How to get Honors College Scholarships
The University of Alabama’s Honors College provides unique scholarship opportunities for its students. However, students often miss out on these opportunities for small reasons, such as not following scholarship essay prompts or incorrectly filling out their resume.
Luckily, there are tips from the Honors College on how to properly apply for these scholarships.
The Honors College offers general assistance scholarships and education abroad scholarships. Erin Jett, Director of Student Services, said there are a variety of awards offered through the general assistance application, where students are considered for all available scholarships in a singular application. The application is found on MyBama in the student tab under the Honors College section, labeled “Tuition Support.”
An important instruction for the scholarship application is to make sure the student’s name does not appear anywhere on the application so it can be anonymous. If not, this means the application will not be considered.
Jett said the scholarship application reviewers read every word that is written, so it is important that students convey three things: their merit, their need, and how receiving an award would positively impact their time overall at UA and in The Honors College.
“I know sometimes students are like ‘oh they’re not gonna read the whole thing,’ no we read every single word that is submitted on the resumes and the essays, so the more time and attention that a student pays to those the better it is,” Jett said.
Failure to do this is another common mistake made by students according to Jett. The Honors college advises that everything from financial need, extracurricular activities, work experience, and academic achievements should be described clearly within the essay.
Reviewers want to know more about a student than just their year and major. They are looking for specifics like research participation, studying abroad, being a part of an organization, work experience, and more. Jett said students should not be afraid to think outside the box when deciding what to include on their resume. It is important to list any skills, activities, or awards that show the students work and accomplishments.
“I think students often times sell themselves short. Y’all forget that you bring a lot to the table,” Jett said.
If a student is looking for an organization or activity to join to build their resume, there are organizations within the Honors College they can join. This includes: Honors College assembly, HC ambassadors, HYO mentor program, and more. Jett said students should talk to advisors about this and make sure what they are doing is bringing value to them. She advises students not to join an organization just for the resume or overextend themselves.
Honors Colege scholarships are pretty competitive, according to Jett. That is why it is important for the student to show off their best work.
Jett said the work being done by students makes viewing scholarships difficult, but in the best way.
“There is some incredible work that is being done, and achievements that are being done by our students in the honors college. So, thankfully, it makes our job I guess more difficult because we have so much good to compare with, to review, and to read through. So that can kind of actually make it a little more difficult but it’s just because you guys are awesome,” Jett said.
Students can contact the Honors College and Jett for help with scholarships or any other help they may need.
