Navigating Scholarship Webpages

Overview

There are thousands of scholarships made available each year across Canada. Millions of dollars from scholarships go unclaimed every year due to a lack of applicants. Some scholarships are general and can be given to anyone, while others have specific criteria that need to be met. When looking for scholarships, check the requirements and determine which ones are most relevant to you. This will help ensure that you spend time applying to the ones you have the best chance of receiving!

It’s important to be aware that when navigating scholarship webpages, there is a risk of coming across illegitimate scholarships and internet scams. Critically evaluate the webpages you visit to determine whether they’re safe and if the scholarships listed are legitimate.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the scholarship’s criteria and determine whether you meet the eligibility requirements.
• Learn how to safely navigate websites and online resources that list scholarships.
• Recognize potential scam attempts.

Keywords

#ArtificialIntelligence #EligibilityCriteria #FindingScholarships #InternetSafety

Finding Scholarships

Finding scholarships can be overwhelming! Start by talking to your guidance counsellor or grad coach to see how you can narrow down your search and find relevant scholarships. Ask them about the Scholarship Report, a newsletter published every two months with helpful resources, and if they can send the report to you to help with your search.

There are also many free scholarship search engines that you can use to help your search. Click on the drop-down bar below to explore some of the freely accessible databases you can use to find scholarships.

Identifying Relevant Scholarships

How do you know whether a scholarship is relevant to you? Each scholarship will have specific criteria for applicants to be considered for the award. To determine if a scholarship is the right fit for you, look at the eligibility requirements. You can either find the eligibility section on the scholarship page you’re interested in, or select CTRL+F or Command+F and search “eligibility” or “eligibility criteria.”

The eligibility requirements might be specific for a particular year or field of study, gender, race or ethnicity, family income level, involvement in an organization, or require a specific academic average. Some scholarships can only be given to candidates who meet all the criteria. In contrast, others may still award it to someone who doesn’t meet all the criteria if they’re the best applicant or if no applicant meets all the listed requirements.

Deciphering a Scholarship’s Criteria

Different scholarships will have different underlying purposes, and identifying these purposes will help you craft a competitive application. The purpose will usually relate closely to the values of the organization or institution awarding the scholarship. These scholarships usually highlight certain characteristics or values a successful candidate should possess. Closely reading the scholarship’s description and requirements will help you to identify what the selection committee is looking for and whether you would be a good fit.

Aligning With the Organization’s Values

Another factor to consider when applying for a scholarship is if you want to be associated with that company and their image if you get selected. Ask yourself, do the organization’s values and actions align with yours? Would you be proud to be associated with them? If yes, then it’s a great scholarship to apply to! Selection committees reading over your application will be more likely to choose you if your application demonstrates a passion that aligns with their interests.

Ensuring Legitimacy

Once you know you’re eligible and you understand the scholarship’s criteria, the next step is to ensure the scholarship is legitimate. One way to determine the legitimacy of a scholarship is to look into the associated organization’s webpage or social media, like their Instagram or LinkedIn. You can also try conducting a general search for that scholarship to see if you can find it on the website of the institution offering it.

Internet Safety

When exploring different scholarships you’re considering applying to, it’s important to be mindful of internet safety. There are many legitimate resources and sites that have been created to help students like you. However, some sites will try to scam you and gain access to your personal information. So, what is a phishing attempt? How can we identify a scam? Watch the video below to find out. [Transcript]

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) provides more information on how to recognize and avoid phishing attacks online. You can also learn how to protect yourself against fraud using the FCAC’s Financial Toolkit.

Identifying a Scam

While there are many legitimate scholarships listed on a lot of scholarship databases, illegitimate scholarships also exist. Sometimes, companies post that you can win a large amount of money to fund your education, such as by entering draws or competitions. Try to avoid these, as they usually want your personal information and are often scams. In general, scammers may try to reach you through:

The national public awareness campaign for cybersecurity in Canada, Get Cyber Safe, provides a list of cyber security jargon online.

Protecting Yourself From Phishing

There are different steps you can take to navigate the internet safely (Microsoft Support, 2023). It’s important that you think critically and carefully during the scholarship application process so that you, and your personal information, remain safe.

Here’s some information you should keep in mind:

• When creating passwords for the scholarship sites, make them unique from each other and your other passwords (IT Services, 2023).
• Be careful about what personal information you disclose. Some fake sites may ask for information, such as your Social Insurance Number (SIN), but this should NOT be shared (Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, 2022).

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security has an online resource that can help you to evaluate the strength of your passwords.

Receiving Scholarship Funds

Some scholarship organizations send scholarship funds directly to the post-secondary institution, either by cheque or electronically. Other organizations will send a cheque to the student directly. The cheque then needs to be submitted to the post-secondary institution as it requires their co-signature to cash it. Some other scholarship providers will require the student to obtain confirmation of enrolment at a post-secondary institution. This information typically becomes available once the student registers for courses.

Check Your Learning

Before you proceed, take a moment to review some of the content you’ve learned so far.

Glossary

Extracurriculars
Activities, associations, clubs, teams, and volunteer work that you participate in.

Fraudulent
Something that is deceitful, inaccurate, and typically used to trick people.

Hyperlink
A link that is activated by clicking on it and will then redirect you from one webpage to another.

Illegitimate
Not real or accurate.

Phishing
An attempt to trick someone into sharing sensitive information.

Quishing
Phishing attempt made through QR codes.

Scam
Dishonest practices that trick people into giving scammers their money or sensitive information.

Scholarships
A type of financial assistance to help pay for post-secondary education that you don’t have to pay back.

Scholarship Report
A comprehensive newsletter published every two months containing scholarship opportunities.

SMiShing
Phishing attempt made through text messages.

Vishing
Phishing attempt made through phone calls.

Transcripts

Video 3.1 transcript: [Narrator] “Have you or anyone you know been the target of an internet scam? Has your computer caught a virus and crashed? When you’re looking for scholarships and financial aid, you’ll naturally visit more websites and communicate with more people and organizations, so it’s important to be able to recognize which websites are legitimate and which are not. The first thing to keep an eye out for during your scholarship search are scams. Scams are dishonest practices that trick people into giving scammers their money or sensitive information. There are different kinds of scams. When you hear “phishing,” you probably think of something like this [character sits outdoors in a lawn chair by a pond with a fishing rod]. But phishing is also a type of scam. These types of scammers usually pretend to be individuals or organizations you know so that you’ll give them money or information. During a phishing attempt, a scammer might ask for your credit card or banking information, or for personal information, like your full name, date of birth, passwords, or Social Insurance Number. Spear phishing is a specific type of phishing that targets you personally, and may include personalized details about you, such as your recent online activity or purchases. Phishing attempts are less likely to succeed when you’re aware of how they operate because they rely on your active participation and trust. Knowing how to recognize potential scams will make sure you stay safe online! One red flag to keep an eye out for are email addresses or website URLs that contain a lot of random letters or numbers, incomplete words, or unfamiliar words. If this is the case, it’s likely not a legitimate source.⁴ To check whether an email sender is fraudulent, look at their email address closely. Also watch out for individuals pretending to be a financial institution or asking for money payments. If you’re unsure whether someone is actually a representative from your bank or an organization you have been communicating with, either hang up the phone if you’re on a call, or don’t respond until you’ve verified the information with your financial institution or the company. Be wary of emails asking you to click on a link. If the website is linked to text and you can’t see the URL to check if it’s an actual website, you can hover your mouse over the text and the link should appear somewhere on your screen. When in doubt, don’t click on any links or download any attachments that you’re unsure about. Another red flag is if a message has a high level of urgency, such as needing you to respond with personal information that day. Sometimes scammers use the fear of missing deadlines to cloud your judgement from thinking carefully about whether something is safe. Happy, safe scholarship searching!” [Return to Video 3.1]

References

Canadian Centre for Cyber Security. (2022). Don’t take the bait: Recognize and avoid phishing attacks – ITSAP.00.101. Government of Canada. https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/dont-take-bait-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-attacks

IT Services. (2023). Cybersecurity education and awareness. Queen’s University. https://www.queensu.ca/its/cybersecurity-education-and-awareness

Microsoft Support. (2023). Protect yourself from phishing. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/protect-yourself-from-phishing-0c7ea947-ba98-3bd9-7184-430e1f860a44