The Scholarship Timeline. To be considered for as many scholarships as possible, start your search at least one year in advance. Most scholarship deadlines will be between December and March for the upcoming year. You may consider inputting these dates into your calendar with a yearly repeat, as many of these dates remain the same every year. Start early and stay organized.

References 101.

• Who to ask: Scholarships will often specify who they would like a letter of recommendation from, such as a professor or supervisor. If the letter does not specify, ask a teacher, professor, community member, or mentor that knows you well and can speak positively about your character. Avoid using family members.
• How to ask: Asking in-person provides a personal touch, but it is perfectly fine to email a request for a letter of recommendation. Explain what the letter will be used for and the deadline. You may also consider indicating any specific experiences (volunteer project, research, etc.) that you would like the writer to speak on. Within myScholarships, users will indicate who they would like to list as references. The system will contact the reference via email with letter submission instructions. You should contact references to ask them to write a letter of recommendation before you list them in myScholarships. You should ask in advance, at least a month before the application deadline.
• What to provide to letter writers:
  • The description of the scholarship that you are applying for.
  • A current resume to reference your accomplishments.
  • Any specific examples you would like the writer to highlight.
  • The time frame you would like the letter submitted.
  • Always send a thank you to the letter writer after the letter is submitted.

Writing the Winning Essay. When writing scholarship essays, tell your story and highlight attributes to your character, while being certain to answer the essay prompt/question. Depending on the prompt, you may want to include information on your family background, obstacles faced, community engagement, or your life purpose and passions. The Fred Meijer Center for Writing and Michigan Authors is available by appointment and walk-in and is a great resource to help you at any stage of your writing process.

• Fred Meijer Center for Writing & Michigan Authors
• Main Location: Allendale, Lake Ontario Hall, Room 120
• Phone: (616) 331-2922

Refining your Resume. While a resume is not required for all scholarships, you may be asked to upload your resume for some specific scholarship opportunities.  If a resume is required, the scholarship committee will be able to view your submitted resume. You can use this resume to further capture your accomplishments, academic achievements, and community involvement. The GVSU Career Center provides an extensive resume guide with examples and offers personalized resume reviews.

• GVSU Career Center
• Main Location: 200 Student Services Building
• Phone: (616) 331-3311
• Email: [email protected]

Email the Scholarships Team. We are here to help you! If you would like to schedule an appointment for assistance with your scholarship search and to receive feedback on your general application, please email [email protected].

Always and some scholarships require it! Scholarship donors are generous individuals who give to support the educational endeavors of students like you. Receiving a well written thank you from a student is always special and lets the donor know that their scholarship was greatly appreciated.  We encourage you to take the time to express your gratitude and remind them why students appreciate their gifts! If you are awarded a Grand Valley scholarship that requires a thank you letter you will be able to complete the letter after you accept your award. This can be done under the Action Required section of your dashboard in myScholarships. For scholarships that require a thank you, you must first complete the letter and have it approved before the scholarship will pay on your account. Thank you letters are shared directly with the scholarship donors.

Be patient. Sometimes it will be months before you know you have been chosen to receive a scholarship. myScholarships awards are typically made in late spring/early summer prior to the upcoming academic year. If you are awarded a Grand Valley scholarship, you will be contacted via email. You can check the status of your applications anytime in the myScholarships system under the 'Awards' tab.

In many cases, yes. To edit an application, click View Application. You will know if you are able to edit your application if the Edit button is enabled to take action. If the button is disabled, the scholarship has reached a point where it can no longer be edited. We still highly recommend thoroughly reviewing your materials and/or answers before submitting your application.

Go to 5b1s.corporatefilmfest.com/myscholarships to access the myScholarships database. Click the blue "Sign into myScholarships" button. Enter your GVSU network login (username and password). If you need help with your login or password, go to myBanner and click on the Personal Information tab.

Yes. You must be an admitted student at Grand Valley State University with a network ID and password to apply for scholarships through the myScholarships system.

For any technical difficulties, we recommend you reach out to the myScholarships Support Team by using the Feedback feature in your myScholarships profile. Please be as specific as possible in your request as this makes it easier for the support team to resolve the issue. This team is not Grand Valley staff members, so make sure your issue is technical.

There is no specific amount. However, the more questions you answer, the more scholarships you could be matched with now and in the future. If you have new profile questions to answer, you will see a gray bar on your Dashboard that states "You still have outstanding questions that may qualify you for more opportunities! Click here to continue answering more matching questions."

You can also view the questions you have already answered and update them by clicking on the Questions tab from your Dashboard on the left side of your screen.