𝟏. 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 Search: There are so various scholarship pages and groups available on social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.). Join them and follow them to make sure you don’t miss any scholarships available in your field. Different websites are also available that send such alerts. Also, follow professors in your domain on social media (e.g., Twitter) as they do announce such scholarships on social media too.
𝟐. Follow 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬: Sending emails to professors having no funding/scholarship might not be too useful for either party. Better contact professors who have already advertised scholarships or open positions.
𝟑.Make an effort and take your time: Getting a scholarship for your Ph.D. or master’s studies does not happen in the blink of an eye. It takes time and effort. So be patient and persistent. You will get it.
𝟒. Be Positive: You will often come across negativity. For example, it is too challenging to win a Fulbright scholarship, your profile is not so good to meet the criteria. only certain groups get it. Stay away from such negativity.
𝟓. Learn from your rejection failures: You will apply for many scholarships. You will be rejected for many scholarships too. It happens to almost everyone. It hurts but doesn’t get demotivated. Get used to rejections. Learn from it and move on to the next one.
𝟔. Grab your 𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐓𝐒 Today: Many students keep delaying it. It’s costly but it’s worth an investment. Having an English score makes you eligible for so many scholarships.
𝟕. 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐕 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜: Make your CV professional and email specific to the professor, scholarship, and research lab. The one assessing them should resonate with the content.
𝟖. 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫: Whilst a research proposal and cover may not be required for initial contact, it does give a very positive impression. It shows that you are hardworking and serious. Prepare it at a fast pace.
𝟗. Improve as much as you can: You can’t improve your GPA or grad school. However, you can improve your search process, CV, email, cover letter, and research proposal. So, don’t keep them unimproved. Keep improving them in an iterative manner.
𝟏𝟎. Learn from 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤: Learn from people who have traveled this path already. There is no harm in asking your seniors or professors to have a look at your CV, research proposal, and so on. Going the extra mile always generates some additional fruit.
