
In addition to the standard full-term
scholarships, many scholarship providers offer mid-term options as well. This
provides you with the opportunity to take up a scholarship after spending some time
in university. But what benefits are there to mid-term scholarships compared to
their full-term counterparts? Here are a few factors you want to consider when
deciding between the two.
Time
for Thought
Scholarship application is not a matter to
be taken lightly. After all, this decision is going to affect a significant
portion of your life. With three to four years of undergraduate study in a
field related to your scholarship, along with the bond that you have to serve
with your sponsoring organisation after graduating, this is definitely
something you should put some serious thought into. For a student who has just
graduated from junior college or polytechnic, this might seem like a daunting
choice to make.
Some of you might not be willing to commit
to a specific path yet, needing more time to explore for yourselves to truly
get to know what you want to do in the future. A mid-term scholarship will
allow you to do exactly that. After spending a semester or two in university and
exposing yourself to courses on different subjects, you would have a clearer
idea of what direction you want to head towards in the future.
Shorter
Bond Periods
Something else that you should take into
account is the bond period. More often than not, mid-term scholarships come
with a shorter bond period than full-term scholarships.
Four to six years of staying in a single
organisation is not something to scoff at, but that is what is required of you
with most full-term scholarships. On the other hand, you have mid-term
scholarships that can have bond periods of two to three years. This will allow
more freedom of movement earlier on in your professional life, which is
definitely something to keep in mind. There is always a possibility that you
discover that your passions lie elsewhere after all, which you will not be able
to pursue should you be tethered to a job that you have no love for.
A
Second Chance
Mid-term scholarships can also be seen as
opportunities for people who did not make the cut for a full-term scholarship to
try again.
Some students just happen to be late
bloomers, so they might not be able to find their footing until they are in
university. Perhaps you did not qualify for a scholarship with your A-Level
results, but you started to excel in university. Therefore, mid-term
scholarships are also second chances for undergraduates to reapply for it is
never too late.