Student Awards.com

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LSS Grade 12 Scholarship & Bursary Information Session

Scholarship Timeline

October—May

· The Scholarship Board in the Graduation Centre will be updated with scholarship information and deadlines that the school receives.

· The Career Centre keeps a file of scholarship applications with upcoming deadlines - you should ask for these 3-4 weeks before the application deadline

· Use websites to search for scholarships that you are qualified to apply for

· Look in books in the Career Centre

· Ask about your parents' places of work, unions, etc. to see if they have any scholarships you can apply for (or your own e.g. McDonalds)

· Check with coaches or club leaders about activity specific scholarships you may be able to apply for

· Students interested in scholarships/bursaries will be in a continuous process of researching and applying

February

· University Entrance Scholarship applications will need to be prepared (UVIC/UBC deadline is usually February 28 and Malaspina/SFU deadline is usually March 15) ** double check these dates for this year on the website.

· SD68 Scholarships* information and applications will be available on http://www.sd68.bc.ca/NSFAS/index.html. These applications will have a late February deadline.

* As Ladysmith Secondary is the only school in the district to have their own scholarships, there are only a few of the district scholarships that are open to LSS students. Please ensure that you have consulted the list of SD68 scholarships you can apply for on the scholarship board in the Graduation Centre.

· Ladysmith Secondary School Scholarships and Bursaries - Grade 12 assembly— Scholarship application information - The scholarship booklet and application materials will be posted at http://www.sd68.bc.ca/NSFAS/awards%20booklet%20-%20final.html

· Some scholarships require a separate application, letter or essay addressed to the donor.

· Students eligible for the Ministry Dogwood Authority District Scholarships will need to complete a separate application form to apply.

· Scholarship Applications will be due to Mr. O’Toole’s office by the 8:33 a.m. bell - date TBA

· You are advised to hand in the application early. DO NOT wait to hand it in on this day. Anything can happen and no excuses will be accepted after 8:33. (this morning deadline is set due to problems in the past with students working on their applications during the day of the deadline and either missing regular classes or disturbing their regular classes).

June

· LSS Graduation Ceremony—Scholarships and Bursaries are awarded to recipients

· Recipients thank their donors with a formal letter or card at a Donor Tea (TBA)

Scholarship Basics

Definitions:

· Award—may be based on financial need (e.g. bursary, loan or work study) or on academic merit or excellence (e.g. scholarship)

· Bursary—a non-repayable monetary award based on financial need and reasonable academic standing as determined by the donor

· Scholarship—a monetary award based on academic merit or excellence in an area to which the award pertains and can be used for post-secondary studies (may be limited to specific schools or uses e.g. tuition)

· Entrance scholarship—a monetary award that is available only to students who are proceeding from Grade 12 to studies in a particular post-secondary institution

· Loan—a repayable monetary award based on financial need

Award Criteria:

Those people or organizations who put forth the monetary awards (or represent a group that does) decide on the criteria that applicants and winners must meet. There is usually a panel of people who assess the applicants and choose a winner but they are held strictly to the criteria that the donor desires.

Most scholarships and bursaries have clear criteria. Scholarships, in particular, recognize high academic standing but there are other criteria as well:

· parents' affiliations - e.g. memberships (e.g. Credit Union, Co-op)

· financial need - you need to include family income information for these awards

· courses that you have taken in secondary school

· courses that you plan to take in post-secondary (career plans)

· academic achievement - your grade point average over all or specific courses. In the LSS scholarship committee, the degree of difficulty of your course load is taken into consideration. Some awards are specifically for academic or non-academic programs

· athletic involvement or athletic excellence - this can be community or school specific

· citizenship and leadership potential - demonstrated through activities in the school and community, involvement and/or leadership in clubs, teams, etc.

· community and school involvement - some donors want to recognize and reward students who have given something to their school or community or helped others in some way. There are many opportunities to build up the community and school service on your application.

A Sampling of Award Criteria (Excerpts from the LSS Scholarship and Bursary Booklet)

· To be awarded to a student for high academic standing proceeding to a career in medicine or closely related field

· To be awarded to a deserving student who has demonstrated excellence in athletics, leadership qualities and an appreciation for outdoor activities

· To be awarded to a student who achieves the highest aggregate standing in three science courses. The student must proceed on a course of study in Science, Health Sciences, Engineering or Technology

· To be awarded to a student proceeding to further education. Community involvement, academic excellence, citizenship, leadership potential and need will be factors in the choice of the recipient

· To be awarded to a graduating student who has been very active in either community or school soccer

· First preference will be given to a son, daughter, grandson or granddaughter of a legion member

· Financial need will be a prime consideration

· To be awarded to a son or daughter of a longshoreman

· First preference will be given to employees or children of employees of -------

· Recipients or parents must be a member of ---------

Application Process:

· Scholarships and Bursaries usually have an application form. The Graduation Centre receives and maintains some application forms. Others can be found online or through parents or other. Sometimes you have to send away for the application form (this in itself is a way that the donors narrow the field to only those applicants who are willing to do the extra work :-)

· There may be additional items that must accompany your application form e.g. an essay, transcript, outline of career plans, demonstration of skill (video, CD, DVD…)

· Many applications will require references (school or community based).

· Some applications may require school sponsorship and the school administrator can sponsor only a limited number of applications (the administrator or appointee will determine who is sponsored on the basis of the award’s criteria and you may be asked to submit your “case” either in written or verbal form)

References and Etiquette:

· The references you require may be wide open, specific (e.g. a teacher or an administrator or counselor), or very specific (the principal of your school).

· Do your best to choose a referee who knows you well enough to write your reference and be specific.

· Preparing a scholarship resume to supply to your referee can be very beneficial to you.

· Look at the criteria of your award—it is beneficial to you and is also good etiquette to provide your referee with a copy of your application form or a list of your activities and involvement as it pertains to the criteria for your award.

· Always remember that writing references can be a time consuming activity on the personal time of referees (especially if they do many of them). Keep this in mind when you are politely and respectfully asking people to do this task for you.

· For the same reasons as above, be sure to give your referee as much time as possible to prepare your reference and give them a date that you need it by (a few days before you need to send it off in case they forget and need to be reminded or there are any concerns to resolve).

· Deadlines—these are absolute and no exceptions are likely to be made. If you know that your application needs to be “received by” or “post-marked by” a certain date, be sure that you have it ready and mailed off EARLY. Courier service can be an option for you if you are nearing the deadline but this can be quite stressful and expensive for you. ** Note: The LSS Scholarship committee also operates by this “real world” deadline policy—LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR LSS SCHOLARSHIPS IN MAY.

Types of Scholarships:

Provincial Grade 12 Graduation Program Examinations Scholarships—based on your performance in the Grade 12 Provincial Exams that you write. You can receive $1000 (top 5000 students in the province based on best three Grade 12 Graduation Program Exam results) or $2500 (to the top 20 students in the province). Eligible students must meet graduation requirements. Eligible students must earn at least a 'B' (>73%) in a required Grade 12 language arts course in French or English.

Secondary School Apprenticeship Scholarship Awards - These $1,000 scholarships are available to Secondary School Apprenticeship (SSA) students who apply. To be eligible for SSA scholarships, students must be registered apprentices/trainees with the Industry Training Authority and meet all requirements.

Dogwood District/Authority Awards - Graduates who excel in Fine Arts (Visual Arts, Dance, Drama, Music) or Applied Skills (Business Education, Technology Education, Information Communication Technology, and Home Economics), Physical Activity (not limited to Physical Education) or Second Languages may be awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Of the $1,000 awards, $500 is in the form of a direct award and $500 is in the form of an educational voucher. Direct award funds may be used to purchase educational or job-related supplies, tools or equipment. Emphasis will be placed on the excellence in the skills they have identified. This may include awards received, leadership qualities, time commitment, and quality of “product/performance”. It is mandatory that the student has plans to attend a Post Secondary Institution in the next 5 years. High GPA in specialty area will be used if applicable.

Passport to Education—in grades 10 ($250), 11 ($250) and 12 ($500), passport money is dedicated to the top students in your class based on your GPA in your best 5 courses and other designated criteria.

District and School Scholarships—  http://www.sd68.bc.ca/NSFAS/awards%20booklet%20-%20final.html

University Entrance Awards – be aware of the application deadlines

Other Scholarships – Some applications are available through LSS Career Centre + Independent Research

SCHOLARSHIP WEBSITES  

www.studentawards.com

www.fastweb.com

www.millenniumscholarships.ca

www.scholarshipscanada.com

www.freschinfo.com

www.aucc.ca

www.campusaccess.com

www.canlearn.ca

www.schoolfinder.com

www.ammsa.com  (for Aboriginals only)

www.metisnation.org/program/MNOTI.mnoti_education.html (for Metis students only)

www.ainc-inac.gc.ca (Dept. of Indian and Northern Affairs)

www.scholarships-bourses-ca.org/menu-en.html (Dept. of Foreign Affairs)

OR Go to www.google.ca and search for other scholarships.