Is it appropriate to...

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Jul 31, 2013

I don't personally think so. Many scholarships have several excellent applicants and it may have been hard for them to choose. I'm curious what others think about this, though.

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Aug 1, 2013

Personally I would think go ahead and ask, what can it hurt? Since you were already turned down for the scholarship it can't have a negative impact on their decision. It would be nice to have some pointers on how you might be able to improve your chances with future applications, however I wouldn't expect a reply.

chrisrn24 · Aug 1, 2013

I don't personally think so. Many scholarships have several excellent applicants and it may have been hard for them to choose. I'm curious what others think about this though.[/quote']
Yeah this.

ekramona · Aug 1, 2013

I sat on a committee once for a very small undergraduate scholarship and it would have been very difficult for me to give feedback to anyone except those who actually won. First of all, the names were removed from the applications in order to reduce bias. If I remember correctly, I only ended up matching the names of the winners to their applications. Had anyone randomly contacted me after the selection process I probably wouldn't have been able to readily identify them and offer any feedback. Secondly, almost all of the applications were excellent. Those that won just stood out a little more. Other than offer the rubric we used to judge, I would be hard pressed to say what someone could do next time because it all depends on your competition. Finally, if someone had contacted me back then I would have been hesitant to answer because I doubt the policy of the organization I would have had to check with administration first.

All that being said, go ahead and give it a shot! Every scholarship committee is different so perhaps they are in a better position to offer feedback. They might at least offer some insight into the rubric they used to judge the applications. You have nothing to lose by trying.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 1, 2013

Before I applied to Nursing School, I asked what it was the school was looking for in an applicant. I did EVERYTHING and I got in!

Can't hurt. If anything, it shows that you are persistent and that you CARE.

BloomNurseRN, ASN, BSN, RN · Aug 2, 2013

I agree with those that say it can't hurt. It's not going to look badly on you, as long as you approach them in a professional way. And really, it can only help your candidacy because it shows that you care enough to find out what you can do right in the future.

I know when I started back to school I paid VERY close attention when people talked about applying for scholarships. I worked as a student ambassador for my school and they were very clear that being involved at events, volunteering and being a part of things on campus made a difference when looking at scholarship applications. They may have two applications that have equally great merit but as they're sitting as a committee they do look at names and they do look at activities. The question would be raised "does anyone know anything about Jane Smith" and that's when the ability to say "well, she does this and this and this" and "I know this scholarship would really help because of this reason" would come in to play. I know during my first 3 years I was very active and a part of a lot of things on campus. I reason 2 small scholarships, which was awesome. My last year I couldn't be as active due to the demands of nursing school but I received a large scholarship. I went to talk to the people I knew in that department and they could not have said nicer things or have been happier to say they were pleased when my name came up and they could recommend me.

Anything you can do to strengthen yourself is for your benefit and if I were you, and had the contacts, I think getting a hold of them in a professional way would be completely fine. Good luck!

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Aug 2, 2013

Sometimes it is a matter of "x" amount of funds, and hundreds of applicants. There's always that top 2% who have a 5.0 gpa, spends their summers in a clinic in Haiti with orphaned sick children, and have invented post-its. And all this coming from being raised in foster care where they were shuffled from home to home.

Other times it is there's just so many amazing applicants that the criteria needs to change to even start to weed people out. One of the best things you can do is to really, really toot your own horn. So much that you read it and think perhaps you are being conceited. Nothing that you participate in is to be left out. If you got your 3.5 GPA whilst working full time, tell them about it. If you had to be with your siblings getting supper while your parents worked, tell them about it. And do not hesitate to get reference letters from former teachers, group leaders, your manager at work, whomever you had a professional relationship with and would be the first to say you do well.

The criteria is often extremely vauge, but more often than not, it is a matter of an essay that can't be more than 500 words, an official transcript, it can miss the deadline, your FASFA form...any number of technical issues that I always advise one checks and double checks for accuracy.

I am not sure that someone would be able to tell you why specifically you were not chosen. In a sea of applications, the only thing you could do is to ask how, in the future, you would be able to refine your process. Another thought is to speak to your guidance counselor and ask for tips and pointers. Show them your essay, and ask for feedback. Or (and I am not sure how old you are) if you or your parents have family friends that are in a managerial position, ask them to look at your essay and give feedback. If you are a current college student, go to one of the honor societys and ask one of them if they could look at your process and give some feedback as well. Or your college advisor. Or an English/creative writing student (who loves language and can help you to flower it up a bit without seeming way too over the top).

Good luck in your endevours!

1983rn4me · Jan 26, 2014

I know that this was a while ago, but thanks everyone for the feed back.