The Long View: An award-winner's tips
I found out recently I won a prestigious
student award. My husband
wanted to know if it was a cash
prize. My two oldest boys griped
about having to get dressed up and
come to their mother's boring
award ceremony. Never mind, I'm
happy and ecstatic and want to
share with you how I did it!
Have a Plan
I checked out Fanshawe's awards and bursaries online during my first term and marked off the ones I wanted to try for, along with their requirements and application deadlines. This makes it easy to see at a glance which ones are coming up and to line up your references and qualifications accordingly.
It's the Marks, Silly
There are awards that are not primarily based on academic achievement, but the bigger ones usually include a minimum GPA requirement, so be a good student.
Print off the course outline and make sure you stay on top of reading the required material BEFORE each class. This way you have your notes (or have printed off your teacher's notes) and can add to them during the lecture. Please don't be a whiner who not only doesn't come prepared to class, but holds up the rest of the lecture while he/she frantically copies down each PowerPoint slide.
Use an agenda and mark your tests and assignments in it. Then SCHEDULE the time when you're going to study or work on them. Always look ahead.
Be Well-Rounded
Your social life can be fun and have a purpose too. There are many activities at Fanshawe that are not only fun and interesting but look good on your award application and resume. If you're athletic, join a team; if you're an organizer, head a club or run for student office; if you're charitable, volunteer at the Sharing Shop, or be a peer tutor. Rope your friends into it and voilà, instant social life AND networking!
You Are Special
The people at the Student Awards Office (K building) will tell you straight: so many more students qualify to apply for awards than actually make the effort to do so. So don't tell yourself, "There's going to be more qualified people for this award than myself." Why not you? Don't scratch yourself off before you begin, try for the Golden Ticket. Just make sure you also put in the effort to get it (see above).
Third (or Fourth) Time's the Charm
I've applied for four awards so far and might be able to add one more before I graduate. For the first two, I hadn't built enough of a track record (I applied in first term), so I wasn't surprised to not even advance to an interview in one case. The next two I made it to interviews and was considered a finalist. The one I did win was an award I hadn't even applied for, I was nominated by my program co-ordinator (thanks, Nick!), so the point is you never know when your persistence will pay off.
Find Out More
Go to the Awards and Bursaries page on the Fanshawe website or make an appointment to talk to the Student Awards Office to find out more about which awards may be applicable to you. One more littleknown tip: your professors are aware of your behaviour. Remember the teachers you depend on to learn from are not stupid or insensitive. Any time you bust in late, disrupt their class with your inattentiveness or demand special treatment because you couldn't be bothered to respect their deadlines or policies is one less reference you can count on for an award or on your resume.
So be mature! And good luck!
Susie Mah is President of the Fanshawe Adult Social Club (FASC) and can be reached at ascfanshawe@hotmail.com. She is the recipient of the McKenzie Lake Lawyers LLP Academic Award for 2012 and was a finalist for the Garfield-Weston Award.
Have a Plan
I checked out Fanshawe's awards and bursaries online during my first term and marked off the ones I wanted to try for, along with their requirements and application deadlines. This makes it easy to see at a glance which ones are coming up and to line up your references and qualifications accordingly.
It's the Marks, Silly
There are awards that are not primarily based on academic achievement, but the bigger ones usually include a minimum GPA requirement, so be a good student.
Print off the course outline and make sure you stay on top of reading the required material BEFORE each class. This way you have your notes (or have printed off your teacher's notes) and can add to them during the lecture. Please don't be a whiner who not only doesn't come prepared to class, but holds up the rest of the lecture while he/she frantically copies down each PowerPoint slide.
Use an agenda and mark your tests and assignments in it. Then SCHEDULE the time when you're going to study or work on them. Always look ahead.
Be Well-Rounded
Your social life can be fun and have a purpose too. There are many activities at Fanshawe that are not only fun and interesting but look good on your award application and resume. If you're athletic, join a team; if you're an organizer, head a club or run for student office; if you're charitable, volunteer at the Sharing Shop, or be a peer tutor. Rope your friends into it and voilà, instant social life AND networking!
You Are Special
The people at the Student Awards Office (K building) will tell you straight: so many more students qualify to apply for awards than actually make the effort to do so. So don't tell yourself, "There's going to be more qualified people for this award than myself." Why not you? Don't scratch yourself off before you begin, try for the Golden Ticket. Just make sure you also put in the effort to get it (see above).
Third (or Fourth) Time's the Charm
I've applied for four awards so far and might be able to add one more before I graduate. For the first two, I hadn't built enough of a track record (I applied in first term), so I wasn't surprised to not even advance to an interview in one case. The next two I made it to interviews and was considered a finalist. The one I did win was an award I hadn't even applied for, I was nominated by my program co-ordinator (thanks, Nick!), so the point is you never know when your persistence will pay off.
Find Out More
Go to the Awards and Bursaries page on the Fanshawe website or make an appointment to talk to the Student Awards Office to find out more about which awards may be applicable to you. One more littleknown tip: your professors are aware of your behaviour. Remember the teachers you depend on to learn from are not stupid or insensitive. Any time you bust in late, disrupt their class with your inattentiveness or demand special treatment because you couldn't be bothered to respect their deadlines or policies is one less reference you can count on for an award or on your resume.
So be mature! And good luck!
Susie Mah is President of the Fanshawe Adult Social Club (FASC) and can be reached at ascfanshawe@hotmail.com. She is the recipient of the McKenzie Lake Lawyers LLP Academic Award for 2012 and was a finalist for the Garfield-Weston Award.
