How Beneficial is a Scholarship?

3 Jan 2019

Financial assistance is a major necessity for many Malaysian students entering university, especially those who are planning careers that require many years of education beyond the undergraduate level. It is not a secret that formal education is not easily accessible to all. For some, it was never even an option to begin with. It would not be too much of a stretch to say that it has become a privilege in this day and age. There is no doubt that education inequality exists, even with regards to how scholarships are awarded. There are plenty of programmes out there that can help you achieve success in life, provided you are willing to put in the effort to succeed. The Scholar Development Programme by SOLS 24/7 is designed to nurture and develop high potential scholars from underprivileged backgrounds to become outstanding, skillful and socially aware graduates. We help scholarship-awarding organisations save time and resources by monitoring the progress of students and even provide enrichment skills to complement their education. Additionally, for most corporations and foundations, the responsibility of managing and developing scholars can be very costly and resource-intensive. Our operations as a humanitarian organisation allow us to provide innovative, high quality enrichment programmes to scholars, as well as giving them boarding and daily meals in our facilities, significantly easing the burden of corporations and foundations who want to help. Let us tell you why our scholar development programme is extremely beneficial to our students!

1. Financial Benefits

A lot of students graduate from universities with enormous student loans, making them in debt the moment they step into the workforce. Free education means students can focus on their careers instead of thinking about how they will repay their loans. By removing the number one barrier, tuition-fees, scholarships make education easier to obtain and reduces the education inequality. This was made possible thanks to our Programme partner, the Hong Leong Foundation.

2. Educational Benefits

Having a scholarship reduces the risk of students dropping out and not getting the degree they desire. By reducing the financial concern, scholarships allow students to learn more, which can lead to better grades and retention of knowledge. There is a huge battle of dropouts vs. degree holders, but that piece of paper hanging on a graduate's bedroom wall makes the struggle all the more worth it. Go ahead, ask any degree holder. We hear this a lot. We see a lot of inspiring stories of successful men and women who made it in life despite receiving little to no formal education. With the bloom of inspiring stories on being successful without an education, many are inspired but take it the wrong way. As if it is fine to neglect formal education because many have done it.

3. Career Benefits

Earning a prestigious scholarship makes scholars a more attractive candidate in the eyes of future employers. Earning a scholarship is an accomplishment worth listing on their resume and can help them stand out when they search for a job, possibly helping them achieve the career that they want. Employers understand the competitive nature of scholarships and the traits an individual needs to possess to succeed as a scholar. Think of it as a pre-qualifying evaluation, if you will. They will surely recognize it as an accomplishment.

4. Personal Benefits

A scholarship makes a huge difference in their education. Our scholars will be able to maximize their experience by giving back to the community through service-learning, volunteer opportunities and internships. They will immerse themselves in work that is meaningful and adds value to their degree - and the benefits will come tenfold. Here are some reasons why volunteering work can boost your CV:

It proves that you want the experience. By simply gaining some volunteer experience in a role that you are interested in, you are showing potential employers that you really want it.
Volunteering gives an insight into your interests.
It shows you are driven by more than money. Everyone wants a job that allows them to maximise their skill set, is connected to their passions and allows them to live comfortably. Job satisfaction comes from much more than your salary and choosing to volunteer proves that you are motivated by more than that.

What makes our Scholarship programme unique?

Apart from fully funding the tuition fees of the students, we also provide them with free boarding, free meals 3x a day, and also a chance to intern with SOLS 24/7 to get exposed to the multi-cultural working environment that we have. Additional enrichment skills such as English classes, leadership and character building are also provided. Having practical hands-on knowledge, is without doubt a great advantage to have in the professional world. Thus far, we have successfully implemented and managed three scholarship programmes for government and corporate foundations, training over 400 scholars from challenging backgrounds to be competent and productive young adults.

What our student, Mavist Cruz, has to say about the living experience:

"Twenty four hours, seven days a week. The Hong Leong Foundation, being our team of guardian angels, is the delight of people in need. Our scholarship is the bridge to our happiness. There is always something to make our senses peak as ROAR Scholars. There is no one there to hold your hand, and we believe this is the perfect arena to train us to adulthood. From teaching us the two essential values of the enrichment programme, namely responsibility and resourcefulness, to maintaining a CGPA of 3.3 and above in respective courses. We’ve come to a point where trust and team building is just almost effortless. With Mrs. Teeneswary Jayaraman to guide us, the Scholarship Development Programme has been our first introduction into university life, living like a coed family. We are made to share, and share we have. Sleeping in a dorm with our respective mates; from the roaring sounds of the hair dryers in the girls dorm to the earth-shattering snoring in the boys, it’s all a part of the living community we adhere to. This indeed is one of the fossils of our courage and confidence. To learn what life has in store we must be willing to open each door and let the cards unfold.