More than $500,000 in scholarship funds are available for both current and new students for Fall 2013, and there is still time to apply to receive a part of those funds. Free money for every major, from advertising and interior design to sequential art and writing is up for grabs.
Any students worried about competition need not be. Though SCAD has a combined undergraduate enrollment of just less than 9,000 undergraduate students, little more than 1,000 applications for scholarships are received. Earlier this month, Matthew Terrell, writing studio coordinator, visited several classrooms around campus to raise awareness about the scholarships and offer assistance in writing a winning application.
“The range of reaction was pretty interesting,” said Terrell, “Some students were gung-ho, all-in. As soon as I started talking about free money to pay for tuition, pencils were flying across notepads. Other students were lackadaisical. They just sat there, disinterested.”
Caitlin Sullivan, scholarship specialist, explained the most common misconception about applying, “Students think they need to apply for each individual scholarship. They actually need to submit only one application in order to be considered for any scholarship for which they are eligible and meet the criteria.”
The single application consists of four essay questions of 350 words or less. Students may include a résumé but no résumé is required. Other criteria, such as grade point average or completed credit hours, depend upon the individual scholarship. The Dennis Bowman Scholarship, which offers $800 to one full-time undergraduate or graduate student, requires a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and a completed minimum of 45 credit hours. The Jewelry and Objects Department Scholarship of $2,000 is split among four jewelry and objects majors and is based on a portfolio competition.
Terrell offered another view, “Maybe they don’t need the money. Maybe their parents pay for their tuition. I don’t know. But, in my opinion, when the question is ‘are you interested in applying for a scholarship,” the answer is always yes!”
The Dennis Bowman Scholarship, Jewelry and Objects Department Scholarships and many others are not contingent upon financial need. Both Sullivan and Terrell encourage all students to apply. In some cases, students have been awarded scholarships even when they don’t necessarily meet all of the criteria. The biggest challenge is making the time to sit down and write out the application in the midst of regular coursework requirements.
“If you want to find success in life, you have to hustle. You have to search out and pursue any and every opportunity that can advance your career, “ said Terrell.
Applications for scholarship funds are available online through April 30. All applications may be submitted online only. To access the application link, simply log into MySCAD, click on Student Workspace tab, look in the Student Toolkit section, and click on link entitled “Scholarships for Current Students.”