Perfect CV for Scholarship Application 2022-2023
How to write an academic CV for scholarship
When applying for scholarships, it’s important to stand out from the crowd. Your CV is a great way to do that. An academic CV is fairly similar to a standard CV, but there are some key differences. An academic CV is generally shorter and less dense than a standard CV and should focus on your education and any professional achievements related to your chosen field of study.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that the majority of scholarship competitions are for students at the college level or postgraduates, so if you’re currently in high school or at an earlier stage of tertiary education, it might be worth waiting until after you graduate before applying for any new scholarships. However, if you think there might be a suitable opportunity out there, read on to find out how to write an academic CV for scholarship applications.
What is a scholarship CV?
A scholarship CV is a CV that highlights your academic achievements and experience relevant to the field of study you’re studying or plan to study, rather than any work experience you may have. It’s essentially a CV specially tailored to scholarship applications rather than job applications and will probably be the same length or shorter than a standard CV.
If you’re applying for scholarships, rather than trying to find a job, you’ll probably be expected to highlight your school or college grades and achievements at a much greater length than you would with a standard CV. Many scholarship competitions ask you to include a transcript as part of your application. However, not all do, and it’s worth checking before you include it as part of your application.
What is an academic CV?
An academic CV is usually tailored to a student applying for funding to study or research in a relevant field of study. There are a few key differences between a standard CV and an academic CV, the most obvious one being the length of the CV. An academic CV is likely to be shorter than a standard CV, and you may need to tailor your CV for different fields of study, depending on the length of the intended CV. The content of an academic CV is likely to be different depending on the field of study you choose to focus on, but there are a few key things to remember when writing an academic CV.
It’s important to pick a topic that’s relevant to your field of study, something that interests you and that you’re likely to continue studying for the next few years. You should also try to pick a topic or project that can be expanded upon and that you can use to demonstrate your skills and abilities in a way that’s appropriate to the field of study. You may be asked to demonstrate skills like critical thinking, communication, or problem-solving in your academic CV, or you may be asked to demonstrate your academic record and achievements.
Reflect and Brainstorm your Academic CV
When it comes to writing an academic CV, it’s important to reflect on your academic achievements and what field of study you’d like to focus on. Even if you plan to focus on the same area of study that you studied at high school, it’s useful to take a look back at any coursework or exams you have already completed and think about what skills and knowledge you gained during this time.
You may have completed extracurricular activities related to your field of study or even have work experience that’s relevant to your field of study. This is the time to brainstorm and think about any academic achievements or skills you have gained during your time at school or college so far.
It’s a good idea to take notes while you’re brainstorming and make sure you don’t ignore anything, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. Once you’ve come up with a list of achievements and experiences, you can start to think about how you can use them to demonstrate your skills and abilities in your academic CV.
Gather all the relevant information
Make sure you gather any academic transcripts or records from high school or college that might be relevant to your academic CV. Transcripts or records show a breakdown of your grades, as well as extracurricular activities, work experience, and any other academic achievements you have achieved while at school or college.
Depending on the field of study you’re focusing on, you may also need to gather any relevant coursework or homework as well as any piece of writing you’ve done for a class or as part of a course. It’s a good idea to gather any work samples or samples of any written work you’ve completed. These can be used to demonstrate critical thinking or problem-solving skills as well as any relevant coursework that you’ve completed.
Organize your scholarship CV in the right order
Once you’ve chosen a field of study and gathered all the relevant information, you can start to organize your CV in the right order. It’s a good idea to include the name of the degree you’re planning to study at the top of your CV, along with the degree level. Make sure to include any extracurricular activities or work experience related to your field of study, as well as any relevant courses or written work.
You can choose to arrange them in any order you like, but it’s important to make sure that everything in your CV is relevant to your chosen field of study. You may be asked to include information about your academic record as well as any relevant coursework, so make sure you include all of the information you’re asked for.
How to organize your academic CV for scholarship?
A good CV is divided into 3 sections:
- Contact information
This includes your full name, address, phone, and email address. This should be placed at the top page of your CV.
- Education experience
Here you are to list your academic level. For instance, if you are applying for a Ph.D. degree, then you already have a masters degree. So you write the academic title you have, the year of graduation, and the institution. Do not forget to add the city and country it is located as it is also important. If there are any special education qualifications you have, you can also include them here.
- Professional experience.
Here you are to include where you worked and how long, your achievements, and positive results you added to your workplace. When writing this, ensure to write it in the first person pronoun ‘I’
You can also add other sections if you have, as it will make your CV look more appealing, like; Certificates and acknowledgments, skills, language proficiency, experience, and volunteer services.
Mention all required information
Once you’ve chosen a field of study, gathered all the relevant information, and organized your CV in the right order, it’s time to start writing. Make sure to mention all of the relevant information, and try not to over-write or use too many unnecessary adjectives. It’s important to keep your academic CV as short as possible while still making sure that it covers all the relevant information.
It’s worth remembering that most scholarship competitions only have a short space for you to explain why you’re a suitable candidate, so you don’t have a lot of space to write a long essay. Make sure to keep your essay as to the point as possible while also making sure that it fully covers all the relevant information that the competition organizers need to know.
Be truthful, honest, and specific
When writing an academic CV, it’s important to be truthful and honest in your essay. You probably won’t get away with plagiarism, and if you’re found out after winning a scholarship, you might be asked to return the money.
It’s important to be specific and show exactly how your academic achievements and skills relate to the field of study you’re choosing to focus on. It’s also important to choose a relevant field of study of your interest and that you’re likely to continue studying for the next few years. You don’t want to choose a field of study and then change your mind halfway through.
Proofread in case of mistakes
Once you’re done writing, it’s a good idea to proofread your CV a few times. Even the most experienced writers make mistakes, so it’s important to proofread your CV and check for mistakes and errors. If you have a friend or family member you can trust, ask them to look over your CV too, and they might spot something you missed.
It’s also important to remember that even if you have made a mistake, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your CV won’t be selected as a winner. Scholarship judges are often looking for students who show ambition, drive, and determination to succeed and achieve great things in their field of study. If you’re honest about any mistakes you’ve made and show that you’re determined to do better in the future, you still have a good chance of winning a scholarship.
Conclusion
Just like every other document, your scholarship CV is important while applying for a scholarship. The way you write your scholarship CV will make you stand out from other applicants, so you need to write your best.
Follow the steps we mentioned above so you will be able to write a good academic CV that will make the scholarship committee notice you. Who knows, you might be selected to be among those that will be awarded the scholarship once you are noticed through your CV, and you have every other document intact.
Good Luck!