Hi GIE club members, Bree here! If you’re in year 12 and the end of the year is starting to look scarily close, don’t fear. We’re here to help you navigate the confusing process that scholarship applications can sometimes be. Let’s do this!
Finding which UNSW scholarships to apply for
Are you wondering ‘how do I even apply for a Women in Engineering scholarship?’ Well, I’m so glad you asked. There a multitude of scholarships available at UNSW and it may be hard to make sure you apply for all the Women in Engineering scholarships possible.
First off, head to the UNSW Scholarships website. All of the Women in Engineering Scholarships are listed under ’Women in Engineering Scholarships UGCE1400‘, on the UNSW Scholarships home page. Some of the WIE Scholarships are specific to a particular discipline of engineering (like Civil or Renewable Energy Engineering), but others are general (you can study any type of engineering to be eligible). The UNSW Women in Engineering scholarship applications are really handy in the sense that you don’t have to apply for every individual WIE scholarship – your one scholarship application will span all possible scholarships that you are eligible for!
If you are coming from interstate I would also highly recommend applying for the ‘Faculty of Engineering Elite Interstate Women Scholarship UGCE1244’. This can be found on the UNSW Scholarships page in ‘search & apply’.
My tip: Make sure to check out the website early so you have time to go through it carefully and ensure you know what is available to you.
What to include in your application
Your application will ask you a series of questions so no need to stress about writing an essay! It will ask you to list your academic achievements and extra-curricular activities – I can’t encourage you enough to ‘toot your own horn’ and put everything you possibly can. Every little leadership role, event or competition you participated in, or achievement counts.
If you participated in a public speaking competition an example would be “2018 Lions Youth of the Year participant” or if you have a First Aid qualification, you can write “Level 1 First Aid Certificate”. These show that you are participating in extra-curricular activities as well as demonstrating other skills outside of academia. Even writing down musical hobbies and performing arts looks really good, it shows you have commitment and diverse interests outside of academia.
The application will then ask you to elaborate on these events or ask you questions regarding experiences. Make sure to use formal language but make your answers meaningful. That means no contractions however don’t sound like a robot, they want to know who you are! Take advantage of the word limit and try and fill it up as much as possible.
My experience as a scholarship recipient
I can’t stress enough how grateful I am as a Women in Engineering scholarship recipient and what a great opportunity this experience is. For me it has meant I’ve been able to study my passion at the institute I wanted.
I’ve been able to move interstate, follow my goals and have a myriad of cool experiences along the way – opportunities that I had never even considered before attending UNSW! I’ve taught primary school students how to build prosthetic legs at the 2018 Invictus Games, I’ve been a part of realising a clothing brand to promote gender equality within engineering and I’ve even had the chance to speak at an engineering evening giving a student perspective as a scholarship recipient.
I encourage you all to apply for this incredible opportunity and I hope these tips and tricks help you in the process! Best of luck to you all!