Getting a full-ride (100%) scholarship to study in the US for free can be a dream come true for many international students. However, the amount of work required to beat the competition can be discouraging.
Do not be discouraged cos the resources and tips in this blog post will help you develop your profile and increase your chances of winning a fully funded scholarship or fully funded financial aid package to study in a top US University.
So whether you are just starting your research or you are already in the process of applying this blog post has something for you. If you prefer to watch the video instead, here’s the link
Click here to get the pdf guide for free.
It is important to first understand that the full scholarships in the US are limited, so there are too many applicants competing for a few spots. It is true that those who get these scholarships graduate with a GPA of 3.5 on average or score 1400 on the SAT. But some have gotten better funding with GPAs less than 3 after working on other key parts in their application profile. An example is someone who sings beautifully or paints amazingly. They have a portfolio of their works and that was their key to securing a fully funded scholarship. Some students took a gap year, or are in their 2nd year of uni, started a business, built 1 or 2 projects, and have some work experience. These strong areas are what they use to push themselves to the top of the list.
I could go on with examples because what I am trying to arrive at is that do not focus on your weak points only. Rather build on your strengths and let your application reflect that. Do you know one thing all of these scholarship winners do? They start early, plan, and keep trying. So what are the ways you can also discover your strengths and start working on them starting now? This video, pdf, and blog post summarise it all.
Here are some tips for increasing your chances of winning a fully funded scholarship:
- Start early: The application process for most scholarships can be lengthy, so it is important to start early.
- Do your research: There are many different types of scholarships available, but I have listed out the best for you in the pdf. You can start with those.
- Start working on your essays: Admission and scholarship applications require 2 main essays. “Why-us” and any one of the “Common App prompts”. At least, start with those. In a few months, your essay should be well-written and persuasive.
- Get letters of recommendation: Start chasing your teachers, or counselor to write your letter of recommendation. Letters of recommendation are valuable assets in your scholarship application. Make sure you ask people who know you well and who can speak to your academic achievements and potential.
- Partaking in extracurricular activities. Spend at least 3 months doing something you are passionate about (within and outside school).
- Pursue a Personal Project: Do something you love within and outside school. Work on a personal project. E.g. build an app/website, draw, write songs, win a competition, start a business. Build your social media
- Improve your academic level with standardized tests: ACT and SAT are 2 internationally-recognized standardized tests. Not everyone is a good test-taker so first, take the Practice SAT (PSAT). If you do well, take the real exam. Aim for 1400 at least. If you don’t do well, focus on any of the other areas above where you are strong.
Proofread your application materials: Before you submit your application, make sure you proofread it carefully for any errors.
Below are the links to all of the useful resources to study in the US for free. You may want to watch the video to go through them.
- Crazy Medusa’s Uni List
- How to waive the application fee on the common app.
- Unis without application fees
- US Unis with the highest application fees
- Colleges with High Acceptance Rates
- Unis that do not require IELTS/TOEFL
Full-Ride Merit Scholarships
- Stamps scholarship offered by the University of Miami
- Boston’s College Trustee Scholarship.
- Uni of Notre Dame merit scholarships
- 10 Other Merit Scholarships
Need-based Scholarships:
Below is a list of the 10 U.S. undergraduate institutions where the average amount of financial aid for citizens of other countries was highest.
Wellesley
Haverford (PA)
Washington and Lee University
Wesleyan College
Dartmouth
Duke
Stanford
Amherst
Vassar
Barnard
After going through the links, come up with a list of at least 6 universities with full scholarship opportunities that you want to apply to. Then make a plan to apply to these Universities. I have created a simple template to help you plan properly and keep track of deadlines.
Choose your dream Uni(s). For example, I chose Harvard University. You can choose as many as you want.
Choose several “Within Reach” Unis. I chose 2 universities for example.
Choose a number for “Safety Nets”. I chose 3 unis (FSC, Providence, and Lehigh) for example
Duplicate the template in Google Sheets. Or open the downloaded version in Excel.
Now fill in the tables according to the deadlines. The dates in the image above are just examples. They are not the actual dates
Based on your schedule, plan and fill in your deadlines for each step.
Edit further according to your needs.
Click Here to buy the template. It costs $2 only.
https://baozarzakariyyah.gumroad.com/l/ScholarshipApplicationTemplate/
Have more questions, feel free to contact me
We hope this blog post has been helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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