How To Help Your Child/Student Work Towards Securing A Scholarship

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I did an impromptu survey/interview on a few parents some time back. All these parents had one thing in common. Their children went on to receive scholarships at universities.

In this post I will share a few of my findings about what I found out. Personally, I have also received two scholarships and will add on some of that experience to this post. Of course, these findings should not be generalized to everyone. However, I hope that you will find some of these findings useful either as a teacher or as a parent.

Instill Purpose

Instilling a sense of purpose is in my opinion, extremely important. Some of these parents instilled a sense of purpose in their children from a very young age. Some enticed the children with a good job, some with the prospect of gaining a scholarship. Whichever that purpose may be, these parents provided the children with a goal to work towards that spanned beyond school and exams.

Now, you may wonder, shouldn't we at least leave the children to find their way? At the very least, give them the freedom to choose what their path should be like. I agree with that, as such, I would not recommend that any teacher or parent force the dream or purpose of obtaining a scholarship on the students. In fact, instilling a purpose is important because it helps younger children have a sense of what they are working towards.

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Furthermore, instilling purpose leads to the development of a sense of responsibility. This helps the child focus on aspects that would lead to the fulfillment of that purpose. Of course this sounds really ideal and it is of course no easy task, achieved only through constant nagging repetition of said purpose. I believe that we live in an era where there are just far too many distractions. As such, repeating said purpose for the students or children would help in remembering what they are working towards.

Its Not All About Studying

I have been at scholarship interviews. All the students selected for these interviews were not only academically inclined, they were also adept in at least one musical instrument or sport. Being adept at sports and a musical instrument not only gives the students an additional edge in a scholarship interview, it also helps develop them in a more holistic manner.

Furthermore, participation in sports and musical instruments would also help develop self-confidence and creativity. Self-confidence and creativity are two very important criteria when it comes to applying for scholarship, especially with some asking questions that would separate the good from the excellent. From my experience, I have found that most students who have been called for the scholarship interview are already excellent, on paper. Their curriculum vitae would be filled with academic and non-academic achievements.

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As such, the interview is crucial to find out how creative and confident these students are. These are characteristics that cannot be assessed on a mere piece of paper. In addition, teachers and parents can also consider exposing the students to community projects or leadership roles. This is especially beneficial for the students when it comes to articulating their vision and ideas in a clear and confident manner.

Guide, Not Push

There are many who see academic achievements and obtaining a scholarship as an indication of success. With that mentality, this may spur some parents or teachers to push the child towards obtaining a scholarship. I would say that often, this would have an opposite effect.

Having a sense of purpose, being good at sports or a musical instrument matters little if the child is forced to obtain a scholarship. A good mentor of mine once mentioned, you can guide and equip the child with all the tools necessary for them to succeed in life. However, they would have to choose their preferred career path or if they even want to go to university to begin with.

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As such, it is necessary to be patient in guiding them towards making the right choices. Right choices here of course mean picking a career or path that they are interested in. That's because helping your students or children obtain a scholarship is one of the many ways towards success. Even if the child or student fail to secure a scholarship, having a sense of purpose and being adept at other skills aside from studying would prepare them for the future.

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