Graduation Resources

 

Scholarship Booklet (S&B) Master 2022

S&B Booklet Master 2022

 

Recording of the Dec 8 Grad Parent Zoom:  https://youtu.be/9f9Jqzmsnbw


Scholarships, Bursaries and Entrance Scholarships:

  •  A scholarship is a monetary award based on  excellence in some area, whether academic achievement or athletics or service or the fine arts etc.
  • A bursary is a  monetary award based on financial need .  Often the bursary is also tied to a certain level of academic achievement or to some affiliation with the donor.  Affiliation can be where  you or your parents work, your place of worship, clubs or sports teams you belong to, ethnic background etc.
  • An entrance scholarship is one given to students by a college or university when they begin their studies. Some entrance scholarships are made automatically, based on your marks, while others may require an application.  Generally the marks considered are for those grade 12 academic courses used for admission to the program.  Remember that the more competitive a university is (ie the harder it is to get into), the higher the threshold is for entrance scholarships. The academic average needed (or GPA) will vary from year to year at any institution.

 

Types of Scholarships and Bursaries:

  1. The BC Achievement Scholarship: No application is required. The province calculates the cumulative average of BC students and awards the top 8000 graduating students $1250 vouchers towards post-secondary tuition.  In previous years, students needed an average of about 90% over all courses in grades 10 to 12 to be considered. Students will be able to check the student portal at the ministry to see if they have won by November of each year.
  2. District Scholarships:  Each school district is given a number of these $1250 scholarships to award to students who excel in one of seven areas:  Applied Skills, Community Service, Fine Arts, Indigenous Language and Culture, International Languages, Physical Activity, and Technical or Trades Education.  Students at Cowichan Secondary will present Information can be found on the following link:  https://sd79.bc.ca/students/scholarships/districtauthority-scholarship/
  3. Local Scholarships:  Cowichan Secondary School is very thankful for the generosity of the community.  There are over 100 local scholarships and bursaries available for CSS grads.  Local scholarship booklets are available to students in February.
  4. General ScholarshipsIf you want access to a variety of provincial, national and international scholarships, bursaries and competitions, there are several websites available to assist you. When you click on the links below, you may be asked to create a profile before you can access each particular site. Scholarships can be post-secondary or business-based, can involve written essays or other criteria, or be based on a random name-draw. (Some are more like contests.) Check out each site as they are quite different from each other.

    Grant Me – Click Here

    Scholar Tree – Click Here
    Scholarships Canada – Click Here
    Student Scholarships – Click Here

    Yconic  Click Here

 

Resources for Scholarships and Bursaries:

  • Need help with an academic resume?  The main difference with between an academic resume and one used for work is that academic resumes focus more on academic achievement rather than work history.  The one that you have already made in MyBlueprint can be very helpful.  Please see the following example:  academic resume
  • You will need letters of reference to apply for scholarships and bursaries.  Teachers can be good references as well as any coaches or community organizations where you have volunteered.  It is good to complete the following letter of reference request form first so the person writing the letter has complete information on you:  Letter of Reference Request Form: Cowichan Secondary School Letter of Reference Request
  • You will also need to write cover letter.  Donors read these as their introduction to you as a person.  Take great care in composing yours as they are often the key to successful scholarship applications.

 

Student Transcript Service:

 

Post Secondary Planning:

The following is an excellent resource for post secondary planning with BC colleges and Universities:  https://www.educationplannerbc.ca/institution/map

 

Youth Work in Trades Grant: 

 Students working in an apprentice-able trade before graduation or AFTER graduation can qualify for a 1000 dollar Grant. Contact your Career Counselor to see if your job qualifies.  Additional information can be found at:  http://www.careersandtransitions.ca/programs/ssa/