Suggested Timeline For Applying for Scholarships
To help you plan and prepare for the scholarship application process, below is a suggested timeline:
Fall: September–November
- Search for scholarships that fit YOU (i.e. your interests, academic pursuits, clubs, community work,etc.)
- Begin working on your personal statement
- Make a list of references *see “Pointers” below*
- List scholarships to see which ones require Letters of Recommendation (LOR)
Holiday Break: December
- Gather documents needed to complete the FAFSA (tax forms, scholarships, etc.)
- Complete your scholarship search
- Create materials that will aid your references in writing a good LOR on your behalf *see “Pointers” below*
January
- Begin completing scholarship AND financial aid applications
- Contact references for LOR AND provide them with materials listed in “Pointers” below
- Fill out FAFSA with estimated info (use last pay stub in Dec) & work on taxes to be finished by early February
- Write deadlines on a calendar to map out scholarship due dates
February–March
- Complete taxes and FAFSA (with corrected info from W-2)
- Send reminders to references & make sure LORs are picked up/mailed (at their appropriate deadlines)
- Mail off scholarship applications on time
- Get copies of transcripts and send them out
April–May/June
- Send out any other remaining scholarship applications
- Scholarships are reviewed
July–August
- Scholarship acceptance letters are sent out
Letters of Recommendation
Letters of Recommendation (LOR):
- Contact possible references (teachers, supervisors from paid or community service work organizations) to see if they would be willing to provide a supportive LOR for you
- In the request, provide them with this information…
- Request support and provide a reminder of your relationship (i.e. Aloha, this is Keola Kua. I took your Biology 101 & Coral 220 classes in Fall 2011. I also volunteered over the summer in your science program.)
- Name & Brief Description of the scholarship/job (include the website for additional information)
- Deadline & Submission Info for the LOR
- Where do they send it? How do they send it in? Email/Mail?
- If it needs to be received by mail, provide an addressed and stamped envelope.
- Does it need to be received by a certain date? Or postmarked?
- Information about YOU – that will provide them with an overview of your unique interests
- Create a short statement of yourself and your interest in this specific scholarship/ job
- Your resume (a snapshot of your academic, extracurricular, work, & volunteer experiences)
- Personal statement (general statement about your perspectives, goals, & community commitments)
Personal Statement:
A one-page document that contains information about YOU.
- Insight: It should provide insight about your passions, motivations, intentions/plans, & tell a bit of your personal story.
- Outline short & long term goals: What do you want to do after college? What do you hope to achieve in your lifetime? How do you want to contribute to your community? How are you working towards that goal now?
- Academic: Describe what you are doing in school and why you have chosen that path? (i.e. Year, major, etc.)
- Extracurricular/Community: How are you investing in other commitments (i.e. sports, volunteer, leadership, etc), that prepare you for college and support the well-being of others in the community? What are you involved in?
Transcripts
Order in person, online, by mail or fax.
$5 for standard request (5 business days)
$15 for rush request (2 business days)
Online & Fax:
Visa/Mastercard only
Print out Transcript Request Form and fax to:
F–808.956.7830
Mail:
Print out the Transcript Request Form and mail to:
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Office of the Registrar
2600 Campus Road
QLC 001
Honolulu, HI 96822
In Person:
UH Cashier’s Office
QLC 105
Hours: M–F 8:30am–3:30p
Cash Only
UH Records Office
QLC 010
Hours: M–F 8:00am–4:00pm
All Payment Types
Hawaiian Ancestry Verification
A number of scholarships require verification of Hawaiian ancestry. Often your birth certificate along with the birth certificate of one parent and one grandparent, stating “Hawaiian” as ethnicity or nationality, is required. It is good to seek out copies of these certificates as soon as possible. If obtaining them from family is not possible, records can be obtained at the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health, Vital Records:
1250 Punchbowl Street
T–808.586.4533
Hours: 7:45am–2:30pm