By Heritage Ayoola
Scholarships are often presented as golden opportunities for students— a reward for academic achievement and a relief from financial stress. The rise in tuition fees and the cost of living make scholarships an essential form of financial support for many students. Besides relieving financial burden, scholarships provide quality education, personal growth, and global networking.
However, despite their immense benefits, scholarships are also a source of frustration, rejection, and emotional fatigue for many students. Sometimes, scholarships are highly competitive. In some cases, they are only renewable depending on the continued academic excellence of recipients, making them a source of setback to some and an encouragement to others.
To understand the challenges students face regarding scholarships, OAUPEEPS interviewed several random students on campus. Hugo Favour, a 200-level student, expressed his grievances over the pain of rejection after applying for a scholarship. He explained that there are times when the applicant already knows they would be rejected because they did not take the application seriously. However, in cases where the applicant expects a favourable response from the scholarship but instead receives an email that says, 'Thank you for your application. We have many applicants, and we are sorry…' can be very disheartening.
Dunmininu Precious, a 300-level student, also relayed her frustration about how scholarship applications can sometimes be unfair. However, she complains of having applied for many scholarships with little success. "Sometimes the requirements are just too much," she said. "I expect my results and achievements to be enough to be awarded the scholarship, but I am always expected to write long essays about myself, which is quite difficult for me." Many have given up on pursuing scholarship opportunities because of the challenges students face when applying for scholarships. Besides the academic qualifications, some scholarships require students to express themselves in many words or provide documents that are difficult to obtain. Some scholarships also exclude specific student demographics, either by state of origin or university level, from applying.
Iyanuoluwa Ajibola, a 200-level student, lamented the exclusion of not always being eligible to apply for some scholarships. These difficulties often discourage many students and cause them to resign from applying for scholarships.
Esther Adesina, a 200-level student, also explained how she has been applying for scholarships consistently but has yet to receive any. Despite the numerous rejections, she remains optimistic about getting one soon. Most students also complain of not always being aware of these opportunities. Some students either get to see this opportunity when they are almost closing, or some are not well informed on the advantages of scholarships in their journey as a student.
Iyanuoluwa Ajibola, for instance, explains that sometimes, she always seems to receive this scholarship. "I don't see the opportunities on time," she said.
"Getting a scholarship opportunity will not only boost your finances as a student, but it will also encourage you to do better academically, especially if you hold a scholarship that has to be renewed based on your grade," Hugo Favour mentioned.
Scholarships also often require many documents, which are usually difficult to obtain. Sometimes, uploading these documents is tricky due to technical glitches on some online scholarship portals.
Priscilla Ayoola, a 200-level student, experienced this when applying for the Federal Scholarship Board program. "While applying for the Federal Government Bursary Program, it took a lot of time and vigilance to upload the required documents we were asked to make in JPEG format and 10 MB, but the uploading issue still persisted," she explained. Due to this difficulty, she almost gave up completing the application.
However, despite the numerous disappointments, many students are optimistic about not giving up on applying for scholarships. For some students, alongside these disappointments is a silver lining of hope, growth, and perseverance. Speaking with OAUPEEPS, Emmanuel Ajayi expressed his rejection when he applied for the Dallas Scholarship. "Scholarships are a great opportunity for students, especially those who cannot afford the increase in school fees, but you can only give your best in applying; you never know if you will be granted the scholarship or not," he said. "Yes, I have been a beneficiary of a scholarship, but it was not easy, and there will always be rejection."
One, Martha, a 200-level law student, also mentioned that scholarship application and screening processes are always very stressful, rigorous, and demanding, although the stipend being provided is worth it. So, she believes that the stressful process is for the scholarship personnel to ensure that the person receiving the scholarship is worthy, qualified for the scholarship, and can maintain it.
Olagunju Faith, a 300-level student from the faculty of Arts, responded that he has been rejected before, particularly while applying to attend a summer school as a German language instructor. Still, the rejection was not a discouragement to him but an avenue to do better and wait for the right time.
Hugo Favour also commented on the hope that winning a scholarship brings. "Scholarship opportunities are indeed a lifeline for students, and to me, it has been a source of financial aid and motivation to improve my academics and myself."
Meanwhile, to successfully navigate these challenges, students are encouraged to gather the needed documents early. This will save them time and energy when applying for any scholarship. Students can also visit the Student Affairs office to be updated on recent scholarship offers they can use, and they can also join online groups, communities, and channels that focus on disseminating information on scholarship opportunities for graduates, undergraduates, and postgraduates. Also, having a perfect CGPA would allow the screening process to favour you as a student, which would be a great advantage.
