How to Choose Between Medical Scholarships
Any education that you choose to undertake is likely to be expensive. You have first of all to consider your living costs, if you can live at home, that is likely to represent a huge saving for you but if you are living away, accommodation costs can be expensive and can mount up. Then there is food, clothing and books. You may also want to join in with the social life of the institution and you may also want to be able to go on holiday to relax and get away from the pressures of studying. Many students choose to take a part time job which helps with some of the expenses but a part time job will not cover everything, if you are lucky you may have family members who will support and help you financially.
If you are choosing to study for a long period of time, it is an idea to consider looking for some other means of finance and one that is considered is the scholarship.Scholarships are available for many disciplines and medical scholarships are commonly sought due to the demands and the duration of the medical course but how would you go about choosing between medical scholarships?
Eligibility
Read the eligibility criteria and decide whether you meet the requirements in order to be considered. There is no point in spending time and effort on an application process if you do not meet even the basic requirements. To be eligible, some scholarships may require you to demonstrate an interest or an active role in a particular medical activity and some scholarships will only be awarded to those who do not have parental support or who have limited financial support from their parents.
Application
There are different ways to apply for different scholarships, it may be the case that you apply on your own behalf or it may be the case that someone applies for you. You may need a reference or letters of recommendation from a tutor or a teacher or someone who holds a position of prominence within your community.
Work / Study
Some medical scholarships require that you attend events / programmes, perhaps during your holiday time. Other scholarships may require you to submit a written piece of carefully thought out information and some may require that you complete a period of voluntary work to show your commitment to your local community. There are also scholarships where you have to agree to spend a period of time after you qualify working under certain restrictions. It may be that they require you work in an area of deprivation or need for a period of time and that could mean travelling abroad at the end of your study. Some scholarships come with no requirements so that could be a deciding factor for some.
There is no guarantee that you will be accepted for a scholarship programme so it is important to consider other ways of funding your education without having to take out too many loans, so prepare early and maybe save up if you can.