A Bear's Life: Student Stories

Student stories from our peer counselors

Archives for January 2024

Foundational Scholarship Application (Spring 2024, Week 3)

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Welcome Back Missouri State Bears! In my first blog post for the semester, I have a confession to make: I’ve never applied for the Missouri State University Foundation Annual Scholarship until this year. I’m writing this post to advise all who are reading to apply. Don’t make the same mistake I did!

 

What is the Missouri State University Foundation Annual Scholarship?

According to MSU’s Foundation Scholarship page, “The Missouri State University Foundation Annual Scholarship Application automatically applies students for nearly 1,000 donor-funded scholarship opportunities at Missouri State University for the 2024 – 2025 Academic School Year.” The application is available from November 1, 2023 – April 1, 2024. All current undergraduate and graduate students, as well as all incoming freshmen, transfer students, and graduate students starting at Missouri State University in Fall 2024 are eligible to apply. Something important to note is that the application is for “Donor-Funded Scholarships at Missouri State University only. It is not for University, State, or Federally funded financial aid.” To access the application students will login to My Missouri State University and locate the “Financial Aid and Scholarship” card. Students can click the “MSU Foundation Scholarships” link to access the form. The Application Deadline is April 1, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. 

 

Why I Didn’t Apply for the MSU Foundation Scholarship and Why I Wish I Did

As I confessed at the start of the post, this was my first year applying for the scholarship despite being able to able to apply for the past three years. I hadn’t heard of this scholarship opportunity as an incoming freshman so I want to ensure that others are aware that opportunity is available. For the following years, the university did a great job advertising the information and making it publicized and this is where I told myself the lie that too many students would apply and I wouldn’t stand out. The reality is that while a majority of the student body does apply for the scholarship, a wide range of criteria increases the opportunity for students to benefit. Examples of criteria that factor into the application are the applicant’s “major, high school attended, outstanding academic achievement, leadership and/or financial need.” Something else I had assumed before even opening the application was that the application would take a long time to complete. This year I opened the application over the holiday break so that I could sit down and focus on the task. What I found was that students can save progress on the application as they go so it can be broken down into smaller parts and done over time without losing your work. A progress bar was included at the top of the page which I found to be helpful motivation. After completing the application, I learned the process does not take long at all and that if you divide the requirements into smaller sections it becomes much easier to tackle.

Tips When Completing the Application

The biggest tip I have when filling out any scholarship application is to have an updated running list of all of your accomplishments, skills, grades, and leadership experiences. Remembering what all you’ve done or discerning what is worthy enough to go into an application can be tricky but I found talking it out to be helpful. The Success Coaches and Peer Mentors in the CAST office are a great resource before writing your application. Meeting with a coach or mentor can help you map out what experiences to write about and help name skills you might not have known you even had. Recommendation letters are always a good piece to include in a scholarship application but can be uncomfortable to ask for if it is your first time. Coaches and mentors can also help guide you in writing a request for a recommendation letter or brainstorming who to ask for one. 

 

Takeaways

If there is one thing that I’ve learned about this process, it is that I wish I had done it sooner. If you are reading this and you haven’t filled out the application, I strongly encourage you to do so. If you have already completed the application or you’ve started the process, pat yourself on the back and direct others to this post to encourage them to do the same. 

[Information found on the MSU Foundation Scholarship page ]

~Aubrey

(Bio: My name is Aubrey Hardy, a junior studying special needs education. Fun fact: I grew up on a farm.)

How to Join a Full Course (Spring 2024, Week 1)

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Hello again, Bears! I am so happy to be back for another semester and another blog post. Welcome back! I hope you had an excellent Winter Break and some relaxing time off. I thought I would use my post for this week to talk about a topic that I experienced myself this semester. Have you ever been prepared to register for a course that you really want to take only to find out on registration day that it’s full? Many students, myself included, have woken up to this disappointment on their registration date, but if this happens to you, don’t panic! There are a couple of things you can do to increase your chances of getting into a full class. Here are some tips that I have used to successfully enroll in a full class.  

Join the Waitlist

The first thing that you can do to make the likelihood of you being able to join a full class higher is join the waitlist. You can do this through the same portal that you would use to register for a class if the class has a waitlist available. The waitlist is a way for you to, as the word implies, wait for a spot in the class to open up. If a student registered for the class drops the class, you’ll be notified through your Missouri State email address and given 24 hours to register for it. If you don’t register in those 24 hours, the spot will be given to the next student on the waitlist. That’s why it’s important for you to join the waitlist as soon as possible, frequently check the registration portal to see if any students have dropped the course, and check your email often. You can learn more about waitlisting a course on the Missouri State website.  

Contact the Instructor of the Course 

If you’re unable to enroll in a course after joining the waitlist, the next step is to contact the instructor of the course. Typically, students will contact the instructors of the course after being unsuccessful on the waitlist to ask for a registration override. A registration override takes place when the instructor or the department heading the course you’re attempting to join increases the number of seats available in the course and/or enters the registration system and allows you to register for a spot even if the class is full. When contacting professors about registration overrides, it’s important to be kind and understanding. Depending on the department, the instructor may not have control over whether or not a registration override will be permitted to you, and sometimes they cannot increase the course capacity even under special circumstances. In some cases, you may not be able to receive an override for the class. In the same way that it is crucial for you to continuously check your email after joining the waitlist, it’s also necessary for you to consider alternative options for any class you were hoping to take that’s full. If you are unable to join a course through the waitlist and you are not granted a registration override before the change of schedule period ends, you will not be able to take that particular course. 

Takeaways

I hope that these tips will help you in future semesters if you ever encounter a full class. If you’re experiencing this issue currently, remember that the change of schedule period this semester takes place from Tuesday, January 16th to Monday, January 22nd, and you have until then to drop any courses that you’re enrolled in for a full refund or enroll in a different class.

If you have any other questions about joining full classes, you can visit our amazing Peer Mentors and Success Coaches here in the CAST office, or request to meet with one of us through our online request form. This semester, we’re also offering drop-in hours on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Come and see us! Otherwise, I hope you have a great second week of the semester, and I will see you soon in a future blog post! 

~Hallie  

(Bio: I am a junior out-of-state student studying Creative Writing and Philosophy.)