Dean Chavers and Kaila Bemo. Photo from Bacone American Indian Recruitment / Facebook
Dr. Dean Chavers, the director of Catching the Dream, offers some advice for Native students who are navigating the college scholarship process by dispelling seven myths:
Scholarships all require different essays. I hear this all the time and have to tell students what they have seen on two or three scholarship sites does not hold for all of them. I estimate that students can apply to 80 percent or more of all scholarships using the same essay. The other 20 percent or fewer will require an individual essay. For instance, the Daughters of the American Revolution will require students to explain how they are good patriots and support the Constitution. The norm is for students to write a five-page essay, narrow that down to two pages, and narrow that down to one page. Those three will meet about 85 percent of applications. If the scholarship does not set a word limit, submit the five-page essay. If they say 500 words, submit the two pages. If they say 250 words, submit the one page. The essay should be about the student. We had a classic one of those 25 years ago. He said he wanted to go to college so he could have a good job, a nice house, a nice family, and a nice car. My whole board said: “Throw that one in the trash can. We want people who are going to help Indians in some way.” He didn’t win any scholarships. A C-level essay is good enough. A student contacted me in September with a request that I critique her essay. I said sure. She sent it to me and I told her it was about a C-, not good enough to win. I told her how to fix it and send it to me again. She sent it to me a week later and it was still a C-. I then asked her if she had submitted it anywhere and she sent me her list of 40 scholarships. She had submitted that C- essay to all of them, and had not won any scholarships.Get the Story:
Dean Chavers: 7 More Myths About Native American Scholarships (Indian Country Today 12/13)
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