Scholarships without specific major requirements or university requirements can be hard to find. The Study Abroad website offers a $500 Intern-Volunteer Scholarship to help students fund their study abroad trip. It is an easy application that requires you to fill out basic personal information such as name, address, university or program etc, and there’s one 250 word essay requirement. The essay question requires you to think about why you chose your study abroad or international internship program. The question is: “What is the unique factor about your volunteer abroad program that sold you over any other program you could have chosen. If you have not finalized your program yet, what is that factor you are looking for?”
Most importantly, qualified applicants must show proof of their volunteering, teaching or intern program enrollment. You can show this with documentation of an employment offer, teaching contract, or any document that will confirm you will be going abroad to volunteer or intern. The scholarship application closes Dec. 31, 2017, so applicants have the entire year to apply, but as with anything, the sooner, the better. Winners will be notified March 31, 2018. If your volunteer or intern abroad program is in the Summer 2018 or Spring 2018 semesters, this would be a good opportunity to get extra financial assistance.
When writing essay responses skip the boring “I chose this program because x,y and z” and possibly start with a compelling anecdote to why you chose the study abroad or volunteer program or the region you will be living during your stay. Most essay readers want to see your passion for the program and your reason for becoming involved. If you need help with your essay, schedule an appointment with your university’s scholarship office where they can give you some constructive criticism and pointers to improve your essay. Lastly, the scholarship is open to both U.S. citizens and international applicants.
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Asia Hester is a student at the University of Maryland College Park majoring in Multiplatform Journalism and minoring in French Studies. She loves all things international and values the importance cultural knowledge. After her first international trip to Paris, France, she caught the wanderlust bug. Paris only gave her a little taste of traveling abroad. She hasn’t had the opportunity study abroad, but after graduating she hopes to join the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF). By joining the Voy internship program, she hopes to learn all the tips and tricks of traveling. Currently, she’s a copy editor for M Magazine, a local fashion and culture magazine focused on the Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia area. Asia loves creating videos in her spare time and watching YouTube videos about fashion and travel vlogs. Before the end of 2017, her next trip will be to Montreal and Quebec City, Canada.
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