Scholarship Tips & FAQs

Applying for scholarships is easier when you know what to expect. Use these tips, FAQs and application resources to strengthen your scholarship application, write a successful essay and complete every step with confidence

If you are an applicant, please sign in using your MyPortal User Login + @lakeareatech.edu. Use your MyPortal password as usual. Note: new students will need to be accepted into their program of choice before receiving MyPortal credentials.

If you need help with your MyPortal username login or password, please contact the Foundation office at foundation@lakeareatech.edu.

Thank You Letters

Most of the scholarships through the Lake Area Technical College Foundation are made possible by contributions from generous donors who want to invest in the future of our students while demonstrating their belief in the importance of an education. Your thank you letter is an opportunity for you to show your donor you are the kind of student they can be proud to support. Please click below for thank you letter requirements and writing tips.

Thank You Requirements & Tips

Hearing from scholarship recipients is very meaningful to donors or their living relatives. It gives them an
opportunity to obtain a glimpse of how their gift will make a difference in the life of a student. Your words
encourage the donor to continue supporting other students like you.

Requirements

The letter must be typed and uploaded to the scholarship site.
The letter must be addressed to the company, appropriate person or committee.
(Any questions, contact the LATC Foundation Office)
If you receive multiple scholarships, you must write individual thank you letters to each donor.

Writing Tips

Include some of the following topics in your letter as you thank the donor for the scholarship.
Tell about yourself:

Your hometown
Family background
High school and other experiences that led to your choice of study at LATC

Tell about your present situation:

Describe how the scholarship will help you meet your educational goals
Share things you enjoy about college
List organizations inwhich you participate
Internships in which you participate or plan to participate
Extracurricular activities on campus and/or within your community

Tell about your future plans:

What you look forward to at LATC and after you graduate
What you hope to accomplish while at LATC
Your career plans

Pay careful attention to grammar, spelling, and organization of your letter. Good grammar provides clarity
and correct spelling communicates your attention to detail.

Use the “spell check” function in your word processing software.

Set your work aside for a while, and then read the letter again, aloud. In addition, have someone else
proofread it.

Application Essay Tips

The Lake Area Tech Foundation requires all scholarship applications be accompanied by a type-written essay of 150 words minimum, not to exceed one page. The scholarship committee reviews many applications and often times a coherent and interesting essay may be the one element that distinguishes you from another candidate. Please click below to ensure your essay is top notch.

Essay Writing Tips

The following are tips for to writing a successful essay.

Plan your essay before you write

Think about the topic and make an outline of what you plan to write.
Make a list of your achievements/accomplishments (both academic and other), community involvement and leadership positions you have had in school or in your community.
Make a list of your personal characteristics including your strengths, weaknesses and any other obstacles you have overcome or are currently confronting.
Determine key pieces of information you feel the committee should know about you and have concrete examples to demonstrate your points.

Writing the Essay

The Introduction: Begin with a strong introduction. You want your essay to stand out from all the others. Be sure your introduction captures the readers’ attention and compels them to learn as much as they can about you in the following paragraphs.

Be personal: Make sure the committee can assess what type of person you are and what motivates you.

Be specific: Give examples. Do not simply tell the committee you are a leader; give an example of how you have demonstrated leadership.

Turn negatives into positives: If you have an obvious weakness such as limited extracurricular activities, show the committee that you have been particularly involved with your family or the classes you have taken, depending on your personal situation.

Follow standard grammar and writing rules: Be sure you have used proper grammar and make sure your body paragraphs relate to your introduction and that the conclusion summarizes the points you have made in your essay.

Review your Essay

Proofread, proofread, proofread!
Have several people read your essay.
Edit it for clarity and conciseness. Check for proper grammar and spelling.
Have you answered the following questions; Does the essay convey who you are and why you should receive a scholarship? Is the essay interesting? Did you provide examples of your skills and abilities rather than broad statements and claims? Does the essay meet the word count requirement?

Build Dakota/Workforce Scholarship Match Tips

Most of LATC’s Build Dakota scholars earn their scholarship with a Stretch the Million industry partner. Workforce scholars also have industry partners. These scholars fulfill their multi-year work commitment through their industry partner following graduation

It is very important for students and industry partners to find the right match. Please see below for tips to impress the company representatives you meet as well as asking questions that will help you determine which workplace will be a good fit for you.

BUILD DAKOTA TIPS