a scholarship is most definitely doable and YOU CAN DO IT TOO!
Notwithstanding the aforementioned, there are few scholarships out there with much easier application processes than the majority comparatively harder processes. But with the easy process ones, comes A LOT of competition, which will reduce the chance you have in securing a place unless of course, you are exceptional. Therefore, if you are an average student like myself. I will advise you to go for the ones that have a little more difficult processes.
Why?, You asked?
Well, because chances are everyone will be avoiding them because of the application difficulty, which in turn, gives you a lot more chances of being selected, because of the fewer number of applications received, obviously!
Landing a scholarship offer, as mentioned above is not easy. The amount of dedication, intensive research, and hard work CANNOT BE OVEREMPHASIZED. The most important part of your application is usually the essays, motivational letters, English proficiency exams (IETLS, TOEFEL, etc), GRE, and GMAT (where applicable). Now, another important point is to always remain CONSISTENT, with consistency, there is nothing beyond your reach. Do not give up when you get rejection after submitting an application you thought to be perfect. I wish I could count the number of rejections I have gotten — just to give you an idea. So, do not make an excuse for not being accepted. Instead, I will advise you to use the disappointment and direct it towards the improvement of other applications. In simple words, LEARN FROM IT AND APPLY AGAIN. Still on this point, when looking for a scholarship, the majority only focus on countries like the US, Canada, and The UK, putting a lot of effort into it, now, I am not discouraging you from pursuing your dreams especially if you believe you have what it takes to land an offer from any of the aforementioned countries. If however, you are a student like me, imagine putting the same effort in other countries with lesser competition, and have a great quality to offer you as a student.
Have you ever checked some of these countries:
· Malta
· Luxembourg
· Iceland
· Brunei
· Denmark
· Finland
· Turkey
· Estonia
· Norway, e.t.c
The above mentioned are some of the few countries with a lot of great scholarship package opportunities. You can also be in many of these “smaller countries” and be holidaying in the likes of the US, UK, and Canada during breaks — because of the opportunities they offer you as a student. These countries are mostly relatively easier to land a scholarship than the “big ones”.
If you are also interested in securing a scholarship in Nigeria, there are quite a number of international and national scholarships that are awarded to Nigerian students in Nigerian institutions all over the country. How to know and remain updated about these opportunities is by following these organizations closely and making sure you do not miss whenever they announce any opportunity. Join groups, follow pages, and people that share these opportunities on social media — make your social media work for you, signup for newsletters, and keep exploring more opportunities. Below I will share some resources to keep an eye on for anything ranging from scholarships, training, conferences, internships, and other professional development related stuff.
4. Scholars4Dev
5. Studyportals
Here are some social media accounts to follow as well:
Tunde Omotoye (@TundeTASH) | Twitter
opportunities4africa (@oppsforafricans) | Twitter
MWBren Consulting (@MomentsWB) | Twitter
Telegram > Arewa Youth Mentorship Program
WhatsApp > Scholarship opportunities
Facebook > Arewa Opportunities Forum
The last, and most definitely, the most important of all is GOOGLE! JUST USE GOOGLE! Like my lecturer says: “GOOGLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND”. So make good use of google. I hope this short article provides you with an insight into the scholarship world, hopefully, this will be the beginning of many more articles to come. Thank you for reading
