By Abbey Klein, Phd Candidate, BSN, RN abbey.klein@unmc.edu
Tips for applying for scholarships:
- Apply
- Have letters of recommendation organized and ready
- APPLY
- Keep scholarship emails in an inbox folder
- APPLY (even if you don’t think you’ll get it)
- Set calendar reminders for scholarship due dates
- APPLY APPLY APPLY
Scholarships are available through many sources. You can apply for institutionally-granted scholarships through the MyRecords portal in the spring. You can also apply for external scholarships through sites like Scholly, which helps match your profile with scholarships that you may qualify for. Oftentimes, you will receive emails for scholarships offered by different groups within UNMC. I like to keep an inbox folder specifically for scholarships so I keep track of them. Many of the scholarships you can apply for will ask for letters of recommendation.
Identify individuals who could speak to your abilities and to your passion, so when the time comes for a letter of reference, you know who you will ask. Examples of people who could write these recommendations include your advisor, the faculty who work for as a GA, a course professor, or even a former supervisor who you had a good working relationship with. Once someone writes you a letter of recommendation, save it in a safe place for the scholarship you’re applying for as well as for future scholarships (be sure to receive approval before using the same/similar letter of recommendation for other scholarships). If I want to apply for a scholarship for a second time or a different scholarship down the road, I update the letters of recommendation with any new information or new achievements before sending it to the letter writer. This isn’t always necessary, but it makes the process less time-intensive for the people writing letters for you.
Be mindful of scholarship deadlines. If you need letters of recommendation, set a deadline to receive those letters 1-2 weeks before the scholarship is due. Advisors and faculty wear many hats and have many different commitments. Ensuring these letters aren’t rushed will be helpful to you and the letter-writers. That said, if a scholarship opportunity comes up and it’s due in a week, GO FOR IT!
When I was growing up, my mom would take me shopping. I’d see something and say “Eh, I don’t think it’ll look good on me.” My mom, without hesitation, would say “You never know if the dress will fit unless you try it on.” I take the same approach to scholarships. Apply for them, even if you think it’ll be competitive and that you might not get it. There is no penalty for applying for scholarships, but there is a potentially great reward!
Applying for the F31
By Christina Bach, PhD Candidate, BSN, RN, CCRN, christina.bach@unmc.edu
Applying for the Kirschstein Predoctoral NRSA (F31) is a valuable experience that will reap many rewards regardless of whether it is funded. The application process will strengthen your research proposal, help you articulate your overall goals for your research career, bolster your writing skills, and provide first-hand experience collaborating on a team and submitting an NIH grant.
Below is a compilation of valuable tips and lessons I learned when applying for the F31.
- Give yourself ample time before the deadline. The amount of time you need all depends on what stage of development your proposal is in, other commitments you have in your schedule and personal life, and what you know about how you work. You could need anywhere from 3-6 months after you have a sponsor and decide to apply.
- Developing and writing an F31 is a team effort – there will be many revisions, back and forth, and meetings throughout the process. Planning in extra time for feedback at multiple stages is important to account for aside from the time you plan for writing.
- Your team members are important. Individuals with complementary skills, training, and experience will enhance your training and research plans and strengthen your overall application. At the same time, your sponsor, co-sponsors, and collaborators should be individuals who support you, have time to meet with you, and will provide feedback throughout the grant-writing process.
- Schedule a meeting with the program officer. They have valuable insight and will help you identify if your project aligns with the institute’s mission and strategic plan.
- Read the SF424 (R&R) cover-to-cover. This document is the “user’s manual” with everything you need to include in the application, what should be included in each section, how you should format things, etc. Print it out. Get to know it well. The NIH website is also a valuable resource.
- Get organized. This is probably the most important tip to save time and reduce overall stress.
- Make a checklist of each component of the application. It is helpful to do this while going through the SF424. A clear checklist is essential to staying organized and ensuring you address each section of the application. It also helps to create a new folder on your computer or OneDrive with a different subfolder for each section.
- Organize your references. Make a different folder in your citation manager for the concepts you will discuss throughout your research proposal. This helped me find references quickly depending on what section of the application I was working on.
- Use examples to guide you. Examples of previous F31 applications are helpful for guidance on formatting, etc.
- Keep in mind the overall purpose of this grant. This fellowship aims to develop individuals into productive, independent scientists. It is an application for a multi-year training fellowship, not only a research project. Although the research proposal is critical, just as much emphasis is given to the training plan, the overall future goals of the applicant, and how the research project and training plan support those goals.
- Create clear connections between all the components of the application.
- Show the reviewers how each component of your application will lead to your overall development into a productive researcher.