Student Story: Phuong Tran Nguyen 

Pupil Story: Phuong Tran Nguyen

By Scholarship America

Rising up in a Minneapolis suburb, Phuong Tran (PT) Nguyen liked faculty and seemed ahead to going each single day. However as she bought older and have become a young person her relationship with faculty modified. It turned far tougher, juggling her actions, extracurriculars, pursuits, buddies, research, work and school purposes.

However training was at all times a precedence for PT. “I acknowledge that [education] is such a pivotal piece to upward and intergenerational mobility for households that appear like mine,” she stated. She selected to attend the College of North Dakota for her undergraduate diploma and earned hundreds of {dollars} in scholarship awards that helped her pay for her training there. 

Watch the video and/or learn on to be taught PT’s particular ideas for getting via the scholarship utility course of.

Why You Ought to Apply to Scholarships

Greater training can oftentimes be a lot pricier than you suppose. The charges add up between tuition, room and board, and so many different hidden prices. That’s why making use of to scholarships is a superb alternative for college students who may actually use additional monetary assist. Right here’s how PT had the thought to use for scholarships:

“I bought the thought of making use of to scholarships after I was having a look at FAFSA and our college’s monetary assist account. I noticed that there have been a variety of tuition {dollars} that we simply couldn’t cowl out of pocket and that’s the place the thought stemmed from. If we are able to’t afford it out of pocket, let’s give it our greatest shot to use for scholarships.”

– Phuong Tran Nguyen

Pupil Tip: Faculty is dear. It by no means hurts to attempt to earn scholarships.

When to Apply to Scholarships

Don’t put these scholarship purposes off. Learn the age and graduating class necessities for every alternative after which get to work ASAP. Right here’s what PT says about getting these scholarship purposes out the door:

“I like to recommend that college students ought to apply as quickly as they’re eligible. Ensure you learn the standards on the web sites or on the portals of the scholarships you’re making use of to. Some have age restrictions and a few have relying in your particular undergraduate class, like freshman, sophomore, junior senior – you’re eligible for various issues. So at all times be sure you learn for these issues and apply as quickly as you may.”

– Phuong Tran Nguyen

Pupil Tip: Apply as quickly as you’re eligible.

Overcoming Failures

PT is aware of the sensation of being rejected for scholarships. However she additionally is aware of the sensation of receiving many others. Right here’s her recommendation on reframe disappointing information:

“I imagine that the toughest half about making use of to scholarships is to not internalize a rejection as a failure or private failure. And a variety of college students battle with this as a result of they spend a variety of effort and time and so they inform their entire life story for a committee that may have rejected that story. What it is advisable to perceive is it’s not a rejection, it’s a redirection. Chances are you’ll not have been the perfect match candidate for that scholarship and that’s okay. You can find a possibility that’s a greater match for you and also you’re going to be a lot happier with the following alternative that comes up.”

– Phuong Tran Nguyen

Pupil Tip: Scholarship rejections are usually not private failures. Consider a rejection as only a redirection.

Prioritizing Time Administration

What’s one of the best ways to maintain monitor of all of your scholarship utility to-dos and deadlines? Is it utilizing a spreadsheet of some form? Fancy mission administration software program? An old-school planner?  PT went old-school together with her time administration technique:

“I used a planner and a calendar to maintain monitor of my deadlines and what alternatives I had open. Know that you could squeeze time in to use for scholarships. Generally it would simply be on a Friday evening and that’s not what individuals need to hear, however that’s how I used to be capable of do it. Generally I’d do it on the breaks that I’d get off from faculty. I’d carve in time to do this stuff. So it’s doable, it simply takes a bit little bit of self-discipline to determine the place and when it really works greatest in your schedule. However you’ll determine it out so long as you craft a plan that works for you.”

– Phuong Tran Nguyen

Pupil Tip: Carve out time for the method and craft a plan that works for you.