Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Greetings from Athens, GA! My name is Michele Pearson, and I'm on the board of directors
here at Jeannette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund (JRF for short). We're a non-profit organization
that awards scholarships to low-income women ages 35 and older. In this video, I'll review
the scholarship application process and address some frequently asked questions about our
scholarship. You can apply starting November 1st each year, and our deadline is March 1st.
Our application process will take time to complete, so don't wait until the last minute.
First of all, I'm going to start with some basics - our eligibility requirements. JRF
only awards scholarships to low-income women, ages 35 and older. To find out if you meet
the income guidelines, check the chart on our website or on the Eligibility Requirements
page on the online application. You must also be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident pursuing
an undergraduate degree at an accredited college or university in the United States. Please
review our eligibility requirements on our website at www.rankinfoundation.org/students
or on the Eligibility Requirements page of the online application. If you apply but do
not meet all of these requirements, your application will be disqualified. Once you've reviewed
the eligibility requirements and are sure that you're eligible to apply, go to www.rankinfoundation.org/students/applications,
then click the link that says "Apply for a JRF Scholarship." This link will take you
to our home page of our online application. Read more about our scholarship program on
this page, then create an account by clicking the "Sign Up" button on the right hand side
of the screen. You will need to provide us with your full name and e-mail address. Then,
create a password and select "New Applicant." Even if you've applied for a scholarship from
us before, unless you were actually awarded a scholarship last year, you'll need to select
"New Applicant." You do not need an access code, so leave that field blank. Select your
time zone, then click "Register." After signing up, you'll receive an e-mail from FluidReview,
our application developers, with a verification link. Check your e-mail, click the link, and
then you'll be logged in to your personal application homepage. Confirm that your category
is "New Applicant," then click the "Get Started" button. Next, you'll see your personal dashboard
showing your progress through the application process with each step marked as an individual
task. You'll need to complete each task before you can submit the application. The first
step is to review the eligibility requirements one more time by clicking the link and visiting
the Eligibility Requirements page. Remember, your application will be disqualified if you
are not eligible but complete the application anyway. Once you've reviewed the eligibility
requirements, click the back button on your internet browser and return to your dashboard.
Next, we ask that you read the instructions for completing the application by clicking
the link on your dashboard. As you read, you can begin gathering all of the materials you'll
need to complete the application. After you've read the full instructions, click the back
button to go back to your dashboard. After reading the eligibility requirements and instructions,
you are now ready to move forward to the scholarship application form. This where you'll provide
basic information about yourself, your school, your household, your income and expenses,
and your work and volunteer history. We use the application form to determine your eligibility,
so if your responses indicate that you're not eligible to apply, your application will
be disqualified and you will not be able to complete the remaining tasks. Click the link
to go to the "Scholarship Application Form." Your name and e-mail address will already
be filled in. Section A covers basic information - your address and telephone number, citizenship
status, and gender identity. To show that you meet the age qualification, you must type
your date of birth in the space provided. Only women ages 35 and older are eligible
to apply for JRF scholarships. If you're not going to be 35 or older by March 1, even if
you miss the cutoff by one day, you will not be eligible to apply this year. You must also
identify yourself as a woman and as a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to apply for
one of our awards. Section B is for your previous education. In section B, simply select the
option that represents the highest level of education that you've completed. If you've
already earned a bachelor's degree or a graduate degree, you are not eligible to apply. It
does not matter how long ago you completed the degree or if it's in an entirely different
field. However, if you hold a technical, vocational, or associate's degree and plan to pursue another
degree, you are eligible to apply. Section C asks about your plans for the upcoming fall
term. Here, list your current school if you're already enrolled, the school you plan to attend
in the fall, and the state your school is located in. You'll also need to tel us what
type of student you are. New Students are not yet enrolled in school OR have not been
enrolled long enough to receive a transcript. Current Students have completed at least one
full term and have received a transcript from their current school with courses dated within
the last 8 months. IF you are currently enrolled, but have not yet completed a full term to
receive a transcript, you are considered a new student for the purpose of this application.
Finally, if you are currently enrolled, but plan to attend a different college next year,
you're considered a Transfer Student. Please note that you must be accepted to an accredited
college or university and pursuing a technical, vocational, associate's or first bachelor's
degree to be eligible. If your school is not accredited by one of the agencies listed in
Section C, you will not be eligible to apply. To find out if your school is accredited by
one of the agencies we accept, call you school's admissions or financial aid office, or check
the school's website. We cannot tell you whether or not your school is accredited. After selecting
your school's accreditation type your major and choose your degree program, your start
date and expected graduation date, and state your career goals. At the bottom of the page
choose NEXT to continue to the next section, or select "Save and Continue Editing" to save
your work. In Section D, you will need to list the members of your household. For JRF's
purposes, a household is make up of partners or spouses, children, or family members who
share income and expenses. If you live with other people, but the living situation is
more like a "roommates" scenario where expenses are clearly divided among the members, you
should not count these people as part of your household. You will enter your household members
(including yourself), their age, and their relationship to you. Section E requires you
to estimate your income and your expenses for the upcoming school year. Do not list
monthly or weekly figures. You should not leave this section blank or write "don't know."
This will result in the application being disqualified. If you need to write "zero,"
you may do so. Just be sure not to leave any blanks, as many applications are disqualified
each year for incomplete financial information. When estimating you income and expenses, you
should take into consideration any changes that might occur between now and the start
of the school year. After you have entered your income for line 1a through 1h, please
verify your annual estimated take-home income by selecting the corresponding range provided.
If your estimated expenses exceed your estimated income, be sure to explain how you plan to
make up the difference. We do not require you to submit any tax forms or the FAFSA,
so please do not attempt to upload them with your application. In section F, you will need
to estimate your educational expenses for the upcoming school year. If you do not know
exactly how much your tuition, fees, books, supplies, or other expenses will be, please
contact your school's financial aid office. They should be able to give you an estimate
of expenses. When typing your educational expenses, do not include commas or dollar
signs. Please list only numbers. Finally, if your estimated tuition and fees exceeds
the national average listed on the application page by more than $500, please explain your
reasons for attending a school that is more expensive than the national average. If you
listed additional school expenses in line 3c, you'll need to explain those here as well.
Once you have completed Section F, click NEXT at the bottom of the page, or select "Save
and Continue Editing" to save your work. In Section G, please list your previous education,
work experience, volunteer experience, and any awards, honors, scholarships, or other
recognitions you'd like JRF to know about. This is the final page of the application
form. After completing it, click "Save and Exit" at the bottom of the page. You will
return to your dashboard. If the responses you provided in the application show that
you are not eligible for a JRF svholarship, you will not be able to access the remianing
tasks required to complete the application. If you are eligible, you will move forward
to the Personal Statement task. Under the Upload Your Personal Statement link, you'll
find the instructions for writing your personal statement. The personal statement is a very
important part of your application, and it will help is learn more about your life experiences
and goals. The statement must address all of the questions listed and should be between
500 and 1,000 words. After reading the instructions, you may type you personal statement in a separate
text editor, such a Microsoft Word, then save it as a PDF or a Microsoft Word document.
Upload the final draft using the button provided on the Personal Statement page. Next, you'll
provide the names and e-mail addresses of two references who will write a letter of
recommendation. Click the "Request a Recommendation" link to enter the reference's information.
After you enter their e-mail address, they will receive an e-mail instructing them to
complete a letter of recommendation for you. To enter your second reference's information,
click "Save and Exit" to return to your dashboard then click on the next "Request a Recommendation"
link and repeat the process. Letters should come from advisers, professors, or instructors,
but we understand that many of you are just enrolling and have not made those contacts
yet. Other suitable references are employers, counselors, co-workers, volunteer supervisors
or religious leaders. The recommendation letters should address your academic and career goals,
as well as your potential for success in your chosen field. More information on asking for
recommendation letters is included with your instructions for completing the application.
Please note that you cannot submit your application until your references submit their letters
of recommendation. These will show as "Pending" on your dashboard until they're submitted,
so feel free to follow up with your reference to make sure they've received our e-mail.
Your next step is to upload proof of acceptance or enrollment from your school. Based on your
response to the "student type" question in your application form, you'll be asked to
upload an acceptance letter, transcript, or both. If you won't start school until after
you apply, or if you haven't been enrolled for a full semester, you're considered a new
student and must upload an acceptance letter or a welcome letter verifying your enrollment.
Please note that we cannot accept a class schedule as proof of acceptance - it has to
be a letter from the school. If you've been in school for at least a full term, you're
considered a current student and must upload a transcript. We will accept an unofficial
transcript as long as it shows your name and your school's name; otherwise, you must upload
an official transcript. If you plane to transfer to another school in the fall, you're a transfer
student. You must upload a transcript from your current school and an acceptance letter
from the school to which you're transferring. For help uploading documents, click the "Upload
Instructions" link on your dashboard. Finally, we need your electronic signature to verify
that everything you've submitted is truthful. Click the "Provide Your Electronic Signature"
link, read the statement, and type your name in the box at the bottom of the page. After
typing your name and date, hit the "Save and Exit" button at the bottom of the screen to
return to your dashboard. When you return to your dashboard, you should look at your
progress - you're almost finished! Once you've completed each step of the process and your
references have submitted their letters of recommendation, you may submit your application.
The application deadline is 11:59pm Eastern standard time on March 1, so be sure to submit
it on time. We will consider all applications submitted online by the deadline, but we cannot
accept applications or materials by mail. Remember the JRF scholarships are competitive!
Submitting the application does not guarantee an award. If you're not selected this year,
we encourage you to apply again next year. If you any questions about the application
after viewing this video, watch it again, check out or Frequently Asked Questions Page,
and make sure you read the instructions completely! If you still have questions, send us an email
at info@rankinfoundation.org. From all of us at JRF, good luck!