Winning $88,000 was no easy feat for Maryam. As she was applying to scholarships, she kept her core values in mind rather than the thought of going to a specific school. The value that drove Maryam to winning the UBC Centennial Scholarship, the UofT Academic Excellence Award, and the SASY Award was simply that she wanted to help people.

To watch Maryam’s full interview on how she won the $80,000 UBC Centennial Award, her biggest challenge, and how she stays motivated, check out the video below!

Maryam’s Biggest Challenge

Maryam’s biggest challenge when applying to scholarships was a lack of motivation.

“You’re not hearing back for a very long time … and sometimes it’s not always good news”.

She overcame this hurdle in two ways. The first was through the support of her family. Maryam often went to her mother for advice when she was feeling overwhelmed. Through this support, Maryam and her mother would discuss her stresses and ideas for scholarship essays. Maryam tells us that a supportive environment was key for her success in winning the UBC Centennial Award.

If you’re looking for guidance on admission into UBC, or winning the UBC Centennial Award like Maryam, take our FREE two minute Scholarship Eligibility Quiz to see how many scholarships you’re eligible for!

Maryam’s Time Management Tip

In order for Maryam to stay on task in applying to scholarships, she decided that having a routine would be the best way to achieve her dreams. Although it was difficult, Maryam set out a schedule to wake up at 7 or 8 am every morning – even on weekends! This extra hour gave Maryam the quiet time and creative space to focus on scholarships. Here, Maryam follows one of our favourite tips from a GrantMe recommended book The 4% Fix by Karma Brown. Check out our GrantMe recommendations below where we discuss The 4% Fix among our other favourites!

Maryam’s GrantMe Tool

Maryam’s go-to GrantMe tool was the Essay Wizard, as well as GrantMe’s expert Essay Editing team! In writing many essays, Maryam quickly discovered that the effort in writing her scholarship essays were not only giving her an insight into her own accomplishments, but she also started to figure out what scholarship committees look for in essays!

Her one piece of advice for anyone writing a scholarship essay is to focus on the authenticity of your story rather than posing your essay as a written resume:

“If I were to offer any advice, it would be that instead of writing out just your volunteer work and how much you’ve achieved, write about your narrative – what your values are, what you believe in, what you’re passionate about.”

Curious about our one-of-a-kind Essay Editing team and Essay Wizard? Visit our website or take a FREE two minute quiz to find out how many scholarships you’re eligible for!

You can also check out our video below to learn more about the GrantMe platform!