Written by Greta Porter
Charles Sturt University’s scholarship ceremony for Bathurst and Orange students was held on Friday 20 May, and I was very fortunate to be one of this year’s recipients.
Each year, Charles Sturt University offers more than 300 scholarships to students across all their campuses thanks to the generosity of their donors. The scholarship ceremony provides students with the perfect opportunity to meet their donors, thank them and get to know each other a bit better.
Here’s how I got the scholarship
I sat down at my laptop one day in January and smashed out 13 scholarship applications simply by using the scholarships portal and entering my details e.g. degree, campus, study mode. From there, an abundance of scholarships I was eligible for popped up and I started the process of applying and filling out the applications.
February rolled around when I received the email saying I’d been successful in getting the Carole and Stan Droder Scholarship – I was quite literally in disbelief. I accepted the offer, sent a thank you letter and before you know it, I was invited to the ceremony to formally receive my certificate.
Monumental impact
These scholarships and the generosity of the donors are what makes Charles Sturt stand out. Knowing there are people who want to support you and want to help you reach your goals is something I’ll be forever thankful for because it truly goes a long way.
This scholarship has instilled some much-needed motivation, especially after the last 2 years of switching back and forth between face to face and online learning, along with several cancelled placements. I cannot wait to finish my degree at the end of next year and I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing I’ll have the funds to get me there. I’ll be using the money from this scholarship for living costs such as my accommodation here on campus, groceries, bills, my car and the many extra costs associated with a teaching degree such as the LANTITE exams, first aid training, textbooks and placements.
So worthwhile
If you’re thinking about applying for a scholarship – do it! Don’t count yourself out because you never know what you could be eligible for. My tips would be to make sure you give detail and examples within your responses, show a passion for your degree and career aspirations, provide any extra documentation the application requires, answer all of the questions (yes surprisingly some people don’t), and finally, apply early so you don’t miss out.
Applying around December for the next year is ideal, especially because some of the bigger scholarships close in January (I nearly missed out on this Carole and Stan Droder Scholarship by a mere day or two).
Happy applying and thank you again to my generous donors!
