There are many scholarships for students entering college, and each has its own special guidelines. A letter of recommendation for scholarship from a teacher, counselor, or other important person in a student’s life can serve as a powerful testament to the student’s past and future achievements.
What is a letter of recommendation for scholarship?
The letter of recommendation for scholarship is a document whose writing is done by teachers, directors, coaches, tutors or other people who have given some type of teaching.
This is done with the purpose of convincing the committee in charge of selecting those who deserve the scholarship, that a student is the most qualified to receive and take advantage of it.
How to write a letter of recommendation for scholarship?
Since letters of reference carry so much weight, you should first ask yourself if you can write a genuine and meaningful letter of support that will help the student get the scholarship. If you feel like you don’t know him well or have little to share on his behalf, then your letter of recommendation for a scholarship could come off as lukewarm or uninformed, adding little or even hurting his chances.
Assuming you are motivated to recommend the student, you should make sure you find out exactly what the scholarship is for. Are you looking to reward students who have overcome significant challenges? Does it help kids who want to study computer science? Minority students entering tech fields? High academic achievers who contribute to their communities?
By knowing the guidelines and expectations of the scholarship, you can ensure that you validate your student’s qualifications to receive it. If it’s a scholarship for future engineers, talk about your student’s fascination with physics. If it has to do with community involvement, talk about your volunteer work somewhere.
Once you have a clear idea of the scholarship and the topics within the student’s application, you can think about the story you want to tell in your scholarship recommendation letter. Think about the student’s outstanding strengths, along with significant experiences that have shaped him or obstacles he has overcome.
What is the structure of a letter of recommendation for a scholarship?
Each letter of recommendation you write will be personalized to the specific student you are writing about, but many of these letters follow a similar template. Here’s everything you need to include in your scholarship recommendation letter:
- An introduction that explains your relationship with the student.
- The body of the letter detailing the reasons why the student is believed to deserve the scholarship.
- A summary where you reiterate your main points.
- Your contact information and signature.
Once you’ve brainstormed a list of the student’s strengths, significant anecdotes, and qualifications to win the scholarship, you can begin drafting your letter.
Introduction
As with college recommendations, you should start by stating who you are recommending, how you know them and in what contexts, and what qualifies you to give your review.
If you have met the student in different contexts, such as their teacher and advisor or club coach, then you should say so. This further shows that you know him well and have seen how he interacts and performs in different roles and settings. For example:
It is my great pleasure to recommend Janet for the X Scholarship, whom I met as her 11th grade AP Calculus teacher.
During the three years that I have known Brian as his baseball coach and 11th grade English teacher, I have been impressed with her intense focus and commitment.
Body of the letter: why the student deserves the scholarship
Once your introduction incorporates the elements, a strong supporting statement, and an explanation of who you are and how you know the student, that would be great.
You should highlight the student’s core strengths, again making sure to tailor your evaluation to the specific scholarship.
If the scholarship focuses on academic achievement, then a high-ranking statement from an established teacher could go a long way.
Stating that the student is one of the top three students you have taught in twenty years, or that she is the valedictorian of your class, suggests that she is an outstanding applicant who will likely continue to do so in college.
Since most scholarships are awarded to students entering certain fields, you need to talk about your vision of the student in college.
If the scholarship is awarded to someone who is into mechanical engineering, you can substantiate the student’s academic and career goals and give a picture of what you see them achieving in the field. He talks about his aptitude for the subject, her involvement in robotics, and her excitement about studying with the renowned engineer at the university.
Ultimately, you want the student to stand out as a motivated individual that scholarship donors would like to invest in. You can emphasize her commitment, talent, drive, and passion, and show them how her contributions in high school predict her continued activities in college.
Show them that he deserves the scholarship and that you have no doubt that he will take advantage of it.
Your contact information
At the end of the scholarship recommendation letter, you can give your contact information and invite the scholarship committee to contact you with any further questions. If you’ve provided a complete and glowing picture of the student, then you should have all the information they need.
When and why to write a letter of recommendation for a scholarship?
A scholarship recommendation letter can accomplish several things within a student’s scholarship application. First, you can act as a strong supporter of a student, praising her academic and personal qualities, and expressing confidence in her future success.
The best letters allow a student to transcend their resume and come alive, so to speak, as a multidimensional person on a scholarship committee. They also show that he himself has people in his life motivated to speak up on his behalf.
While shedding light on a student’s impressive qualities (her compassion, energy, or leadership skills, for example), a scholarship recommendation letter provides additional evidence that the student is qualified to receive the scholarship.
Most scholarships are awarded to students with specific commitments or goals. They can be awarded to students studying engineering, mathematics, science, computer science or literature.
A scholarship recommendation letter can complement and add to the story the student tells in the scholarship application, such as who they are and why they deserve it. To do this successfully and accurately, you, as the referrer, must first gather essential information and brainstorm before you begin writing.
Sample letter of recommendation for scholarship
Place and date.
University _______________________
Head of the Department of Admissions and Scholarships
Location__________________________.
Dear Dr. _______________:
I hereby wish that the citizen ______________ be considered as an outstanding applicant to be eligible for a partial scholarship. This benefit would allow her to continue her academic training at such a prestigious university. Exactly in the master’s degree_____________________, which will start on the day_________________.
For _________, I have been her professor and thesis advisor. This contact with the student has allowed me to closely follow her fruitful student career. In this sense, I can attest that he is a student with an impeccable record. In addition, he is a disciplined, dedicated and responsible young man who has managed to maintain his academic excellence within our institution.
All his effort and dedication yielded very valuable fruits, obtaining an honorable mention. Furthermore, he has managed to gain recognition from his peers. For dedicating yourself to sharing his exceptional knowledge, skills and achievements.
Therefore, I am writing this letter to recommend that you continue your postgraduate studies at such a prestigious institution. This will allow you to further his personal and academic goals.
Grateful for his attention. And willing to give additional information required.
Sincerely,
__________________________.
Name of the person issuing the letter.
Contact information.
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