Funding Your Graduate Studies
Scholarship Tips and Tricks for Graduate Students and Postdocs
Posted: Jan 24, 2022
By: Marielle Boutin, Graduate Communications Coordinator
Category: Money Matters
As a graduate student or postdoc, we know figuring out how to finance your studies can be an overwhelming experience. And while there are other avenues besides taking out loans and lines of credit, determining what scholarship opportunities and awards are available to you can be an added stress that most students would choose to pass over.
Well we’re here to delve into the do’s and don’ts of graduate scholarship applications to help you alleviate some of that stress.
Check out our Tips and Tricks page for up to date resources
Where Do I Look?
So you want to find funding opportunities, but you’re not sure where to look. Don’t worry, we have you covered! The best places to find sources of funding are at your current post-secondary institution, so in this case, us! Our Graduate Student Awards page has an extensive list of awards and scholarship opportunities available to graduate students that is updated regularly so you never have to worry about missing out on a potential source of funding. We also encourage you to check out our Searching for funding tab on the Scholarship Tips and Tricks page for even more funding options.
Preparing Your Application
Now that you’ve done your research and have found a funding opportunity that you’re excited about, it’s time to prepare your application. A good rule of thumb for preparing a scholarship application is to look at it like it is a job application. You’re going to want to gather a few key things:
- Your professional CV
- A list of any scholarly work
- A detailed overview of our research or interests
- At least two scholarly references
Sharpen Your Digital Pencils
We know that scholarship statements are daunting, and you might not know where to begin, but there are a few things for you to remember.
First, do your research! Make sure that you are familiar with the funding agency that you are applying to and that your research interests and long-term goals line up with their mission and vision.
Make sure to also give yourself enough time to prepare your application. This isn’t something that you will be able to throw together last minute, so it’s best to develop a personal timeline with important milestones that you can check off as you go along with the process.
Lastly, re-write re-write re-write! A good best-practice to adopt in your graduate career is to copy edit your writing multiple times and find new ways to improve it. This practice is also something that will continue to help you for years to come.
With academic deadlines and exam dates looming, we know that doing added research for funding is probably the last thing on your to-do list. But it’s an opportunity to sharpen your grant writing skills and to show off your achievements, so we hope you take advantage of the sources available to you! And remember, we’re always here if you need help along the way!
If you require additional resources to help you through the application process, please visit our Tips and Tricks page to check out some winning research proposals, a series of online presentations and some general pointers for preparing scholarship applications.
