Beyond The Boroughs National Scholarship

Take the first step toward your college education with Beyond The Boroughs

Application Period

Applications are accepted from January 15th to March 15th each year.

Award Details

Recipients receive up to $20,000 over four years ($5,000 per year).

Eligibility

High school seniors or current college students with demonstrated financial need and acceptance to an accredited college.

Application Tips

The Beyond the Boroughs Scholarship Committee receives many applications each year so it is in your best interest to submit the strongest application package possible. Below are important tips to guide you through the application process and ensure that you submit a competitive application.

Getting Ready

• Familiarize yourself with the information on our website you should know about our founder, Tutan Reyes, and what distinguishes this scholarship from other opportunities.
• Read the application from beginning to end to get familiar with the questions.
• Set aside enough time to work on the application and do not wait until the last minute.
• The Student Aid Index (SAI) is a formula-based number used by colleges to assess a student's financial need and determine their eligibility for financial aid. Students receive an SAI once they complete the FAFSA.

Writing the Application

• Make sure you fill out every blank on the application form. If something does not apply to you, write N/A, which stands for Not Applicable.
• Treat all of the essay questions as you would an important paper for school. Take the time to do them well. Make sure there are no errors: avoid typos, spelling errors, or other careless mistakes. An error-free application demonstrates that you are a serious candidate and that you care about the scholarship opportunity.
• Make sure your essays are focused, rather than trying to cover too many topics.

Before You Submit

• PROOFREAD! Make sure to use your computer's spell check feature and check several times. Also read your answers aloud to yourself in order to catch mistakes. Nothing can hurt your chances more than an application full of spelling mistakes, uncapitalized letters that should be capitalized, or other typos.
• Have a parent, guardian, or teacher read through your application to check your answers and make sure you have not left anything out.
• Reread, edit, and reread again!
• All completed forms should be submitted online.

Tips for Writing Professional Emails

The Beyond the Boroughs Scholarship committee receives many emails from students, and we felt that it would be helpful to include tips for writing professional emails.

It is extremely important that any email correspondence on your part reflects your utmost commitment and care. The following guidelines will help you to write appropriate emails, now and in the future, which in turn will help you establish a strong first impression.

Proofread

• Treat email the same way you would a formal letter: It should be completely error-free. That means you should avoid typos, spelling errors, or other careless mistakes. An error-free email demonstrates that you are a serious candidate and that you care about the scholarship opportunity.
• Proofread your email several times for spelling and grammar mistakes. You should also read your email out loud twice before you send it; this helps to catch any hidden mistakes or awkward sentences.

Subject Heading

• Use a specific, appropriate subject heading for the email, such as "John Brown's Application" instead of "Application" or "Question Regarding Application" instead of "what do I do".

Style

• No smiley faces, winking eyes, cartoons, or clip art. This works for communicating with your friends through instant messaging, but not for writing to someone who does not know you.
• DO NOT TYPE WORDS IN CAPITAL LETTERS. THIS IS THE EQUIVALENT TO SHOUTING.
• Do not use exclamation marks unnecessarily!!!!!
• Do not use slang.
• No abbreviations (lol, fyi, btw); write out every word.
• Use a professional signature. This could be your name and phone number beneath it. Adding your phone number helps ensure that the person you are writing will not have to look far for your contact information.

Short and Sweet

• Emails should be clear and concise.
• Use short paragraphs with spaces between each paragraph to make it easier on your reader.

Greeting and Closing

• Use an appropriate greeting followed by a comma or a colon instead of "Hey there," use "Dear Committee Members" or "To Whom it May Concern".
• Use an appropriate closing like "Thank you," "Best," "Sincerely," "Regards."

Extra Tips

• Check your email on a daily basis and reply to all emails within 24 hours.
• Do not send or reply to email when you are sleepy, angry, or otherwise distracted!
• Make sure you have a professional email address. Your first name and last name or first initial and last name are safe choices, not something made up and informal (jsmith@gmail.com, not yellowjellybean101@yahoo.com). If your name is already taken by someone else, you can add a number or a middle name to it (jbrown32@gmail.com or johnrobertbrown@gmail.com).
• Wait to fill in the email address field until you are 100% confident that your email is perfect. This will protect you from accidentally sending the email before you are ready.