When you hear about a free vacation, it’s hard to resist becoming excited. You should go beyond just expressing your excitement at the prospect of free climbing Kilimanjaro, Mount Baker, or Kosciuszko if you want your Summit Scholarship application to stand out. Applicants for the Summit Scholarship are considered only if they demonstrate a commitment to the values held by the Summit Scholarship Foundation. We consider what a life-changing experience such an excursion could be for the lucky scholar. Finally, we try to find applicants who can prove they have a real financial need.
We, the members of the Summit Scholarship Foundation’s Board of Directors, recognise that selecting beneficiaries is an imperfect art form and do our best to eliminate bias and provide a level playing field by first reviewing all applications anonymously, without identifying information such as names or demographics. However, we are aware that there are always far more deserving candidates than there are scholarships.
Here are some things you may do to strengthen your application:
Discover the history, goals, and inspiration of the AWE Summit Scholarship Foundation and the Summit Scholarship programme by reading this article. Tell us how your personal experiences relate to that mission.
Do not boost your chances of winning a scholarship by applying to as many expeditions as possible at random. Choose one (or more) of the many available scholarships that really pique your interest after some study. Demonstrate that you have a good grasp of the differences between the Australian Alpine Academy and Aconcagua by explaining what each experience comprises. We can better grasp the trip’s transformational power in realising your lofty mountain objectives if you tell us how a specific scholarship opportunity can help you achieve your goals (and maybe even give back to your community)!
We aren’t requesting your bank records, but if there’s a particular reason why you’re having trouble paying for an excursion with cash, inform us. Is your academic career on hold? Unmarried mother? Have you been through a major transition recently? It is important to remember that having low funds is not the only criterion for a successful application; occasionally, we will choose a Summit Scholarship winner who shows outstanding commitment to the Foundation’s purpose regardless of their financial situation.
If you need to, you may find the application questions for each scholarship on their own landing pages. You can download them and complete them offline. Pay attention to the word limit and the purpose of each inquiry. Being precise and brief will be very helpful.
Additional information regarding the application process:
There will be no popularity contests in the Summit Scholarship selection process. A small social media following is not necessarily a bad thing. Actually, we aren’t even going to ask for your social media handles when you apply!
Notify us if you have submitted applications to the Summit Scholarship programme for more than one year. We will take into consideration the fact that some of our previous Summit Scholarship winners applied many times in the event that we need a tiebreaker when making our final decisions.
Dismantling obstacles is the goal of the Summit Scholarship. Previous mountaineering or even backpacking experience is not required for the majority of our scholarships. To ensure that the scholarships you are applying for are a suitable fit, we kindly request that you provide some information about your outdoor and endurance background. Please note that this assessment is an overlay that occurs at the very end of the application review process and does not factor into the earlier stages.
Every year, there are far more deserving students than scholarship funds, and there is no foolproof method. Seven women were selected for the Summit Scholarships from more than 600 applicants last year, making it statistically more selective than Harvard University’s admissions process.
Also, if you’re still on the fence about applying, consider this: your application helps the Summit Scholarship Foundation build more scholarships down the road, regardless of whether you get one or not. Why? Because as the number of applications grows, the need for these scholarships becomes more apparent, and sponsors become more enthusiastic about providing financial assistance for the programme. As a result, we are able to provide more scholarships. More than that, you will encourage many other women to dream bigger dreams by writing your application, taking a risk on something significant, and then sharing your story. Therein lies the process of empowerment.
So, why hesitate any longer? Do it for yourself if you’re still unsure. Carry it out for the benefit of your friends, family, coworkers, and daughter. Do it in our name.
