FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Eligibility:

1. Can I apply for the scholarship?
   If you are currently a first year undergraduate student at NIT Trichy and have not applied to JSPF in the past, yes, you are eligible to apply. At the moment, we do not consider applications from students of other institutes and from post-graduate and doctoral students of NIT Trichy. We also do not consider applications from re-applicants.

Contests:

1. Does volunteering for college festivals and symposiums as a co-ordinator/manager count for participation criteria?
   For points 2 and 3 mentioned in Application Process, you are expected to compete in a contest. Volunteering to organise a festival or symposium does not qualify for these criteria.
   
   
2. Can I participate in Sports events for the contest(s) criteria?
   You can. But please note that it is participation in events related to STEM field that will get you additional points. 
   
   
3. Does winning a contest give me extra points compared to just participating in a contest?
   It does not. We value exploration and in that regard, participation is as valuable as winning.

Essays:

1. Will the mentors write my essays?
   Mentors will not write your essays. They will help fine tune and give guidance on making it the best possible version of your essay. They will make sure that the essay is still your voice and words. They will also help with any other generic questions you might have about the application criteria.

Project:

1. What exactly is expected for the project mentioned in the application requirement?
   As mentioned in the wesbite, you can either work on a hobby project or a project with some organisation. Projects pertaining to a STEM field generally have an edge. There is no specific requirement in terms of the size of the project, as long as it helps you understand your (dis)interest in a certain field. Your submission will be gauged based on how much personal learning it involved. Projects with tangible outcomes and/or with informative study/analysis are accepted.

Online course (MOOC):

1. Do I have to purchase the verified certificate for the MOOC?
   You need not get the verified certificate of MOOC. It is usually the verified certificate that costs money. We encourage you to take courses that are free or can be taken for free without the certificate. Some courses in Coursera and many courses in portals like edX, Udemy etc provide that option. When you take the above mentioned course, you will have to complete the assignments and take the exams that come as a part of it. You will get a score sheet based on that.

Selection and interviews:

1. Who will the panelists be?
   ​Panelists will be established alumni of NIT Trichy. We are confirming on the exact names at the earliest possible. The Panelists page will be updated as and when confirmed. 

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