Indian student receives Florida International University Presidential Scholarship to study in the US

The significance of education in my life has been emphasized ever since I was a child. All my life, my parents have helped me in making me the person I am today, and they have worked hard to provide me with the best education they can in spite of the fact that they are not very well-off. This has made me more appreciative of all the facilities my parents make available for me, and the desire to take optimum advantage of the education provided to me is what ultimately motivated me to apply for the Presidential Scholarship at Florida International University (FIU). The scholarship is the most prestigious award that the university offers to students.

In order to apply for the scholarship, you must first be accepted to the university. I applied for admission to FIU online in the first week of August. During the same period, I had also sent the required documents, such as mark sheets/transcripts of grades 9, 10, 11 and 12, recommendation letters from my schoolteachers and my resume, to the university through my school. I received my admission decision by the end of August and after applying for the Presidential Scholarship online, I was sent a link for the scholarship application, whose deadline was 1st November, through e-mail. It was by the end of February that I was informed of my result by FIU. So, the entire process, from applying to receiving my decision, took around 7 months.

For students aspiring to go to the US for higher education, and who would want to apply for the scholarship, two words of advice: start early. Begin working on your essays in May or June itself. Giving yourself more time is the only way that you will be able to really let ideas flow and allow your creativity to take over in the essay. Even for students who feel that writing is not their strong point, it is possible to make the essay stand out. All they have to do is be expressive and honest about who they are and what they want to do. I would also recommend a lot of proofreading to avoid silly spelling or grammar mistakes.

Go through the college website thoroughly, and keep relevant documents prepared in advance. Then, you can apply early and be evaluated faster. For instance, applying early in August ultimately gave me time to think, and to make my decision about college smoothly and without any stress. Especially for those who are applying for a scholarship, this proves extremely helpful because it gives them more time to work on their scholarship essay as well.