FAQs
Congratulations on your scholarship award! Here's some information on what to do next. Get help on the below topics to get tips and learn more.
Student biographies
The School of Journalism may use biographies of our scholarship recipients in a variety of ways, including in public announcements, to help our faculty introduce recipients during the awards convocation event, and in sharing information with donors who support these scholarships.
Your biography need not be long. Here are two examples you can use as a guide as your write your own.
Example Biography 1
Sarah Spartan is a journalism junior with a sports minor at Michigan State University. Her journalistic interests include sports injuries and medicine, the money of sports and volleyball, which she played in high school and college.
She hopes to become a sports reporter for a news site that values breaking analysis and long-form sports journalism.
Example Biography 2
Sam Spartan is a native of Sparta, Michigan, and is a junior majoring in digital storytelling at Michigan State University. His interests include documentary filmmaking and podcasting production.
He has been an intern at WKAR and worked as a production assistant recording live performances of the Spartan Marching Band.
Dos and Don'ts for a great headshot
Dos
- Get someone you know to take your photo, or use a professional photo that you already have.
- Choose a background that's not too busy.
- Stand a few feet away from any wall.
- Wear professional clothes.
- Use the portrait mode on your camera.
- Have your photo taken somewhere with good natural light.
- Look directly at the camera.
- Smile if you like, or not. That's up to you.
- Have the photographer stand close to you. We need a photo of your full head, from the shoulders up.
- Any camera will do, but please send us your photo at its full, original file size! No need to edit the file in any way. We'll take care of that.
- Rename your photo file to include your name.
Don'ts
- Please don't send a selfie shot. We don't want to see your arm, or any selfie faces.
- Don't grab a photo from your social media accounts. Those images are optimized for the Internet and often print blurry or pixelated on paper. Get a photo directly from your camera or device instead!
- Avoid photos where you've cropped other people out of the shot.
- Don't stand with your back to windows, lamps or other light sources. That results in backlighting and we probably won't be able to see your face clearly.
- Don't cover your face in any way. Please, no sunglasses or hats.
- No props or hand gestures. We just want to see your face.
Writing a great thank-you letter
School of Journalism scholarships are possible thanks to generous people who believe in you, including faculty and alumni who volunteer to serve on scholarship selection committees and donors who make financial contributions to MSU. A well-written thank-you letter is an important way to acknowledge this support and gives these people an opportunity to learn more about you.
We ask that you write a separate thank-you letter for each scholarship you receive. If you received funding from the same donor in previous years, update them on your academic plans, your extra-curricular activities and your career goals. Let them know what you have accomplished this year and how their funding helped make that possible.
A great thank-you letter does not need to be long (about 200 words is plenty), but it should fulfill several key tasks. Here's a step-by-step guide for writing your letter:
1. Greet the donor. The name of the donor or organization you should write to is listed in your award notification email.
- Dear Mr. and Mrs. Spartan
2. Express your gratitude. Be sure to reference the full name of the scholarship. Examples:
- I'm writing to say thank you as a recipient of the Spartan Family Scholarship for Media.
- I'm writing to express my gratitude as a recipient of the Scholarship for Spartan Journalism.
- It is an honor to have been chosen for the Future Broadcaster Scholarship. Thank you so much for your support of students like me.
3. Tell the donor about you and how the scholarship will help you. Consider:
- Your course of study and class activities that you are proud of
- Extracurricular activities that you participate in, including campus media, internships, study abroad, etc.
- Accomplishments, awards or honors you are proud of.
4. Provide a glimpse at your future plans.
- Share your short- or long-term plans for the future. How will this scholarship help you further your education or achieve your goals?
5. Repeat your thank you. Examples:
- Thank you again for your support of this scholarship and MSU students.
- Thanks again. I appreciate your scholarship assistance.
6. Sign off and include your name.
- Sincerely, Jane Student
7. Optional: You may include your mailing address and email address if you would like to give the donor the opportunity to respond.
8. Final Review:
- Be concise. Your letter shouldn't be more than one page.
- Proofread! Get someone to read over your letter.
- Letters with errors or inappropriate content will be returned for rewrites.
5 tips for your scholarship video
If you'd like, you can submit a short video to us that we can use during the School of Journalism's annual awards convocation program. Here are some tips for producing a great video:
1. Stand about an arms-length away from the camera. If shooting with your smartphone, make sure it's turned into a horizontal position.
2. Use a microphone if one is available. If you don't have a microphone, make sure you record in a quiet location with no other sounds.
3. Pay attention to the background. Make sure there are no windows, lamps or other lights behind you. Stand at least 3 feet away from any wall.
4. There should be a good light source, such as a lamp or window (or be outside!) illuminating your face from the front.
5. Leave about 5 seconds at the beginning of the video before you start talking and about 5 seconds at the end before you stop recording. Submit your video at full size in the original format in which it's been recorded.
Need help? Contact: Jeremy Steele, School of Journalism Scholarship Selection, at steele7@msu.edu
Committee chairperson Barb Miller, School of Journalism scholarship support staff, at mille384@msu.edu