Grade 11 is a critical year to build a solid foundation for winning scholarships in grade 12.  Grade 11 marks and activities are considered in most scholarship applications, by both universities and by external funders. 

The best way to ensure you are setting a solid foundation for admission and scholarships in grade 11 is to take a thoughtful and strategic approach to where you focus your attention and how you spend your time. 

In this 75 minute personalized strategy session, we’ll cover the best strategies for you to prepare for success with scholarships.   

Here are some topics we’ll discuss:

•     The kinds of activities are the best for scholarships (and competitive admission).

•     Some scholarships you might consider applying for in grade 12 and what you should be doing now to prepare for them. We'll look at copies of actual applications and discuss how your current activities line up and where you might need to strengthen.

•     How your grade 11 marks can affect admission and scholarships.

I know you’re busy, so we’ll uncover your best strategy to gain the kind of experience you need in the least amount of time.

Before the meeting, I will review your marks and activities and use my years of expertise to develop some ideas to help you improve your record.  Together, we’ll make a plan for you to build the solid foundation you'll need for competitive admission and scholarships in grade 12. 

Grade 12 is your best opportunity to win scholarships in your lifetime.  You will leave this meeting with the information and clarity you need to make the most of grade 11 so you can capitalize on this golden window of opportunity in grade12.

A 75 minute personalized strategy session is $249 + HST.

If you'd like to book a personalized meeting with me, please contact me at Janet[at]mycampusGPS.ca.

I will send to you a link to book a meeting time and an invoice for payment. I have evening and daytime slots available. 

Note: these strategy sessions are for Canadian grade 11 students who will be applying to Canadian universities, and their parent(s)/supporters.

Best wishes,

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

At this critical time of the grade 12 year, I know students and parents have a lot of questions about scholarships.

Some of these questions might be:

•     What kinds of scholarships should I be looking for/applying for?

•     What kind of information should I be highlighting on my applications?

•     How do I make my activities sound the best they can possibly sound?

•     What are the most important things to include in my essays?

•     I'm busy. What's the best way to manage my time with scholarships and applications for admission?

If you'd like to discuss your specific situation with me, I invite you to book a one hour strategy session with me. I'll answer your questions and we'll cover the most important information you need to know NOW.

A one hour, one-to-one session is $199.00 + HST.

Although I do not find scholarships for you, I do know of many and will suggest some if I can. I will also tell you which kinds of scholarships you should be focusing on most, according to your grades and activities.

If you'd like to book a personalized meeting with me, please contact me at Janet[at]mycampusGPS.ca.

Please let me know what province you live in. I will send to you an invoice for payment and once payment is made, I will send a link to you to book a time to meet with me (I have evening and daytime slots).

Note: these sessions are for Canadian grade 12 students and their parent(s)/supporters.

The majority of scholarships are offered between December and May, so this is a great time to invest in this session!

Best wishes,

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

Grade 12 is your best opportunity to win scholarships! There will never be another time in your life with more opportunities.

However, for many Canadian students searching for post-secondary scholarships, it can seem overwhelming. Here are a few strategies to help simplify the process.

When Should I Look for Scholarships?

Unfortunately, there is no one time when all scholarships are available. All scholarships are different and Canadian scholarships have deadlines in every month of the year. While most scholarships have deadlines between December and May, some are due before and after then. Since scholarships are due at different times throughout the year, they will be posted at different times. That means you must search for them regularly, throughout the year.

The biggest mistake people make when searching for scholarships is that they don't do it often enough. You must search regularly, throughout the grade 12 year.

I recommend making searching for scholarships a regular routine. Schedule 30 minutes or so every two weeks from September to June. Through this strategy, you can find new scholarships as they’re posted online. Read the requirements carefully and keep a list of all the scholarships you intend to apply for.

To help you with this step, I’ve created a free Scholarship Tracker which you can access here.

Note: There is more information on how to use the Scholarship Tracker below, in the section, “What Should I Do Once I’ve Found Scholarships?”.

Where Should I Look for Scholarships?

There is not one single place to find all scholarships in Canada. You must look in several places. The more places you look, the more scholarships you will find.

i) Searching for Scholarships on Canadian Search Engines

There are many free search engine websites out there that have available scholarships, including ScholarshipsCanada.com, and StudentAwards.com. This is a great place to start. It's important to search on Canadian search engines, because many of the awards on American search engines are restricted to American citizens.

The best way to use these scholarship search engines is to create a profile on each one. The search engine will then start to match you with scholarships that fit your profile. Please note that these search engines are not perfect, and they may match you with awards that you’re not eligible for or that you’re not interested in applying for. You will need to make time to sift through the results. Save the ones that look promising to your Scholarship Tracker (see information on how to use the Tracker below).

ii) Searching for Scholarships on University Websites

If you are interested in particular universities, go to each individual university website to see what scholarships they offer. Many Canadian universities offer large scholarships that will cover the majority or even all your tuition, such as the University of British Columbia’s Presidential Scholarships or McGill University’s Prestige Scholarships.

For these scholarships, you will often need to complete a separate application and potentially provide reference letters.

It is important to note that many university major scholarship applications often have earlier deadlines than the admission deadline. For example, at Queen’s University, the deadline to apply for the Chancellor’s Scholarship, a major entrance scholarship, is typically in early December, which is well before the admission deadlines. For this reason, it is best to have your top university and program choices determined as early as possible in the fall of the year you’re applying.

Many Canadian universities have “automatic” scholarships, where you don’t need to write a separate application. You will be automatically considered for these awards based on completing the university’s application and submitting the appropriate transcript. These awards are based completely on your marks. They are usually smaller in monetary value than the awards with a separate application.

iii) Searching for Scholarships on Your School Counselling Website

Many school counsellors maintain a scholarship page on their website, Google classroom, or on a bulletin board. This is a good place to look not only for general scholarships, but also for ones that are offered only to students in your school or local region, as local organizations will send their award information directly to the school to advertise.

Local awards, and awards where the applications are restricted to a certain group, have a smaller the applicant pool, which means you have more of a chance to win!

Find out from your school counsellor how scholarships are advertised in your school.

iv) Using Your Affiliations to Find Scholarships

Using your affiliations to find scholarships can work really well for many students. Your affiliations are clubs or organizations you or your family are connected to in some way, for example a parent’s employer or union, or your church. Another good affiliation to explore is to see if there are any organizations that support people who share your culture or identity. For example, if you are a Muslim, or a Black Nova Scotian, or part of the LGBTQ+ community, there might be an organizations that support students in those communities and who also offer scholarships.

The scholarships you find through your affiliations can be some of the most promising because the applicant pool is often restricted to those connected to that organization, community or group. A smaller applicant pool means a greater the chance of winning!

What Scholarships Should I Be Looking for?

There are many scholarships you can apply for, but that doesn’t mean all of them are the right fit for you. The first step is to make sure you’re eligible for the scholarship. No one wants to spend time writing applications only to discover you can’t submit them!

Read the criteria carefully. These criteria will often be on the scholarship’s website or at the top of an application. Be advised that it can take some time to do this properly.

Once you know you’re eligible for a scholarship, then make sure the scholarship suits you. For example, if a scholarship requires that you complete work placements during the summer but you would prefer to have your summers free then perhaps this scholarship isn’t a good fit for you.

What Should I Do Once I’ve Found Scholarships?

As you find scholarships you’re interested in, record them so you have a list of potential awards to apply for.

To help you with this step, I’ve created a FREE Scholarship Tracker you can access here.

When you open the spreadsheet, click the “File” button near the top of the page and then “Make a New Copy” from the drop-down menu. This will create a separate version of the spreadsheet that you can edit.

This is a simple spreadsheet without any formulas. You can add or remove any information you choose. I suggest you at least add the name of the award, a direct link (url) to the award information, the deadline, and the amount and number of awards. This will give you an at-a-glance view of potential scholarships.

There are two tabs on the spreadsheet, one for all scholarships you are interested in, and one for scholarships you are applying to. By using this system, you can more easily organize scholarships and keep track of your progress on the ones you are applying to.

Making a System is the Best Way to Find Scholarships

When you're diving into the world of grade 12 scholarships in Canada, remember three main things: keep up a regular search routine, pick the ones that really fit, and use available tools like the Scholarship Tracker provided. With some smart planning and organization, you'll set yourself up for success.

Want to learn more about how I can help you win scholarships? Please visit my services page.

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

It can be difficult for young people to see the big picture. They don’t have the life experience and perspective of adults. This is where parents can help their child understand opportunity cost.

Opportunity cost: When you say "yes" to one thing, you're saying "no" to something else.

There are only 24 hours in a day. Some teens want to do ALL THE THINGS, and that’s actually something I love about them. But on the negative side, being unfocused can result in unmet goals. Some students spend too much time on activities that don’t move the needle, and not enough time on things that do.

Allow me to illustrate with a case study from a student client I worked with a few years ago…

Carrie was a Canadian high school student entering grade 12. She and a parent contacted me in August because knew she wanted to win scholarships for university, and they wanted to do some prep work before school started. Carrie had solid grades, and a good roster of activities, including two part-time jobs. She was really busy.

Carrie understood that grade 12 is her best opportunity to win scholarships -- ever. if she wanted to get into a competitive program in university and win scholarships, something had to give. She couldn’t do all her activities, maintain her grades, complete university applications and personal statements, and find time to search and apply for scholarships.

Carrie took action. She quit one of her part-time jobs and one of her activities. These were two of her lesser favourite activities. She already had enough experience in these areas to put on her applications; she didn’t need them. Then she re-assigned the time she spent in those activities, putting more time into working towards her big goals – admission and scholarships.

She created some excellent content for her applications – an activities list, a few essays based on commonly asked questions, and a roster of a few people to call on to give her an excellent reference. This was essentially a “content bank” of materials that she could use again and again in many applications. BONUS: Some of the materials could be used on both admission personal statements and on scholarship applications.

Then she applied herself to the work of finding scholarships (her parent helped her with this part) and writing the applications. As she completed applications, she got better and faster at it.

Carrie won over $60,000 in scholarships.

She also got into her first-choice program.

It’s important to note that scholarships are not just about money. These awards are valuable not only because of the money she saved, they are also excellent credentials for her to have on her record.

Did Carrie have solid grades and good activities? Yes. Did she have someone to help her find scholarship opportunities? Yes. But many students have the same starting point as Carrie.

The difference is that Carrie prioritized her time based on her goal. She said “yes” to scholarships and “no” to things of lesser value to her.

While I realize not all students are able to give up part-time jobs, or certain activities, I do encourage you to evaluate how you are spending your time.

Ask yourself, “Is this the best use of my time based on my goals for this year?”.

Grade 12 is busy. There will be lots of things competing for your time. The first priority is to pay attention to your physical and mental health (it’s OK to take time to have fun!). Then your academics. Then make sure you’re using the rest of your time in the best way possible, saying “yes” to the important things, and no to the others.

For more information on helping teens with goal setting, prioritization, and time management, I recommend you suggest this book to your child: 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers. There is a fantastic section on this topic called “Put First Things First”. You can often find this book at your local library for free.

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

Grade 12 is busy! It’s also the best time in your life to win scholarships!

From August 2023 to February 2024, I will be working with grade 12 students on scholarship preparation.

Here are 3 ways you can work with me this Fall/Winter:

1. Grade 12 Scholarship Prep Program $999.00

Over the years I have helped students win hundreds of thousands of dollars. This Fall, I will be working with select grade 12 students on a one-to-one basis.

Who is it for?

This package is a good fit for motivated students who have solid grades, a variety of extracurricular activities including volunteer work, and at least one leadership role. Most students I work with will be applying for several scholarships, including some of the bigger ones in Canada, and may be writing personal statements for admission to competitive programs.

Students will meet with me in two one-to-one online sessions. Parent(s) or other supporter are also welcome in these sessions. I leave it up to the family to decide who attends the meetings.

This one-to-one service is highly customized, so we discuss what is most important to you. We’ll discuss your goals, your marks, and your activities and experiences. Usually, students are working on one or more scholarship applications, and writing admission personal statements.

I help students plan their strategy for applications and help them to highlight their best experiences to optimize success. In addition to meeting one-to-one, I will review your essay(s) and provide feedback and suggestions for improvement. Students will be expected to complete “homework”, including at least one essay, as part of this package.

Although I don’t actively search for scholarships for students, I may suggest scholarships the student can apply for. I also provide you with an instructional video on how to search for scholarships strategically throughout the year.

All students who work with me in the Grade 12 Scholarship Prep Program will also get access to several valuable resources, templates, and instructional videos.

To determine if you are a good fit to work with me in the Scholarship Prep Package, please use my contact form to send me a message and request a no-obligation call with me. Based on our discussion, I will let you know the best pathway to access my services.

2. Scholarship Essay Writing Workshops - $249.00

Students can also work with me through my popular small group online essay writing workshops. These Workshops are 2.5 hours long. I normally hold three or four Workshops between August and March each year.

Who is it for?

The Scholarship Essay Writing Workshop is a great fit for students who will be applying for scholarships and who want to know how to tackle the essay portion of the application. They may be too busy to work with me one-to-one, or they need information quickly, or they want a more cost-effective way to access my expertise. When the Essay Workshop is coupled with an essay review (see below), this is a fantastic way to get a lot of important information fast!

Many students struggle with how to write scholarship essays. The essay is arguably the most important part of most scholarship applications, so it’s important to get it right. That’s why I created a service that focuses solely on the essay.

Students really like this 2.5 hour session because it’s a real workshop – they actually work in it. Participants will write a draft essay in the workshop. First, I'll help you get past the blank page. Then, as I teach tips and techniques, you'll apply them to your essay. At the end of the workshop, not only have you learned how to write an essay, you’ve also created some great content that you can use in scholarship applications all year long!

You do not have to have an application you’re working on. I will provide you with a selection of common essay prompts you can use to write your practice essay.

Students can sign up to get an essay review for an extra $99.00. I review your practice essay and provide written feedback and specific suggestions for improvement. Students say (and I agree) that his is the best way to get the most value from the workshop. This add-on essay review is also the most economical way to get my advice on an essay.

Scholarship Essay Workshops are the easiest and fastest way for you to learn a lot of fantastic tips, tricks, and techniques in a short period of time.

I hold several Scholarship Essay Writing Workshops throughout the Fall. They are restricted to 12 students, and they often fill to capacity. You can grab a seat in a Workshop by making payment on my website here. Once you do so, your seat will be reserved in that session, and I will forward details to you via email.

3. How to Find and Win Scholarships Guidebook - $44.95

If you like to “Do It Yourself”, my scholarship guidebook is a great DIY option. This is a printed, coil bound guidebook that’s mailed to your home. It’s colourful and student friendly. Students, parents, and school counsellors love it!

In the How to Find and Win Scholarships guidebook, you’ll learn

· How to get—and stay—-organized (a key to scholarship success!)

· Where, when, and how to look for scholarships

· What to do before you start writing the application

· How to write your best scholarship essays

· How to get the best reference for scholarships (includes a template to request a reference)

· Sample essays, and more

Other Services

In addition to working with students, I can also be hired to deliver scholarship information sessions, training, and workshops for schools, groups, and organizations. Please see my speaking page for more information.

I also provide lots of great free information on my blog and through my free resources.

Have further questions? Please email me at Janet[at]mycampusGPS.ca.

Best wishes for a successful scholarship journey in 2023-2024!

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

I recently delivered a Scholarship Essay Writing Workshop at a school for the blind and visually impaired. When reviewing the essays, I was amazed by the rich and meaningful experiences the students have had.

However, like many students I work with, they had very little experience with self-reflection. They needed some external insight into how much their lived experiences matter, how they have overcome challenges, and how it can help shape their future.

Self-reflection is such an important skill for young people to develop.

When teens learn to reflect on their experiences and think about their motivations, actions, and what they learned from them, it has several benefits:

a) It helps them discover their values, which helps them make better decisions.

b) It helps them discover their motivations, so they can apply it to other situations.

c) It helps them to gain confidence in their ability to learn from different things, especially "failure", and to trust that good really can come from bad.

Generally, it helps them gain more agency in their life. They feel more in control of their behaviour, actions, skills, and decisions. This is a huge benefit because, in my experience, some young people don't feel like they have a lot of control over their lives.

Self-reflection is one of the parts of my work that I enjoy the most. I ask students the right questions to help them understand their motivations. We go beyond the surface and get into the life lessons they learned from their experiences. One of my most favourite things to hear from my student clients is, “I never thought of it that way before.”

I know self-reflection is a critical part of successful scholarships and personal statements for admission. But I also know that when we're doing the work together, I'm also helping students learn an important life skill that will help them long after the application is submitted.

Want to learn more about how I can help you win scholarships? Please visit my services page.

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Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former university admissions officer, and she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

Find out more about Janet in this interview with GoSolo.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I help Canadian high school students find and win scholarships for university. I offer small group workshops and one-to-one consulting. I work with grade 10 and 11 students to help them prepare for scholarships the smart way. And I work with grade 12 students to help them find scholarships and write their best applications. My customers are students and families from all over Canada. I also offer popular scholarship information sessions to schools and organizations.

Tell us about yourself.

I'm a former university admissions officer. I was an Assistant Registrar of Admissions at Dalhousie University and an Admissions Officer at UBC Vancouver. I also have experience as the coordinator of a university scholarship program. While doing this work, I noticed that many students were missing out on scholarships simply because they didn't know much about them. They didn't know how to find them or how to write the applications. Many didn't even know that they qualified for scholarships! They needed to know more about scholarships, so I started mycampusGPS to help them navigate the process. I have spent my entire career working with students. I love it! I enjoy helping them see and appreciate their accomplishments and playing a small part in helping them reach their potential.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishments are the wins of my student clients. I'm over the moon when they tell me they have won an award. I actually dance in my office sometimes! The other accomplishment is when students learn something about themselves. My work involves helping students understand what they've learned and how they've grown from their experiences. It's music to my ears to hear them say, "I never thought about it that way before. Thanks."

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Making all of the decisions all of the time. Of course, that's also the best part of being a business owner!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

It can be a grind a lot of the time. Be prepared to work a lot, consistently.

Find your niche and make a name for yourself by providing quality work.

If you love the work, most of the time, it won't feel like work.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.mycampusgps.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mycampusgps

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mycampusgps

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janetmacdonald1/

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

One of the best ways to find scholarships is for both students and parents to think of your affiliations, or connections.

In other words, what am I connected to, and would any of my connections offer a scholarship?

Here are a few examples to get you started:

• Your job – many employers offer scholarships. Some might be for direct employees and others might be for extended family members, so check for employers of the student, parent, grandparent, uncles, aunts, etc. Employer scholarships are one of your best bets because they have a restricted, and therefore smaller, applicant pool.

• Your union affiliation

• Your bank or credit union

• Your insurance company

• Your volunteer or service connections

• Your heritage – some cultural organizations offer scholarships

• Your church

• Your gender or identity, for example there are scholarships for females only and for LGBTQ+ students

• A medical condition, for example there are scholarships for students with diabetes and irritable bowel syndrome

• A disability, for example there are scholarships for hearing impaired students and students with ADHD

• Your professional associations

• A professional association of the major you’re applying to, e.g., nurse’s association, engineering association

• Your school and school district – I’m surprised by how many students don’t check regularly with their high school and their school district for scholarships. Some schools and school districts have substantial awards.

Many of these affiliation/connection scholarships are great bets because they tend to have smaller applicant pools.

So, think of your affiliations and start to make some inquiries.

You can also do Google searches using formulas such as:

Affiliation + scholarship + town or city

Affiliation + scholarship + Canada

And, because scholarships are offered at different points in the year, remember to check regularly. I suggest you schedule 30 minutes every two weeks to search for scholarships in grade 12.

Want to learn more about how I can help you win scholarships? Please visit my services page.

Good luck!

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

There is a very good reason why I say, “Scholarships beget scholarships.”

When I was the coordinator of a national undergraduate and graduate level scholarship program, I had the opportunity to watch professors choose candidates for the awards. The winners were almost always students who had won previous awards.

In fact, there was a section on the application, aptly called “previous awards and achievements”, which specifically requested this information. In this section, students could list their university entrance scholarships, in-course awards, research papers, or other credentials.

The purpose of the previous awards section is for the applicant to demonstrate past achievement. Why do the judges want to know about past achievement? Because one of the best predictors of future success is past success.

“Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior, and the same is true of success. People who experience small victories build the confidence – and the momentum – to keep going.” (see Forbes article for more information).

Anecdotally, I have seen this happen with some of my clients, and even with my own son. Some of the students I work with are honestly surprised to win a scholarship but, once it happens, something changes. Even after winning one award, they begin to see themselves as a contender for other awards. They become much more engaged in the process and are eager to write more applications.

And that’s a good thing because after winning one award, it’s more likely that you will win others the future. A scholarship is a mark of success on your record. It’s impressive. Even a small scholarship can be a steppingstone to a larger one.

That’s why I say, “Scholarships beget scholarships.”

Do you sometimes notice at student awards events that a handful of people tend to win many of the awards? I hear people say, “That guy/girl wins all the awards.” Knowing what I know, I’d say there are two main reasons why some students win many awards:

1. They have a previous record of success. They have a track record that impresses the judges or funders. Again, back when I was a university scholarship coordinator, I heard professors and other judges point out specific achievements of applicants as they review applications. They are impressed with a winner, someone who has been vetted by another person/organization and has been deemed worthy of an award. And that gives added weight to their current application.

2. They compete for scholarships more often. They take the time to enter the contest or to write and submit the applications. They make it a priority to apply because they see themselves as a qualified applicant with a real chance of winning.

Scholarships beget scholarships.

So, if you are (or if you have) a grade 11 student, and you’re ready to start to build your own path to future success, one of the best ways to do so is by winning a scholarship (or two) in grade 12.

Get started now so you have something impressive to put in that “previous awards and achievements” section in the future!

Need help getting started with scholarships? I've helped students win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships. Click here to see my services.

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

One of the questions I get most often is about when Canadian scholarships start. It’s a good question and one that is important to understand, because most scholarships only have one window of time when you can apply for them during your entire lifetime.

What do most scholarships have in common?

All scholarships are different, but many of them have a few things in common. One thing they have in common is that each one has a limited availability. Almost all scholarships are available for a period of time (usually about one month) and then they’re gone. And once they’re gone, they are usually gone forever.

With scholarships, timing may not be everything, but it sure is important!

Scholarships start early

Scholarships start to be offered in September of grade 12

That’s right – the very first month of grade 12! Most students and parents are surprised by that. Students are just getting settled into their classes and new schedule, and BOOM! It’s time to start thinking about scholarships.

There are opportunities to apply for scholarships all year

Here’s the main thing you need to know about when scholarships are offered: they are offered all year long. There is no one specific time when they are all available; there is no one specific time when they are all due. They open and close throughout the entire grade 12 year.

The majority of Canadian scholarships are offered between December and May, but there will be some before then, and some after then.

Grade 12 is your best opportunity to win scholarships

Knowing when scholarships are offered is important because grade 12 is your best opportunity to win scholarships. There will never be another time in your life—ever!—when there are more opportunities for scholarships.

Once you get into post-secondary there will still be opportunities for scholarships, but not nearly as many as there are in grade 12. Also, the biggest awards are usually earmarked for students entering university for the first time directly from high school. This is when you have the most opportunities for scholarships valued at $20,000, $40,000 and even up to $120,000! Once you’re attending Canadian universities, it’s relatively rare to see scholarships even at the $5000 level.

The big scholarships are often before admission deadlines

Another tip: The biggest scholarships tend to be offered near the start of grade 12.

University major scholarship deadlines

For example, the major scholarship deadlines for The University of Toronto and Queens are usually on or before December 1. Yes, that’s before the admission deadline.

Tip: you often don’t have to wait to be admitted to the university before you apply for scholarships. McGill makes that point very clearly on their website…

Of course, you must be admissible to the university and meet the requirements for the scholarship to be eligible for it. But often you don’t have to have received an offer of admission before you submit your scholarship application.

External Canadian scholarships have early deadlines too

In addition to the scholarships offered by universities, two of the biggest external scholarships in Canada—the Loran valued at $100,000 and the TD Leadership valued at $70,000—have deadlines of October and November, respectively. That’s super early!

A scholarship expert can help save time and stress

Another thing you need to keep in mind about timing for scholarships is that grade 12 is busy. Super busy. You’ll have a lot on your plate between September and December when some early scholarship deadlines come up. Grade 12 is busy normally, but when you add in time required to find and apply for scholarships, it can get frenetic!

That’s why working with an expert like me, someone who knows scholarships, and knows what the funders are looking for, is so valuable. I can help you save time, reduce stress, and provide proven strategies for success. My clients have won the Loran, the TD Leadership, the Queen’s Major Admission Awards scholarships, and many others.

How to work with a scholarship expert

I will be working with select grade 12 students from August 2022 to January 2023. If you’d like to see if we’re a good fit to work together, please contact me to discuss!

The experts start in August

One more tip: If you’re considering applying for these early awards, especially the Loran or the TD Leadership, I suggest you start working on the applications in August.

Once school starts, you’ll have a lot on your plate. Having a good head start on the applications will save you a lot of time and stress later. Plus, it will make your applications much stronger, so you’ll maximize your chances of success.

If you’re serious about scholarships, get a head start before school begins in September. I can work with you one-to-one in August to help you get set up for success. Contact me today to find out how.

Best wishes,

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

Grade 12 is busy!

It’s also the best time—ever! —for you to win scholarships.

From August 2023 to February 2024, I will be working with grade 12 students on scholarship preparation.

Here are the 3 ways you can work with me and access my services:

1. Grade 12 Scholarship Prep Program - $999.00

Over the years I have helped students win hundreds of thousands of dollars! This Fall, I will be working with select grade 12 students on a one-to-one basis. Students will meet with me one-to-one. Parent(s) or other supporter are also welcome in these sessions. I leave it up to the family to decide who attends the meetings.

This one-to-one service is highly customized, so we discuss what is most important to you. We’ll discuss your goals, your marks, and your activities and experiences. Usually, students are working on one or more scholarship applications, and writing admission personal statements.

These personalized sessions are a good fit for motivated students who have solid grades, a variety of extracurricular activities including volunteer work, and at least one leadership role.

I help students plan their strategy for applications and help them to highlight their best experiences to optimize success. Students will be expected to complete “homework”, including at least one essay, as part of this package. I will review your essay(s) and provide feedback and suggestions for improvement.

Although I don’t actively search for scholarships for students, I may suggest scholarships the student can apply for. I also provide you with an instructional video on the best strategies to find scholarships.

To determine if you are a good fit to work with me in the Scholarship Prep Package, please book a no-obligation call with me using my scheduling link. Based on our discussion, I will let you know the best pathway to access my services.

2. Scholarship Essay Writing Workshops - $249.00

Students can also work with me through my popular small group online essay writing workshops.

Many students struggle with how to write scholarship essays. The essay is arguably the most important part of most scholarship applications, so it’s important to get it right. That’s why I created a service that focuses solely on the essay.

Students really like this 2.5 hour session because it’s a real workshop – they actually work in it. Participants will write a draft essay in the workshop. First, I'll help you get past the blank page. Then, as I teach tips and techniques, you'll apply them to your essay. At the end of the workshop, not only have you learned how to write an essay, you’ve also created some great content that you can use in scholarship applications all year long!

Students can sign up to get an essay review for an extra $99.00. I review your essay and provide written feedback and specific suggestions for improvement. Students say (and I agree) that his is the best way to get the most value from the workshop.

Scholarship Essay Workshops are the easiest and fastest way for you to learn a lot of fantastic tips, tricks, and techniques in a short period of time.

I hold several Scholarship Essay Writing Workshops throughout the Fall. They are restricted to 10 students, and they often fill to capacity.

3. How to Find and Win Scholarships Guidebook - $44.95

If you like to “Do It Yourself”, my scholarship guidebook is a great DIY option.

In the How to Find and Win Scholarships guidebook, you’ll learn

· How to get—and stay—-organized (a key to scholarship success!)

· Where, when, and how to look for scholarships

· What to do before you start writing

· How to write your best scholarship essays

· How to get the best reference for scholarships (includes a template to request a reference)

· Sample essays, and more

This is a printed, coil bound guidebook that’s mailed to your home. It’s colourful and student friendly. Students, parents, and school counsellors love it!

Other Services

In addition to working with students, I can also be hired to deliver scholarship information sessions, training, and workshops for groups and organizations. Please see my speaking page for more information.

I also provide lots of great free information on my blog and through my free resources.

Best wishes for a successful scholarship journey in 2023-2024!

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

Here's the hard truth: by the time students come to work with me in grade 12, they've either "got it" or they don't.

And if they don't, then there's not much that can be done about it at that point. Why? 1. Because grade 12 is busy. If you think you’re busy now, wait until grade 12. On top of all your regular activities, you’ll also need to complete additional important and time sensitive activities like researching and applying to universities and scholarships. That takes a lot more time than most students and parents realize. By grade 12, it’s too busy and too late to get the kind of experience you need for bigger scholarships. 2. Because many scholarships -- including three of the biggest ones in Canada at $70,000 - $100,000 -- are offered early in grade 12. Scholarships start to be offered in September of grade 12. Two of the biggest ones in Canada have deadlines in October and November. Students who apply for these scholarships, and other early ones, must use their marks and extra-curricular activities from grade 11 and grade 10...because grade 12 has just started! They haven't had time to complete the kinds of high impact activities they need for these applications. Students and parents: you need to start to think about grade 12 as the time to apply for scholarships, and grade 11 as the time to prepare for them. If you’re serious about scholarships, you should have a foundation of solid grades and meaningful extra-curriculars already completed by the start of grade 12. For major awards from both universities and external funders, you will be assessed on your track record of marks and activities from grades 10-12. And those activities need to be robust, varied, and include at least one leadership experience.

Also, having your main activities completed by the start of grade 12 means you can apply for those bigger early scholarships and not have the stress and pressure of working on activities for scholarships.

Your time in grade 12 is best spent completing as many applications as possible using the fantastic activities you already have from grades 10 and 11. Simply put: to qualify for the most and the biggest scholarships in grade 12, it's what you do in grades 10 & 11 that has the greatest impact on your success.

That's why I created the Grade 11 Scholarship Prep Bootcamp. It provides you with everything you need to know to get set up for scholarship success. In the Bootcamp we discuss the SMART way to prepare – how to get the best “bang for your buck” experience that will optimize your chances for scholarships in grade 12.

Don’t wait until grade 12 to find out if you’re a good candidate for scholarships. By taking a thoughtful and deliberate approach to your preparation, you’ll ensure you have the kind of experience funders are looking for in scholarship winners.

Best wishes,

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

If you’re serious about winning scholarships in grade 12, you’ll need to do some kind of volunteer work.

Why? Because many scholarships require volunteer work. Simply put, you won’t qualify for a vast number of scholarships if you don’t have volunteer experience.

Does it matters what kind of volunteer work you do? Yes, it does. Scholarship funders are looking for applicants who have donated their time to a cause or an organization that they have a connection with. They want applicants who have chosen their volunteer work for a reason.

Volunteering should be more than just checking a box on an application. It should be something you want to do not only for your own personal development, but also to make a meaningful contribution to your community.

Sometimes students contact me, and they have well over one hundred hours of volunteer work on their record. Sounds great, right? Although this sounds great, it may not translate to winning scholarships for two main reasons:

1. The volunteer work was done with many different organizations and were one-time commitments. There is no demonstration of commitment.

2. The volunteer work was chosen more for the student’s convenience rather than because the student had connection to the organization. There is no “story” to tell about why they chose this work.

Why is this “story” of connection important? Because scholarship funders will ask you to tell them why you chose to volunteer in the way you did. For example, here is a common essay question on scholarship applications:

Tell us about your most meaningful volunteer contribution. Why was it important to you and to others? What did you learn from this experience?

Even if you have one hundred hours of volunteering, if you have no connection to any of the organizations, if none of them really meant much to you, it would be difficult to answer this question well. Also, if the work didn’t involve you developing new skills, personal qualities, or points of view, then there’s also not much to say about what you learned from those one hundred hours.

Your time would be better spent making a meaningful contribution in your volunteer work. First, take a thoughtful approach to where you’d like to make a contribution, or what cause you’d like to support. Then, seek out a role with that organization or cause. Pitch in and help where it’s needed. As time goes on and people get to know you and you learn more, ask to take on responsibility for something. This extra responsibility will help you to develop some leadership skills and experience and set you apart from the crowd. It’ll also give you great essay content to answer that volunteer question!

Your time is limited, so use it to your best advantage. Be strategic with planning your volunteer work. Doing something you enjoy and that has meaning to you will help you feel more connected to you community. Not only will it give you far more pleasure than just going through the motions, it may also help you win scholarships.

P.S. If you’re in grade 10 or 11 and you’d like my help with finding meaningful volunteer work for scholarships, and advice on developing your leadership skills, please consider joining my Grade 11 Scholarship Prep Bootcamp or hiring me to work with you one-to-one. Here is my services page for more information: https://www.mycampusgps.ca/grade-11

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

I had an interesting conversation with a parent recently about their grade 11 child's experience with volunteering. In case you can benefit from what I told them, please read on...

I told them volunteer experience will help their child qualify for more scholarships because many funders look for volunteer experience in applicants. They responded that their child "can't" participate in any activities now because they are in lockdown and their regular activities are cancelled.

Really? They can't volunteer anywhere, doing anything?

I get it. With so many students in lockdown and not able to participate in their normal extra-curricular activities, you may think it's OK to just wait until your organized activities get back up and running. I mean, scholarship funders will understand, right? It's OK to have a lapse in my activities for 6 months or so if I've been in lockdown...right?

Nope!

Of course, I'm not saying you should be volunteering if you have sick family member(s), or if you're living in an unsafe or unhealthy situation. I'm talking about if all members of your household are healthy and you're in a relatively normal situation, where you're basically hanging out at home with little to do other than your schoolwork.

If that's the case, I suggest you get moving now! Get resourceful and start thinking of ways you can make a contribution to your community. Scholarships are not cancelled and neither is volunteering. Many students are finding ways to volunteer so, if they can do it, you can too. You'll just need to look a little harder and get more creative.

I've had this conversation before with parents and students. To prove a point, I got onto Google and within 5 minutes I found many different wonderful ideas for volunteering.

The website Volunteer.ca is a great place to start. Even if you can't find anything in your area, it will give you ideas of activities you can do on your own. For example, who are the shut-ins in your neighbourhood? They could be elderly folk, or people with compromised immne systems. Find out if they need help. Could you do some yardwork, run errands, or walk their dog?

If you're into the environment, do a neighbourhood clean up. For extra impact, recruit other people to do a clean up in their neighbourhoods. Take pictures of the garbage you collected and post it on social media to educate others. Write to your local council to ask for more garbage cans.

Do you love to do something creative, like baking? Start a baking blog and post videos to share some of your baking tips. Or simply educate others on something you feel strongly about by starting a letter writing campaign. Don't wait for the opportunities to come to you. It's all about taking initiative and taking action.

Remember, scholarships are based on merit. That means you must earn them in some way. People who actively seek ways to contribute to their community will be the ones who reap rewards with scholarships. If you give up volunteering and community involvement because your organized activities stopped -- they stopped, so you stopped -- you will have far fewer opportunities for scholarships.

The students who win scholarships are those who show initiative. They see a need, step up to the plate, and take action -- even in small ways.

So, my advice here is take action today. Find something that needs to be done and do it. Or, think of something you really like to do and find a way to involve other people in it. Either way you'll be helping others, and helping yourself.

Need help preparing for scholarships in grade 11? Find out about my small group Scholarship Prep Bootcamps, and one-to-one coaching packages here.

Best wishes!

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

Looking for some holiday gift ideas for you and your teen? I'm usually looking for ones that will engage the brain and take us away from our screens for a while, so books and magazines are always on my gift list. May I suggest the following ideas for books and magazines: For your future doctor: Just What the Doctor Ordered: The Insider's Guide to Getting into Medical School in Canada by Christine Fader. My pal Christine was on the admissions committee for Queen's Med School for 8 years and she knows her stuff. There's even a section for high school students, and one for parents too. For your child who who wants (and needs) a little order in their life: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. The book is divided by "Habits" rather than by chapters. Habit 3 is called "Put First Things First: Will and Won't Power". The 22 pages in this part of the book alone are worth the cost of the book.

For your budding leader and change-maker: A Promised Land by Barack Obama. I haven't read this one yet, but my son has requested it for Christmas. Stay tuned.

For you/the parent who wants to understand their child better: The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults by Frances E. Jensen, MD. This is not what I'd call light reading, but it is a readable book with chapter names like Learning, Stress, Sleep, Pot, Sports and Concussions. It'll help you better understand why your teen behaves the way they do. For you/the parent and child who are thinking about applying to US colleges and universities: Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions by Jeffrey Selingo. As a former admissions officer, I find this stuff fascinating! Selingo takes us inside the marketing machine that is US admissions.

For you/any parent, this one is always top of my must-read list: The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed by Jessica Lahey. Lahey is a teacher and a mother. She writes about a delicate subject without judgement or preachiness, but with a touch of humour. I love her.

For the student who is seeking help to determine their next best step (and for the parents who would like to support them): Backpack to Briefcase, A Student's Guide to a Meaningful Career Journey by Stephanie Koonar, MBA, BA Psych. Koonar invites students to find their Ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy), a Japanese word that roughly means “your reason for being.” But the book takes you much further than that -- it provides a step-by-step guide and real life stories of students on their journey. Very readable.

For the student who wants to win scholarships, and for the parent who wants to help: How to Find and Win Scholarships by Janet MacDonald. OK, this is my guidebook, but I truly believe it s a worthwhile read. At only 50 pages, you can read it in less than an hour, and it could save you thousands of dollars.

Another idea for your child is to subscribe to a magazine in their area of interest. For example, mine is interested in science, computers, and engineering, so I recently subscribed to Discover magazine, where each month he can read articles like "Quest for a Quantum Internet", "A Toy Inventor and an Engineer Walk Into a Lab", and "Cyber Crime's Secret Origins". He keeps a copy beside his bed for easy reading before he goes to sleep. If your student is more into business, maybe a subscription to Forbes or Entrepreneur. There seems to be a magazine for pretty much anyone's interest, so see if you can match one to your student's interest. Note: Most of these books and magazines can be found at your local bookstore but, for ease of reference, I provided the link to online options.

I hope these suggestions are helpful to you and your student!

Want to learn more about how I can help you win scholarships? Please visit my services page. Best wishes,

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

“How many scholarships should I apply for?” I get this question quite often.

There is no single answer to this question. It varies from person to person, but as a round figure my answer is, “You should apply for at least ten scholarships during your grade 12 year”.

Applying for ten scholarships isn’t difficult if you meet the following conditions:

• You look for scholarships regularly, throughout grade 12 (not just one or two times).

• You have some volunteer and community involvement. Most scholarships require a student to have some community involvement, including volunteer experience. So, if you don’t have any, you will qualify for fewer awards, and if you do have some, then you’ll qualify for more awards.

• You have your activities list and some great essay content ready to go. Many scholarships require students to submit a list of their extracurricular activities and write an essay. You can often use the same information (with some tweaking and tailoring) over and over again on many different applications throughout the year. Using this method, you can apply for more scholarships in less time. This is the method I teach because it works. My student clients have won multiple scholarships using this method.

Applying for just one or two scholarships rarely gets results. It just makes sense that the more you apply for, the more chances you have to win.

So, if you meet the requirements, apply.

If you qualify for a lot of scholarships, and you don’t have time to apply for all of them, choose the ones that look the most promising. These are usually local awards, meaning provincial or community awards rather than the big national ones. You might want to forgo ones that require you to share something on social media to get more chances to win. Put your effort into other scholarships -- those that are based on merit.

Grade 12 is a student’s best opportunity to win scholarships. There will never be another time in your life when there are more opportunities and less competition. Don’t miss this golden window of opportunity! By applying for at least ten scholarships during the year, you’ll increase your chances of winning.

If you’d like information on how to find and win scholarships, order my new guidebook called “How to Find and Win Scholarships”. It’s a comprehensive guide on scholarships in Canada. You can order it on my website at https://www.mycampusgps.ca/scholarship-guidebook.

Want to learn more about how I can help you win scholarships? Please visit my services page.

Best wishes,

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

As a former university admissions officer and academic advisor, I know the value of good career exploration. High school students who engage in meaningful career exploration before entering university are generally more focused and successful at university than those who don't engage in career exploration. It's as simple as that.

Students make better program and university choices when they make those choices based on real and recent information. One of the best ways to get real and recent information on potential careers is by doing information interviews with people in those careers.

An information interview is an informal conversation with someone who works in a career you think you might like to pursue. As the interviewer, you ask questions to gather information from the person about their career.

An information interview is not a job interview; it is a tool you use to research possible careers, and to discover potential pathways to get into that career area. It’s also a way to begin to build a network of people who could help you with a job search, when that time comes.

There's not much that's positive about this global pandemic we're in, but one of the small benefits of it is that some of us have a bit more time to do things we usually didn't have time to do. Without extra-curricular activities, many students have more time, and many adults are working from home, and some have a more flexible schedule because of that. So, this is an excellent time for students to contact people to do information interviews.

Normally, information interviews are done at the person's place of work. The student gets to see the person's work environment, which is a great way for the student to get a "feel" for the job. Unfortunately, we don't have that ability right now. But, the fact that we're all at home and online can actually make it easier for people to take some time to do an information interview with a student. So, this is actually a good time to request an interview.

I don't just talk the talk. My son is in grade nine. He wants to work with computers. I asked my friends to suggest people they knew who had a computer science background and who had interesting jobs, and who would be willing to take 30 minutes to be "interviewed" by son.

In the past two weeks, he did a virtual information interview with a software engineer at a gaming company, and another with a project manager who worked at IBM. In addition to finding out about their current jobs, he asked them about their education and career pathways. They gave him advice on what career areas he might like to check out. He really enjoyed the experience and it gave him specific information he probably couldn't find any other way. And, the interviewees enjoyed speaking with an enthusiastic young person. Win - win all around!

So, here's the opportunity: help your child invest time into the most useful and valuable of career exercises -- the information interview. Do it now while there is time.

I've created an Information Interview Guide for you. It has everything you need to know about how to do an information interview, including a list of questions your child can ask, and an email script they can use to request an interview.

Here's the link to download the guide:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_Geq1Ztz1rhb2Vh1171yypIM74WZMTo1/view?usp=sharing

I hope it's useful to help your child make an informed decision about their future!

Want to learn more about how I can help you win scholarships? Please visit my services page.

Best wishes!

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

These days are challenging for high school students, but time away from regularly scheduled academics and activities provides you with an opportunity as well.

It's an chance to to take initiative and prepare properly for the opportunities that lie ahead, namely university admission and scholarships.

Many students never get a break from their regular routine to really focus on these important activities. Although it's unfortunate you've had a "break" forced upon you, try to use the time to be productive and come out of it with a few of your most important goals achieved.

I hope this information helps you to do so.

Click here for the document you can download from Slideshare.

Or download the pdf directly here.

Here's an excerpt to see what it looks like:

Want to learn more about how I can help you win scholarships? Please visit my services page.

Best wishes,

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

Do you know there are benefits to winning a scholarship in addition to the money?

While scholarship funding is the best kind of funding a student can get -- free money that doesn't have to be paid back! -- scholarships offer benefits to the student far beyond money.

In fact, sometimes the money is not the most valuable benefit!

Check out my infographic to learn more:

Want to learn more about how I can help you win scholarships? Please visit my services page.

Best wishes,

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement is a document some universities use to evaluate an applicant’s suitability for admission. Sometimes the personal statement is used only for admission, and sometimes it’s also used to assess the applicant for scholarships (so the purpose can be two-fold).

Some personal statements (sometimes also referred to as personal profiles or other names) are required for admission and some are optional. For example, the Personal Profile is required for admission to all UBC programs, but the Queen’s Personal Statement of Experience is optional for most programs (although required for some Queen’s programs).

Admissions personal statements are common in the US. Although they are much less common in Canada, more Canadian universities are starting to use personal statements in their admission and scholarship processes, and I predict this trend towards more "holistic" admissions will continue to grow.

Why use a personal statement?

The rationale behind using the personal statement varies, but basically it provides another way for universities to evaluate the suitability of the applicant, beyond academics. It is used quite often at universities where admission is more competitive, as a way to differentiate well-qualified applicants.

For example, in programs like Queen’s Commerce and McMaster Health Sciences, most of the applicants have averages at 90% or above, so the personal statement provides another evaluation method to select the most qualified students. Some programs, like Waterloo Engineering and UBC Commerce have also added a video interview (in addition to the personal statement) as an another method of evaluation.

What are they looking for in a personal statement?

The kind of information that’s important for personal statements varies according to the statement.

More general ones, like the Queen’s PSE basically just ask the applicant for a list of their activities and to discuss their greatest learning experience outside of academics.

But for personal statements in supplemental applications for highly competitive programs, such as Queen’s QuARMS or UBC Commerce, the applicant must demonstrate more specifically their skills and personal qualities, and how they align with that particular program.

Generally speaking, though, what most personal statements have in common is they are looking for students to demonstrate self-knowledge, and to align their interests, skills, and personal qualities to the program or university in some way. They often ask students about what they have learned through their academic and non-academic experiences. It’s vital that students have done some self-reflection before they write the statement so they can communicate their best learning experiences (this is part of what I help students with).

Personal statements are also used to gauge the student’s community involvement and ability to manage time. If the student has been quite involved with their community, for example through volunteer activities, and they have still maintained a 90% average, it demonstrates they can balance academics and extra-curricular activities. Also, a history of involvement in high school increases the likelihood of continued involvement in university. That’s exactly what the university is looking for – a solid student who will become a part of the campus community and make contributions to it. They are not as interested in students who only leave their dorm room to go to class.

More information

UBC provides the best description of what the personal profile is, and tips for how to complete it. Watch the video on the UBC Personal Profile page. Although the information is specific for UBC’s personal profile, it’s general enough to describe how to complete most personal profiles.

In addition to helping grade 12 students with scholarship applications, I also help them to complete personal statements. Please contact me or check out my services page for more information.

Best wishes!

About the author

Janet MacDonald is a Scholarship Coach with mycampusGPS Education Consulting. She is a former Canadian university admissions officer. For seven years, she was the coordinator of a scholarship program at a major Canadian university. Janet has helped her student clients win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

You can find her online at mycampusGPS.ca, and on LinkedIn.