South Central Community Foundation Scholarships

A letter of recommendation (letter of rec) is a letter written by someone in your life who can speak to your achievements, positive traits, and potential. It's basically a summary of why you're great and deserve the scholarship or funding you're applying for! Typically, students ask teachers, mentors, coaches, or employers (never family or friends). FYI: You have to ask someone to write a letter of rec for you.

Most high schools have a specific person they put in charge of transcript requests. If you Google the name of your high school and "transcript request," you may be able to find the contact information for that person and any instructions (like a form you need to fill out) Example below!

Your next best bet is to email the school office or your counselor. We prepared an email to make it easier for you! Make sure to replace everything in the brackets with the relevant information. If you don't know the name of the person who'll get your email, you can address it "To Whom It May Concern" or "Dear High School Officer."

DRAFT EMAIL TO YOUR HIGH SCHOOL Subject Line: [Your Name] – Requesting Transcripts

Dear [name],

My name is [your name], and I'm a current student at [high school name]. I'm working hard applying to financial aid so I can pursue my college dreams. [Name of program] requires an [official, sealed] transcript from my high school. Is that something that you can help me with? Thanks in advance for your time and consideration!

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

To prioritize your scholarship applications, think about which scholarships you have the best chance of getting (the most specific ones, with more than one winner), the ones due the soonest, and the ones that are awarding the most money.

Tip: We recommend you make a schedule for yourself to follow to stay organized and on track throughout the scholarship application season! You can always ask a Mos advisor for help.