SEARCHING for scholarships is quite difficult especially for those who do not have a clue where to start.
As a student in pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree, you are not only entering another phase of life but also figuring out how you’re going to finance it.
Ikmal Hadi Abdul Rahim, 18, has been shortlisted for an interview for a scholarship offered by an oil and gas company.
He said he trawled the Internet to find out the availability of scholarships in the country and earmarked a few which matched his needs.
“I don’t want to burden my parents with tuition fees and other payments should I get a place at university,” he said.
Yayasan Khazanah scholars Leong Ca Tjun, Aziah Roney, Kishen Sivabalan and Chi Qi Qi want to help students in similar circumstances.
They have created Base, which stands for “Basic Aid for your Scholarship Essentials”, to help students with all they need to know about scholarships.
They recently organised a one-day event at Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus that gathered Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia school-leavers and undergraduates to talk about the need to apply for a scholarship, overcoming doubts and concerns, essential preparation (deadlines, necessary forms and documents), as well as tests and interview preparation.
Kishen said: “The response was overwhelming — some 500 people wanted to attend but we had limited places. Those who didn’t make it have requested that we do a live telecast on social media. We hope to incorporate it next year.”
Judging from the many “oooohs” and “aaaaahs” from the audience, the attendees must have realised that there are so many things to take into account when applying for a scholarship.
“When you can help people to realise their dreams, it’s so fulfilling and worth it,” added Kishen.
The idea for Base was mooted when the four Yayasan Khazanah scholars were talking about the recent release of the SPM results and school-leavers needed to know the next step in life.
Chi added: “Some of our friends approached us individually to ask questions on the scholarship application process but there’s so much information that we wanted to share with them.
“That was when we realised that we could hold a talk session.”
The group also set up an Instagram account to disseminate information on scholarships available and application, and shared output from the talk on Google Drive.
“We reached out to scholars from different bodies such as Petronas, Telekom Malaysia and Tenaga Nasional, and gathered their experiences in a file on Google Drive.
“In the beginning, we just hoped to improve awareness by sharing information through WhatsApp.
“But we ultimately envision Base as an in-depth information platform to increase the number of people applying for scholarships,” added Kishen.
Leong hopes Base will complement the selection process in the country. “Having gone through the process may have made me confident but we want to make it a level playing field with Base.
“And we will continue to make improvements to it.”
TIPS: APPLYING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
Filling in the form
• Fill in every component of the form; incomplete forms will be disregarded
• Certify and scan; save scans
• For the co-curricular positions and awards, fill in as many achievements and positions that you have undertaken over the years
Essay writing
• Proofread your essay
• Write an essay from your heart
• Others’ essays should not be your benchmark
Interviews
• Be genuine
• Think of the main points you want to say
• Don’t memorise the script
• Humanise the conversation
• Courtesy and respect
• Remember names and people