By Johanna Ganske, Tracy Johnson, Crystal Maier

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire offers numerous scholarships for College of Business students to assist in furthering their education. According to the COB Web site, students can apply for approximately 62 scholarships totaling more than $80,000. Scholarship descriptions and applications are available on the College of Business Web site and outside Schneider 117 during the spring semester. Gretchen Hutterli, assistant dean, suggests the following tips to help students when applying for COB scholarships:

• Apply for multiple scholarships
  The COB offers a standardized application to make applying for multiple scholarships easier.
• Follow the eligibility requirements
  The donor of the scholarship establishes the individual requirements, so verify that you qualify for each scholarship. Many scholarships require admission into the College of Business. However, some scholarships are available to incoming freshman.
• Customize the application
  Although the application is standardized, the COB scholarship committee recommends modifying your documents to highlight the individual scholarship requirements.
• Complete the application
  Create a checklist to make sure you include all the required documents because the committee will not review an incomplete application. For example, if financial need is a requirement, a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be on file at the financial aid office.
• Proofread
  Grammatical and spelling errors show you may not have put adequate time into your application and could reduce your chance of receiving a scholarship.
• Meet the application deadline
  Applications received after the deadline are not eligible for the scholarship.
• Ask questions
  If you have any questions regarding your eligibility or the application process, contact Gretchen Hutterli, assistant dean, or Chris Gessner, service program associate.

By following the above tips, students may improve their chances of receiving a COB scholarship. Last semester only 200 College of Business students out of 2,200 applied for the $80,000 available through COB scholarships. Hutterli and the scholarship committee encourage more students to apply. Hutterli stated, “We like to see [scholarship] money spread because we think a lot of people have a lot of different needs.”

Johanna Ganske, right, is a senior human resource management major from Eau Claire, WI. Tracy Johnson, middle, is a senior marketing major from Colfax, WI. Crystal Maier, right, is a senior business administration major from Middleton, WI. They wrote this article for their BCOM 306 Advanced Business Writing Course.