6 Key Tips To Make Your Scholarship Application Shine
Make your application stand out from the crowd by following these simple ideas.
1. Read and Follow the Instructions Carefully
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Everything you need to know about the Maths Scholarship application process is easily available on the Mathematics Scholarships website – there are no trick questions and everything you need to do is clearly laid out and completely transparent. Additionally, if you do have questions after reading the website, you can also attend guidance webinars or reach out to the friendly Scholarships Team.
As a candidate it is important to follow the instructions carefully, as it shows that you care about the process and are serious about becoming a Maths Scholar.
2. Attention to Detail
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All teachers need to have a good level of attention to detail to be effective in their roles. From filling in registers to being alert to any potential safeguarding concerns, having a good level of attention to detail is important.
This is also true when applying to the Maths Scholarships. Running your personal statement through spell checker is only the start, you should also choose a couple of trusted friends or colleagues to read it through and give advice. Even if you are an ace at writing, you can miss your own errors, so it is always vital to get someone else to check your applications.
For the Interview part of the Assessment, you are given the main questions in advance, so make sure you practice talking through your answers with somebody else. Pay attention to the wording of the question – are you answering what is being asked of you?
3. Allow Sufficient Time
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There are lots of applications to the Maths Scholarships, so it’s worth ensuring you take the time needed to do your best. It is obvious to the assessors when a candidate has not put in much effort, and it can lead to them not showing their full potential. Putting in effort is hard to define, but could include the following:
- Reading the Maths Scholarships website thoroughly and noting down important points.
- Making multiple revisions to your application form and personal statement.
- Practising your interview answers.
- Consulting the national curriculum, textbooks, BBC Bitesize and other teaching websites.
- Doing in depth research for your 3-minute interview presentation.
- Talking about your presentation and interview answers with current maths teachers or others.
A good application will take time but will be fully worth it.
4. Prepare For Your Interview
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All teachers need to be effective communicators, and you need to make sure this comes across at the interview stage. You might be a natural communicator, but there are still a few potential pitfalls and things to take into consideration:
- Your interview will be online. It is important to practise answering questions in this context. When you practise your interview questions with a friend, make sure that you try out some of your answers online. You could set up a call with them, rather than practising in person.
- Practise, practise, practise. You will be given the interview questions in advance so you should be thoroughly prepared. You should also try practising possible follow up questions which you won’t be given in advance. However, it is important to note that you shouldn’t be reading out your answers from a script, you will sound far too wooden!
- During the interview try to relax, your assessors are not there to catch you out, they want to hear what you have to share with them, and for you to do as well as you can.
5. Originality and Use of AI Tools
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We are all living in a rapidly changing world when it comes to the use of Artificial Intelligence. The Scholarships Team don’t currently prohibit the use of AI tools to help you write your personal statement. However, an over reliance on AI can still hamper your application, and it is often obvious when AI has been used without any careful thought or further editing.
- It is best to avoid using AI tools to write your personal statement but rather write the basis of your personal statement yourself, as this will allow your own unique voice to shine through.
- If you do use AI, then you still need to edit what it produces. Treat the AI as a tool to help you along the way.
- You still need to keep to the facts. You can’t include anything false, just because AI wrote it for you!
When you are considering whether to use AI tools, you might want to think about this quote from one of our assessors:
“Personal statements which are written by AI can feel really impersonal. They often have a tone which doesn’t feel quite right. I want to hear from the candidates themselves and why they are passionate about becoming a maths teacher” – Scholarships Assessor
6. Passion
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One of the things that successful scholars have in common is that they are passionate about their profession. They care deeply about mathematics education and want the best for their students. Let your passion shine through at every stage of your application and try to give specific examples where you can. Remember that you have a unique set of skills and experiences and let this show in your application.
Essential Further Reading
Scholarship Eligibility Criteria
Application Process Guidance
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