SBS Scholarships Important Dates Fund Me 101 Scholarship

SBS Scholarships ~ Important Dates “Fund Me 101” Scholarship Writing Workshop Campus Center Lower Concourse ~ Room 162 -75 Thursday March 3, 2016 5: 30 to 7: OO pm Light Refreshments Provided Deadline: General Funding Scholarships March 9, 2016 Deadline: Internship & Study Abroad & Research Scholarships March 30, 2016

General tips on the application process Ø Plan ahead and keep a calendar of deadlines for scholarships. Ø Read application instructions and the entire application before you complete it. Ø Read the eligibility requirements carefully. Ø After completing your application, have someone you deem “more experienced” review the entire application including your resume. Ø Be clear and concise. Write your application in word and copy the contents into the application form. Ø If you have questions, email scholarships@sbs. umass. edu. Ø All applications can be found here

General Support Scholarships Ø SBS Dean's Opportunity Fund Supports juniors with declared majors in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Candidates must have a 3. 5 GPA or above and 45 residential credits. Qualified students will receive an email with notification of eligibility and an invitation to apply early in February. (12 -15 awards of $1, 500) Ø William M. Bluestein Memorial Scholarship Supports an SBS student with demonstrated academic and/or career interests in economics, technology or public policy. Preference will be given to students who are first in their family to attend college and those who have demonstrated financial need. (One $2000 Award) Ø Sam Butterfield Daily Collegian Memorial Scholarship Supports a student (campus-wide) who works at The Daily Collegian and has demonstrated financial need. The successful candidate will possess outstanding journalistic skills and ethics, and a passion for news reporting. (One $1000 Award) Ø The Joel D. Lapin and Family Scholarship in Social Sciences Supports an undergraduate SBS student from Massachusetts with demonstrated financial need and minimum GPA of 3. 0. Strong preference will be given to any student who has transferred from a Ma. Community College and/or is the first in his/her family to attend college. (One $2000 Award) Ø Dr. Charles W. and Doris J. Solt Scholarship Supports an SBS student who is in excellent academic standing and exhibits financial need. Preference will be given to out-of-state students. Additional preference will be given to students who indicate they are the first in their family to attend college. (One $1000 Award)

General Support Scholarships Ø Gordon and Dolores Sutton Scholarship Supports undergraduate students who are attending the University after overcoming personal and/or financial hardship. This award is open to all full-time UMass students. (One award of $2, 000) Ø Lawrence and Anna Wikander Scholarship Supports a student who has chosen to earn a General Educational Development (GED) credential rather than a traditional high school diploma. Preference is given to candidates who are SBS majors, however students from the College of Humanities and Fine Arts and the College of Natural Sciences are also eligible. (One $2000 Award) Research Support Scholarship Ø Alan and Carol Le. Bovidge Undergraduate Research Award Supports SBS undergraduates who are working as research assistants with a UMass Amherst faculty member in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Recipients receive a stipend to support up to 10 hours per week during one semester of substantive research assistance on a collaborative research project. (five awards of $2, 000 )

Internship Support Scholarships Ø Scott J. Bacherman Internship Award Provides scholarships for students taking unpaid internships in the field of broadcasting, media convergence or affiliated fields. Eligible students will have majors in Journalism, Communication or BDIC, or be actively involved in WMUA, WFCR, UVC-TV/19, The Daily Collegian and other campus media. (Two awards of $2, 500) Ø Merriam Internship Award Supports a meritorious SBS student taking an unpaid summer or semester-long internships in public policy, law, ecological conservation, and/or real estate development. Preference will be given to juniors who demonstrate financial need. (Two $2, 500 Award) Ø SBS Internship Award Supports SBS students who will complete unpaid internships in the summer or fall semester. Candidates must be in good academic standing with at least 45 credits and demonstrate financial need. (Approximately 10 -15 awards. $1000 -3000) Study Abroad Support Scholarship Ø Ansin Study Abroad Fellowship Supports undergraduates in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences who plan to study abroad during the summer, fall semester or for a full year. Preference will be given to those with good academic standing and who demonstrate financial need. (Approximately 20 scholarships, averaging $1, 000 -1500)

Application Components considered in the scholarship review Ø If financial need is a factor, the financial aid office will provide a “financial read” determined by the FAFSA application. This “read” tells the committee 1) whether you are in-state student or out of state 2) high, medium, low or no need 3) Have not completed FAFSA paperwork. Ø If financial need is a factor, you need to provide downloaded financial statement from Spire. The committee will review what type of support you receive and identify whether loans have been obtained to satisfy your tuition. Ø Financial Statement Essay (250 word) Ø Essay (Usually 300 words) Ø Resume: Committees review your resume 1) for evidence of both income and intern positions 2) for extracurricular work and experience 3) to determine how well you are able to describe your professional accomplishments

Financial Statement Essay Tips Financial need is a factor for most SBS scholarship applications, except for research scholarships. However, even though your “financial read” provided by the financial aid office may show “no need” or “low need”, there may still be circumstances that affect your financial picture. These factors should be detailed in your statement of financial need. Here a few examples; Do you receive financial support from your family? Are you taking out student loans or private loans? Do you currently work while attending college? Are there extra costs this year? Loss of employment, illness or other contributing factors in your family. Ø Do you need support so that you can take an unpaid internship or do community service? Ø Ø Be honest. Use the 250 words in your essay to paint an accurate financial picture. If you do not need 250 words, then make it brief but do not waste one word in your essay.

General Scholarship Statement Essay Tips The essay will carry the most weight in the review of your application. Typically you are allotted 300 words. Here is a suggested organizational structure for your general scholarship essay; Ø The first section (one third of the whole) should briefly introduce yourself and describe your plan of study and then detail what you have accomplished thus far in your college tenure academically, professionally, and in the community. Ø The second section (second third of whole) should describe your aspirations and the things you have yet to accomplish at UMass. In essence this portion of the essay should describe your educational plan. Ø The final section (third remaining) should tie in how receiving this scholarship will provide the support you need to achieve the objectives that are outlined in part two. Be honest. Use the 300 words in your essay to craft a persuasive argument. If you do not need the 300 words, then make it brief but do not waste one word in your essay.

Internship Scholarship Essay Tips The essay will carry the most weight in the review of your application. Typically you are allotted 300 words. Here is a suggested organizational structure for your internship scholarship essay; Ø The first section (one third of the whole) should briefly introduce yourself and describe your plan of study and then detail what you have accomplished thus far in your college tenure academically, professionally, and in the community. Ø The second section (second third of whole) should detail the pathways you envision to create a portfolio of experience that will be attractive to the employers in the job sector you are targeting. In essence this portion of the essay should describe your career objectives. Ø The final section (third remaining) should tie in how completing this internship will complement your professional portfolio and further your career objectives. Be honest. Use the 300 words in your essay to craft a persuasive argument. If you do not need the 300 words, then make it brief but do not waste one word in your essay.

Study Abroad Scholarship Essay Tips The essay will carry the most weight in the review of your application. Typically you are provided 300 words. Here is a suggested organizational structure for your study abroad scholarship essay; Ø The first section (one third of the whole) should briefly introduce yourself and describe your plan of study and then detail what you have accomplished thus far in your college tenure academically, professionally, and in the community. Ø The second section (second third of whole) should provide detail on how you chose both the location and program for study abroad and why. How will pursuing this program in this specific location enhance your educational plan and broaden your world view? Ø The final section (third remaining) should summarize the impact that a study abroad will have not only within your college tenure, but also in your life as a whole. Be honest. Use the 300 words in your essay to craft a persuasive argument. If you do not need the 300 words, then make it brief but do not waste one word in your essay.

Research Scholarship Essay Tips There is no financial need consideration with research scholarships. Therefore your essay will carry most of the weight in the review of your application. In addition, the nomination of the collaborating faculty member will be strongly considered. Typically you are allotted 500 words. Here is a suggested organizational structure for your research scholarship essay; Ø The first section (one quarter of the whole) should briefly introduce yourself and describe your plan of study and then detail what you have accomplished thus far in your college tenure academically, professionally, and in the community. Ø The second section (two quarters of the whole) should detail the research project. The overview should be well written, concise and make clear the purpose of the research. Include information on the relevance of the project and how the research may address a current social problem. Ø The final section (last quarter) should summarize what you expect to learn from your participation in the project and what new skills you will develop. Be sure to include any tangible event or result like publishing in a research paper or presenting at a conference for example. This is an extremely competitive scholarship process. Use each of your allotted words very carefully. Think deeply about the overview before you craft the description. Another factor that affects the committee decision will be the sponsoring faculty letter, so you should plan to discuss both your application and the faculty nomination with your sponsoring faculty member in order to put your best collective application forward.

Resume Tips ~ Appearance Ø Resumes should always be clean, concise and consistent! Ø Use one single readable font in 10 -12 point type Ø Apply consistent formatting within sections. Ø Make sure your name is clearly visible and 2 points larger than the body. Ø Make sure your E-mail address is professional or create a new one that is. Ø Present UMass as “University of Massachusetts Amherst” every time. Ø Limit the resume to a single page in length

Resume Tips ~ Organization and Content Ø Begin with most recent experience and use dates in reverse chronological order Ø Possible section headings include: Relevant Experience, Related Coursework, Additional Background, Technical Skills, Teaching and Tutoring Experience, Research Experience, Community Service, etc. Ø Include coursework, lab techniques, class projects and research papers to demonstrate your relevant skills Ø If you claim you must work many hours in basic jobs to pay tuition, include those jobs in your resume along with your professional experience to substantiate your claim. Ø Include GPA if 3. 0 or higher: if not included employers may think it is below a 3. 0 Ø Use the job description language in describing your job experience Ø “References Available Upon Request” is unnecessary and should be omitted

Fund Me 101 Summary Ø If you have financial need and high aspirations, you should plan on applying for scholarships in each available spring and fall cycle. Ø If you are denied a scholarship, consider making an appointment with an advisor, faculty member or Dean’s Office staff member to critique your rejected application so you may improve your next application and learn more from the application process. Ø If you are awarded a scholarship, plan on writing a thank you letter and consider spending as much time crafting the letter as you did on crafting your application. Ø If your educational plan and career objectives are heavily influenced and enhanced by the reception of numerous scholarships, consider making a commitment to give back by supporting future undergrads at Umass when you become successful in your future career.