After binge reading the thread for 2015-2016, I decided it's time to start one for this year. I am a single mother opting to pursue a BSN after a post-quarter life crisis. Because I have multiple degrees, I have just about exhausted all of my financial aid options. I would like to hear from anyone applying for the scholarship. What's your story? What are your stats? Previous applicants and recipients I would like to hear your story too!
Starting at a private nursing school in May (with what little fin. aid I have left)
1 year AmeriCorps
1 year internship at group home for at-risk adolescents
5 years working with Dept. of Corrections (2.5 of which were counseling offenders)
I did get it, but from what I've seen for the past two years worth of threads is that the essays make or break your application. I worked on mine for 2 months. From a scoring stand point they are worth 15 points each. So really really put a lot into that! Good luck!
Did anyone who got the scholarship this year apply last year and not get it? If so, what did you change about your application?
Specializes in Surgical, CVICU & Oncology, Med/Surg.
Did anyone who got the scholarship this year apply last year and not get it? If so, what did you change about your application?
Any advice appreciated. Thanks folks
I applied one time, last year and, thankfully, got it. The application requires discipline and strategy. I spent a lot of time reading/researching the threads from the previous year for guidelines. I was legitimately taking mental notes that were pertinent to my application from those threads including timeline dates. I also looked at the HRSA guideline, the page that outlines all the application requirements as they are needed. Plan yourself! I'm not sure if you have to be as detailed but I wrote detailed essays that included some citations & strictly followed 6th ed. APA format. However, the most important was the essay content. Answer those questions as asked without bubbling emptiness- if you know what I mean. And of course PROOF-READ! I proof-read all my essays probably 5 times (on different days). This was excessive, but I knew I didn't want to apply a second time. I think 2 or 3 times are fine. Alternatively, you can have someone proofread them for you- they may pick up on a mistake you missed. But I believe that if you want to get things done right, do it yourself. Submit a good formatted resume (I'm sure they'll know if you didn't put effort and just submitted that 5year old, poorly formatted, resume you uploaded from your desktop, lol). I am hoping your GPA is decent or good- but I have heard this is not too much of a big deal. Mine was a 3.3 from grad school but there were people with much higher than that from the threads I read & there were others in the mid to higher 2s. Alternatively you can look this up- what minimum do they require on their guideline, etc. Ensure you know that your recommenders can write you good, if not great, recommendation letters. Make sure you guide them by nicely sharing the information the HRSA is looking for so they are aware of what to write in those letters. They shouldn't just be writing whatever comes to mind, as it may not be applicable to this specific scholarship- Remember, HRSA wants to know your potential and commitment as a future nurse, your reliability or dependability (can you NOT breach a contract) and your passion to assist the underserved. Make sure your recommenders can hit on these points. So I picked recommenders who had at least known me consistently for 2+ years. Another thing, I hope your EFC is 0 or within the range that is indicated on their guideline.
There is also a scorecard- I was not familiar about this until after I applied but since you are planning to apply- I would suggest that you find it and see how they grade/rank applications based on what tier you'll fall in- RN, NP etc
And this last one comes without saying- DO NOT wait until the deadline to edit or submit your application. Computer glitches and everything wrong may happen on that last day that can hinder you from uploading all your requirements.
I hope this helps or sheds some light. ps-If you are applying for the first time- put in all your effort this first time. The process is too tedious to be doing it over and over again. Good luck!
I completely agree with dianearc. This scholarship is a lot of work to obtain. Do your research. Make sure there are site you can work at before you apply. I see many people freaking out because they are going to have to move. I can't imagine not having an idea about that before I signed the contract. Read the guidance pdf. I mean really read it, the information will answer the majority of your questions. Look at this and last years threads. I studied them as well to ensure I understood the time line. Do not wait until the last minute to have all of your stuff together. Then the waiting, be prepared for a marathon of stress, and have a back up plan. I saw many people solely relying on this scholarship for school. Apply for others, research ALL of your options. But make sure you understand what you are applying for with HRSA. I feel so blessed that I got it, but it is a HUGE commitment. GOOD LUCK!
Hi All - I see that a new thread for the 17-18 cycle has not been started yet and was hoping i could get some insgiht from past applicants. My EFC from FAFSA is around 16k because I currently work full time and paid for all of my pre-reqs out of pocket. I got accepted into Thomas Jefferson's accelerated program starting May 2017 and thus will be quitting and need to figure out how to pay for the program. I am feeling discouraged as it appears if you don't have the EFC they are looking for, it doesn't seem worth it to go through the hassle of applying. Can there be anything done about my EFC as it won't be realistic once i actually start school or should I just look into applying to the Loan Repayment program?Thank you!
Specializes in Surgical, CVICU & Oncology, Med/Surg.
I don't think there's much you can do about your EFC to change it. Although you won't be working once you start your accelerated program, they will definitely be looking at the EFC from the the FAFSA /SAS you send in with your application. I am not certain of their cap or threshold for the EFC that they can accept for the 17-18 cycle. I think the highest I read from a recipient in the last thread was slightly over 5k. I received the scholarship on an EFC of 0. In your case, I think it would be safe or better to apply for both the scholarship and the loan repayment program. Double check what their EFC requirement is. Also check out NHSC scholarship and loan repayment program, they may have a different requirement for EFCs, if any. I found out about NHSC after I applied for Nurse Corps. The difference is that they are tax free, which is awesome. Nurse Corps is still great as well. So maybe consider applying for both. & I only say that because I believe the application requirements have an overlap/ are sort of similar, so you can use them for both scholarships. I hope it works out.
Have you guys read the guidance pdf? I'll link. It seems about 1 in 10 ish get picked, The numbers are in the pdf. 15k of EFC is higher then what is considered high financial need. My EFC was 0 but I know there were a few that had a bit higher that got it also.
Is it true that they prefer NP over other advanced practice nurses like CNM? I was accepted into a dual direct entry CNM-FNP program but if they give preference to FNP I'm going to tailor my essays to reflect that. My EFC is 0$ (yay?) and I'm attending a MSN program.
kmn1
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Did anyone who got the scholarship this year apply last year and not get it? If so, what did you change about your application?
Any advice appreciated. Thanks folks