In addition to the obligatory common forms, nearly all scholarships require additional documents — most commonly Confidential Evaluation Forms, essays, or a list of references. Information, instructions and advice for each of these types of documents can be found below. Students with further questions on these or any supplementary documents that are not discussed here should email Ms. Ownby (sarah.ownby@hoodriver.k12.or.us), Ms. Bauer (riley.bauer@hoodriver.k12.or.us) or Ms. Bauman (meleah.bauman@hoodriver.k12.or.us).
Note: Students must submit their common forms through Kaleidoscope before they will be able to apply for any individual scholarships / submit supplementary documents
Start early on your essays and other supplementary documents, and don’t forget to make use of writing labs and other students resources.
Essays & Personal Statements
A scholarship essay / personal statement is a chance for students to introduce themselves to a scholarship committee in their own words. These statements are an opportunity to discuss your accomplishments, experiences, and your goals and hopes for the future. As such, the essay / statement is an important part of your scholarship application and students are encouraged to be thoughtful and thorough when planning, writing, and editing scholarships essays.
The Essay Bank
The essay bank is an optional program that allows scholarships to share identical essay prompts. This allows applicants to apply to more scholarships with fewer essays. Essay prompts are listed on all tables, and students can browse by prompt using the scholarship tags on the side of the screen.
The scholarship prompts are below.
Essays have a maximum length of 700 words.
- Goals: What are your academic and career goals, and how will this scholarship help you achieve them?
- Service: Discuss the role that service has played in your life, and how that commitment has shaped your objectives for college and beyond. Please pick a few examples from your volunteer experiences and write about how those influenced your commitment to helping others.
- Personal Growth: The lessons we take from life experiences can be fundamental to later success. Describe a challenge/setback, event, accomplishment, or realization that sparked personal growth and deepened your understanding of yourself or others. In your response, explain how this experience influenced your perspective or shaped who you are today.
- Agriculture: How has agriculture impacted your life? What do you plan to study, and what influenced you to choose this field of study?
- Athletics: Describe how your chosen sport (or sports) have impacted your life in a positive way, and how you intend to pay it forward and inspire others
- Music & Arts: Discuss the role that music, performing arts, or visual arts have played in your life, your personal goals, the role you hope it will play in your future.
- Rotary: The Hood River Rotary Club is a community service organization whose motto is “Service Above Self.” Established in 1927, the Club is part of Rotary International, a global network of more than 45,000 clubs and 1.2 million members. In 400 to 700 words, write an essay on what “Service Above Self” means to you. Share at least one example of your community service and describe the effect it had on you personally and on those you served. Reflect on how this concept relates to your own motives and values, and discuss your plans and aspirations for life after high school, including how you might incorporate community service into your future.
Plan:
- Always follow instructions regarding word/page limits, spacing, content, and any other specific rules.
- Learn about the scholarship organization and their values; know your audience.
- Jot down your thoughts or any points you want to mention in your essay.
Write:
- Never wait until the last minute to start writing your essay.
- Use a formal essay structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion.
- Be yourself! Remember, the scholarship committee wants to get to know you.
- Be professional. Use standard English, minimize the use of exclamation points, and save the lols / memes for social media.
Proofread:
- Always proofread your essay before submitting.
- Double check the formatting rules and requirements; make sure you followed the word/page limits.
- Ask a teacher, parent or friend with strong writing skills to proofread your essay (give them time to read and give feedback)
Confidential Evaluation Forms (CEF)
Confidential Evaluation Forms (CEF) are short evaluation that some local scholarships require. They are different from your letter of recommendation.
- Letter of Recommendation: shared with scoring committees for every scholarship you apply for
- Confidential Evaluation: only shared with the specific scholarship that requires the evaluation.
CEFs are a way for a scoring committee to hear more about an applicant from a specific person, usually related to the theme of the scholarship. For example, a music scholarship may want to hear from a performing arts teacher or music instructor, or a medical scholarship may want to hear from a science teacher. The scholarship will specify exactly who needs to provide the form
Advice for Requesting a Confidential Evaluation Form- Always give the person completing a CEF as much notice as possible.
- Do not wait for the deadline to request a CEF.
- Ask if there is any other information they would like you to provide about your classes, activities, etc.
- If you decide not to apply for a scholarship, let them know immediately.
- Always send a thank you note regardless of whether you receive the scholarship.
List of References
Scholarship committees may ask applicants for one or more ‘references’, also known as a ‘List of References’. A reference is an individual in your life (teacher, coach, mentor, employer, etc.) who can vouch for your character, skills, and goals. A reference does not use a confidential evaluation form. Instead, students provide the names and contact information for one or more individuals (depending on the scholarship) and the scholarship committee contacts your references while reviewing your application.
Advice for Your List of References- A reference should be someone who knows you well and who will be your cheerleader.
- Always ask someone to be your reference before listing them as a reference.
- Always ask which email and/or phone number they would prefer you use.
- Email your reference a link to the scholarship(s) for which they are listed as a reference so that they are informed and prepared when contacted by the scholarship committee.
- Ask if there is any other information your reference would like you to provide about your classes, activities, etc.
- If you decide not to apply for a scholarship, let your reference know.
- Always send a thank you note to your reference regardless of whether you receive the scholarship.
