Application Information
The 2013 Weisman Application is now closed.
The Application:
The online application form does not need to be completed in one
session. You may start the application, log off, then return to it
anytime before the deadline on Monday 21 January 2013.
If you remain logged in for a long period of time, you may be logged
out of the session, but can log back in to complete your work. Note
that the application gives you the option to ‘Save’ your application,
not submit. All saved applications will be considered submitted after
the deadline.
The application is setup as follows:
Contact Info/Student Info
You
will need to login to the application using your Oasis ID and Password.
Once logged in, the following information will auto-populate from
Oasis:
Name
Major
Email
GPA
Credits (completed)
If any of this information is incorrect, you will need to request changes be made through Oasis.
Project Information
Project Title
Project Goal
Briefly describe the overall goals of your project. (125 words or less). As example:
“My
project is to produce Unwanted Blessings, a 10 minute film that depicts
an encounter between a pregnant woman who questions the existence of
God, and a priest.” The film will be shot in HD on the steps of St
Anthony’s church, in a coffee shop, and in a small apartment. The cast
will be a combination of students and professional actors. The script is
in final revisions. Upon completion, the film will be submitted to
several film festivals.”
Format should be double-spaced. Cut and paste into the online form.
Project Description (750 Word Maximum)
Begin with a summary of what the completed project will be.
Tell us what exactly you need financial support for.
Tell us why completing the project would be a benefit to you.
Tell us how the completion of this project might benefit the public.
Make
every effort to be specific and clear in your writing and be very sure
that the Project Description matches up with the samples you are
providing.
Format should be 11pt type, double-spaced. Cut and paste into the online form.
Project Samples
As
much as anything, your project samples will bring your application to
life. Make every effort to provide samples that look, sound, and play
well. Also, limit the amount you upload. The reviewers do not want to
see everything, only enough to know the type of work you are capable
of.
Image files: .JPG or .PNG files will be accepted, no larger than 8MB each (maximum of 20 images)
Multi-page documents: Submit as .PDF files no larger than 25MB each. (maximum of 10 pages per file)
Video: Only .MOV or .MPF files no larger than 500MB. (maximum length of 5 minutes per clip)
Audio: .MP3, .M4A, .AIF, or .WAV files no larger than 20MB each. (maximum length of 5 minutes per file)
Failing to follow the above guidelines could disqualify your application.
Budget Information
Budget Statement
Detail
(in 100 words or less) the end result of your project in terms of
number and size of objects created, length of film, physical dimensions
of a book or installation, duration of performances, etc. Include the
total cost of your project.
Budget Items
List
all of the projected expenses for your project (one item at a time).
The Weisman Committee will consider receipts dated January 1, 2013
forward. Be accurate in terms of both the amount of materials needed and
their cost. Applications with inflated expenses will not be funded.
Expenses that are not eligible for funding include:
tuition/class fees
travel
value of donated time
equipment purchases,
food (with the exception of productions that feed a crew in lieu of pay).
Submit
Review your application carefully before the deadline.
Letters of Recommendation
You
must provide two letters of recommendation for your project from
Columbia faculty who are familiar with the project you are submitting.
It might be helpful to request meetings with your faculty to bring them
up to date with your project. Be sure to give faculty members as much
time as possible to write the letters. Requests made at the very end of a
semester are often difficult for faculty to fulfill by the deadline.
Please
ask your faculty recommender to sign the letter, secure it in an
envelope and sign the back of the sealed envelope. The applicant is
responsible to deliver the two letters to the Portfolio Center before
the application deadline.
Faculty may submit their letters
electronically by emailing them to weismanadvisor@colum.edu. Note that
faculty must use their colum.edu email in order to accept
recommendations electronically. All non-colum.edu electronic
recommendations will not be accepted.
Tips for writing a strong essay:
1. Answer the question.
Above all, if you are given prompts, make sure you address all of them.
2. Do your research.
If
you are applying to a specific scholarship, find out what the committee
is looking for. Typically this information is in the application
materials. Is their goal to reward academic achievement? To provide
students with extra funds to complete projects? To allow you to remain
in school?
Consider how the scholarship would help you achieve.
Readers want to know that you are worthy, but also that this funding
would help you in specific ways.
3. Have a message.
You
have a value. What is it? Are you adept at balancing two jobs with
campus activities and a full course load? Have you been exhibited
multiple times? What are you proud of that you have accomplished?
4. Start strong.
Impressions
tend to be made within the first 30 seconds of reading. A strong start
to the essay doesn’t need to be flashy- just compelling in some way.
5. Be specific.
Don’t
just say that you are hard-working, motivated, and organized. Offer
evidence. Give brief examples of times you demonstrated those skills.
Think about times that you went above and beyond. Times when you were
able to accomplish a lot, with just a little.
6. Triple check it.
Typos
and grammatical errors take away from your message, and they give
committees a reason not to choose you. Proofread several times, and get
someone else to read over it. Your resources include family,friends, and
ideally the Writing Center or instructors. Others will catch details
you have missed.
7. Don’t overload the judges.
Stick to the
guidelines. If you submit 50 images or a 60 minute video, you run the
risk of being disqualified for not following instructions. Judges do
not want to see everything. Part of the power of your application is
showing more with less, so work within the guidelines.
