In India, every student dreams of getting a scholarship at least once. A significant reason behind this is that scholarships hold great importance in education. Also, Indian society considers getting a scholarship as an achievement and a mark of excellence. It is the reason why every student wishes to get a scholarship in India at least once. However, searching and applying for scholarships can be tiresome. Applying for scholarships requires that the applicants possess a thorough knowledge of the scholarship application process. Here, the Internet works wonders. It brings thousands of opportunities to the users. Students can learn about the process and take scholarship tests without having to step out of their homes.
There are several scholarship websites and mobile applications available for students at all levels. Knowing the necessary steps to follow and maintaining the right attitude can help fetch the scholarship you desire. In this article, we present a list of steps for students while applying for scholarships in India.
1. Clarity of Mind
Working towards a goal requires a firm decision and conscious efforts. Clarity of mind plays an essential role in the process. The reason is that any decision processes in the mind before we execute it in the real world. Similarly, applying for scholarships and getting them needs to be clear in the mind before you start working on it. The applicant must gather all the necessary information and ask relevant questions to get things right. Here are some of the questions that an applicant must know about:
- Why do I want to apply for a scholarship?
- Why do I need a scholarship?
- If I do not have the scholarship, will I still want to pursue this particular stream of education?
- What am I looking for in/from a scholarship?
- If I win a scholarship, what will I do with the money?
These questions help the students reflect upon their needs and desires of a scholarship and their educational goals. It can help to write a good scholarship application and get you right on track. Ultimately, your chances of getting a scholarship increase.
2. Visualize Your Goals
Visualizing your goals gives them clear form and increases the chances of success. Getting a scholarship is one such goal that needs visualization as any other goal. It helps to devise a proper plan of execution. As an applicant, you can then streamline your steps and efforts to achieve your goals. For instance, if you need a scholarship of INR 7,00,000, you must plan and search for various scholarships combinations. Also, keep in mind several expenses of the education programme you choose. It includes all the charges other than the tuition fees. Once you figure out the right combination of scholarships, it is easy to figure out the best scholarships for you.
3. Plan Ahead & Act Promptly while Applying for Scholarships
Most of the scholarships are time-bound. So, they are only available during a period. It may be available annually or biannually, or even for a whole year. The applicants must possess some good knowledge of the availability of scholarships for Indian students to get their hands on a good scholarship. Furthermore, an applicant must start looking for and applying to scholarships keeping the future in mind. The prospects of getting a scholarship increase tri-fold with early attempts and continuous practice.
For instance, if you are a grade 8 student, you must look for scholarships for Grade 9 onwards. It will give you sufficient time to practice and secure a good score on the scholarship test to meet the eligibility criteria. Another benefit of planning is that it provides enough time to gather the documents and prepare for the scholarship test beforehand.
4. Method Over Madness
Researching for scholarships in India and applying for scholarships are two entirely different processes. A deep dive into the world of the Internet can help dig out some gems of scholarships. However, with a pool of information, there are possibilities that the applicants find it hard to get the correct information. Therefore, the best way to gather information before applying for scholarships is to prepare a systematic list. You can prepare a spreadsheet or document file to mark all the important dates and manage your scholarship application process. Also, you can customize the database by adding colour codes, reminders, and more to it. Such an approach minimizes the chances of mistakes and eases the process of applying for scholarships in India. On the other hand, it maximizes the possibility of getting a scholarship in India.
5. Search in the Right Way When Applying for Scholarships
Searching with the correct words plays a crucial role in applying for scholarships. Scholarships in India are available in a variety of forms. For instance, middle school students can go for micro-scholarships, if not the other forms of scholarships. Micro-scholarships offer small amounts of money to incentivize learning. Auro Scholar is one such scholarship website where students can get micro-scholarships by taking 10-minutes assessments. Students can get the scholarship amount in their mobile wallets/Bank account without facing the hassle of manually applying for scholarships.
Thus, the only requirement is that the applicants use the right keywords to search the scholarship websites. The right searches can help get all the relevant information and ease the process of applying for scholarships.
6. Use Search Prompts
Search prompts refer to the results that pop up as suggestions whenever we search on the Internet. Using these search prompts is beneficial for getting the most popular and appropriate results from the search query. Also, it informs about the trending information the people search. The ‘Suggested Results’ in Google display the trending topics that relate to your search query. Hence, it can get you ample information about the scholarships in India and help set the process of applying for scholarships.
7. Research Further to Avoid Scams
Indian scholarship websites offer a plethora of scholarships catering to the different learning needs of the students. These websites make the process of applying for scholarships smooth. Students can take scholarship tests online and get scholarships without even going out of their homes. Moreover, the amount of scholarship directly goes to the account of the students or parents.
However, the Internet has disadvantages too. Although it opens enormous possibilities, it also makes us vulnerable to frauds and scams. You must be careful while sharing the bank details and other personal documents containing sensitive information about you.
Furthermore, to avoid scholarship scams, you must thoroughly research the scholarship website and the scholarship in particular. Find out more about the offerings and the benefits of applying for that scholarship. It will give a complete idea of the uses, benefits, and also authenticity of the scholarship programme.
8. Choose What is Best For You
Choosing the best scholarship that fits your needs is as important as getting one. There are different types of scholarships in India catering to different student types and requirements. For instance, if a student is good at dancing, a talent-based scholarship would be the best fit. In this case, applying for academic scholarships is a sheer waste of time. Instead, look for extra-curricular scholarships. The following information about the types of scholarships can help you decide the best fit before randomly applying for scholarships.
- Academic/Merit-Based scholarships: These scholarships require a high academic score and have a scholarship exam.
- Need-Based Scholarship/ financial aid: These scholarships cater to students belonging to socioeconomically weaker sections of society.
- Extra-Curricular scholarships: These scholarships are for students with exceptional talent in ECA like dance/ music/ sports/ dramatics, etc.
- Micro Scholarships: These scholarships are for school students to motivate them with micro-incentives for learning.
Applying for scholarships can be a difficult task but, we hope the above information will be helpful. You can get scholarships in India and apply online with the help of various scholarship websites. The Internet also facilitates online scholarship tests. Students can practice and take scholarship tests online with mobile applications like Auro Scholar. It helps them get the right motivation to learn and get scholarships as their learning outcomes improve.
