Part of the scholarship application process is to write an outstanding academic CV for Scholarship. Aside from the extensive list of required documents and proof of eligibility and qualifications, scholarship grantors also examine CVs to make a decision.
As an international student, you’d want to influence their judgment by writing a humble yet impressive scholarship CV. But it can be difficult to make your CV shoot straight into the approved pile if you don’t know how to properly write one.
Here’s a guide on how to write a great scholarship CV to guarantee that you secure the best scholarships for Indian students:
Scholarship CV vs. Scholarship Resume
Resume and CV are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but there are slight differences you should keep in mind.
A scholarship CV is often written with the experience and achievements arranged in chronological order. It is also concentrated on describing past work responsibilities, skills, and qualifications.
A scholarship resume can be written in any format including functional or cross-sectional. Past work experience and achievements are often discussed briefly, focusing on key points only.
You pass a scholarship CV to apply for a scholarship, while a scholarship resume will do for a scholarship interview.
How to Write Outstanding Academic CV for Scholarship?
Your scholarship CV should reflect your personality, skills, and growth as an international student. It will not only serve as proof of your academic, athletic or artistic abilities, but it’s a way for grantors to grasp why you deserve a scholarship grant.
1. Collecting Information
Collect as much information as you can related to your past education. This includes academic records, extracurricular activities, involvement in school-based or community-based organizations, awards, certificates, etc.
Then, filter the information you collected from most to least important. Analyze which ones really represent you well as a student.
2. CV Organization
A good CV is an organized CV. You can follow the list below on how to organize your scholarship CV:
- Personal Information and Contact Details
- Objective/s or Professional Summary
- Educational Background / Academic Qualifications
- Past Work Experience in chronological order (if any)
- Highlights on soft and technical skills / abilities
- List of academic, athletic, or artistic achievements in descending order
- A list of character references (if necessary)
3. Providing Necessary and Useful Information
When adding information to your scholarship CV, make sure to only add relevant and useful information, and leave out the ones that only lengthen your CV without giving it depth.
Don’t add information that you cannot support when scrutinized or asked. If you added information on an award that you received, prepare documents or records that would prove its legitimacy once requested.
More importantly, be honest. The committee who will decide on your application has the right to deny you a scholarship if you added false or untruthful information in your CV.
4. Check for Errors
Proofread your CV once you’re done. First, check on technical errors including grammar and punctuation use.
Then, go through your CV again and analyze if your CV is missing a few important details or if there is information that needs to be removed.
It will be helpful to have another person look at your CV, just in case there are mistakes that you missed on your first few proofreading.
Scholarship CV Format
Here are a few things to remember when formatting your scholarship CV:
- Your scholarship CV should be one to two pages long only
- Bold words for headings and highlights
- Use Times New Roman or Arial as font styles
- Refrain from adding badly combined design and colors
- Use bullets and break sections
An exceptional academic CV makes all the difference when applying for a scholarship to study in the US. If you really want to stand out in the selection process, read more of our tips here at MSM Unify to find out what it takes to land a scholarship.
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