Previous winners share advice for Circle of Fellows scholarship applicants

Are you a Grade 12 student thinking of applying to the Circle of Fellows scholarship program?

Applying to a prestigious scholarship program with so much at stake – two years of full tuition, opportunities for leadership development, personalized mentorship, and more – can be intimidating. But rest assured, the scholarship committee just wants to get to know you through your application.

Our current and previous Junior Fellows have been in your shoes and experienced it all – from brainstorming what to write about in their leadership essays to stepping into their panel interview to saying “yes” to Corpus Christi College and to this scholarship program. We asked previous winners to share one piece of advice with Grade 12 students who are working on their Circle of Fellows applications. Here are their insider tips to make your application shine.

• Focus on being authentic rather than the "perfect applicant." Share your strengths, weaknesses, passions and goals. – Emma
• Review everything you have done throughout high school, pick the things that made the most impact in your community and talk about those. It's your story and no one can tell it better than you. – Anthony
• Don’t undermine any of your experiences when listing them in your application. Mention anything and everything that has shaped you into the person you are today, regardless of how big or small the opportunity. – Agam
• Instead of writing to sound impressive, I wrote more towards what matters to me. I chose to prove why my acts of service (or leadership) are valuable to me and why I’m passionate about them. When you write in a way that shows not only what you love to do but why, it’s easy for the people reading your application to read through the lines and discover who you are as a person, as well as your character. My tip is this: don’t just show the opportunities you’ve been given, show what they’ve meant to you and why they are so meaningful. Use your application as a chance to display who you are. – Sawyer
• Share your beautiful self. I shared my story and my love of service in the scholarship application then was invited for an interview. The panel members were so caring and I already felt very comfortable. The interview was more of an engaging conversation with them. – Raisa
• One tip I would recommend is connecting your experiences. Rather than listing everything, choose certain activities that have impacted you and explain how you've grown into and can be a capable leader. – Maria Therese
• When writing your application, really focus on how your experiences have shaped who you are today, whether that be academically, or through extra-curriculars or volunteer positions. Write about what you did, what you learned and how this will help you be a leader at Corpus through the COF program. Best of luck to all the applicants, I am so excited for you all! – Lauren

Our Junior Fellows are rooting for your success and are eager for you to join them next fall. Apply by February 1!

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