Scholarships are ways of helping talented students who might have financial challenges. My uncle told me a story that might be helpful to you. He said during his days at OAU (the late 80s), they had a student who the school sponsored from the 100 level to the 500 level. The boy came from a humble background, and the only thing that can help him have a financially stress-free journey is securing a scholarship. The condition was that the overall best student for each level every session would be on sponsorship. Knowing this, the boy thought that he always needed to be the best overall to help him access the opportunities throughout his stay at OAU. So, he stuck to being the best, which helped him graduate without financial hurdles.
Another benefit of a scholarship, aside from the financial help, is that it gives your resume a positive outlook. Most lucrative jobs require you to show them your past awards or achievements. With multiple scholarships to your credit, you can tell them you are an achiever. There is a saying that if you have a proven track record of success and achievements, it won’t be difficult to replicate it in the role the company gives you.
Knowing what you stand to benefit then you must know how to secure one, which is the essence of this article.
Excellent CGPA
Most scholarships require that you have a minimum of 3.5. However, I suggest a minimum of 4.0 on a scale of 5. You cannot rule out the competitive nature of any scholarship. The number of students applying from many tertiary institutions can be huge. So, if you want to avoid being among those that will be weeded out from the first stage, your CGPA should be strong. Most of the oldest scholarships in Nigeria always screen applicants after the deadline has closed and then shortlist those who will sit for the CBT. Your performance at the screening test will determine whether you will be among the beneficiaries. In addition, the awardee also requires that you maintain a good CGPA if you want to enjoy the aid continuously.
So, if you are interested in becoming one of the beneficiaries, you must be committed to having a good GPA when you are at the 100 level. You must have the determination, plan, commitment to studying, and exam-taking strategies to actualize an excellent CGPA. It will even be better if you target a first class (>= 4.5).
Search for one
We are in the information age. Some websites are known for providing opportunities to students. So, your responsibility is to subscribe to them, and once they are published, you will get the notification on your phone. There are more than one hundred scholarships in Nigeria, most of which are for students in the 100 level and 200 level. Once you miss any of them when you are in the 100 level or 200 level, the probability of getting scholarships might be low aside from the ones offered by the state government, which makes them available to students irrespective of your level. However, state government scholarships are erratic as they are subject to changes in government. The beneficiaries might be neglected once the government that started it is out of office; the inability to continue the good works of the previous administration is a challenge in Nigeria.
Preparation for Screening Exercise
Most awardees of these scholarships conduct screening exercises for those shortlisted. This is a way to test the students’ aptitude and reduce the number of applicants. Every awardee has a certain number of students to whom they want to offer the opportunity. For example, if the NNPC/SNEPCO scholarship is announced, the number of applicants that turns in applications are always in the thousands. However, the number of students who will be a beneficiary may not be up to 200. During the process, there will be a first stage, which might see those with lower GPAs leave the race. So, the second stage will be conducted, with only those with high aptitude scores winning the scholarships.
This is why you master the act of taking an aptitude test. The first thing is to know whether the question will require quantitative and verbal reasoning and, in some cases, current affairs or something different. Once you understand how the exam will go, you can start working on various materials to help you do well. Also, you must be fast and accurate when answering the questions during testing. Spending more time on one question may lower efficiency and lead to failure. This is not to say you must rush and answer the questions aimlessly. No! The time that will be given will be short. So, it would help if you devised a strategy to enhance your speed and accuracy. Don’t forget that you are competing with the best students from different schools. So, your approach must be the one that will give you a competitive advantage.
