Tag Archives: scholarships

admissions, college prep

Making the Best Admissions impression

admissions

Your student will spend the best part of the college application process trying to impress. Impress teachers. Impress college admissions. Impress scholarship judges. It’s part of the process and it’s something they will do as they enter the job market after graduation.

There is a lesson that we as parents must teach them about self-confidence and being able to present themselves well. There is a point where their approach to their wild streak has to mean something as they must understand not everyone is like them. There is sometimes a convention that we must follow because it gives us a solid and meaningful foundation from which to stand on. So why don’t we teach our kids how to impress others in certain situations in life? They will need to at some point and yet we don’t often take the time to sit them down and show them when and how they could possibly do this. Here are some scenarios and techniques you can show them to getting people on their side and get their admiration.

The starting point

Your children will first need to impress someone for real in their lives when they go for a job interview. Hopefully this will be when they are young and in their mid teens. Working as a newspaper boy or in a grocery store is good life experience for them. But they must get the job first and this is when we need to give them life advice on what the employer is going to be looking out for. First off the simple things, they need to stand and sit up straight and not hunch their shoulders. They need to work on maintaining eye contact and speaking in a steady and clear tone. They should also dress the part, take the extra mile. Even if they are applying for a job in their local cafe, dress as if they are applying for an office role with formal clothes. Ask them to put themselves in the employer’s shoes and hopefully these things will begin to make sense to them.

A stand out essay

When they go off to college they will want to be noticed by their lecturers and other teachers. The common things they will get asked to produce are essays and reports. Aside from proper writing form and style they should also make their work stand out. This can be done by making a cover for their work. This is also helpful when compiling the scholarship application essay. They can use embossing folders which can imprint their own name, title of their work and even logo or slogan. This will create a 3D design on their work, which will also be unique to the touch as the gel used will remain semi-hard. This will no doubt make their work stand out from the piles and piles of other students’ work. It will impress the lecturer and make a good first impression. It’s not just words either, you can imprint shapes and sequins as well to give the cover a little more flare and character.

There are times in our lives when we need to impress someone. But the college application process is a perfect time to help your student put their best foot forward.

college guidance, college planning, college prep, extracurricular activities, financial aid, financial planning, organization, scholarships

Getting In to Your First Choice College

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first choiceWhile many students are busy packing their bags and getting ready to leave for their first year at college, still others are working on their applications for the next round of admissions. Of course, if your child fits the latter category, it’s likely that they already have a college in mind that they wish to attend. Happily, by reading the post below you can find out about the tactics that will help them get into their first choice. Keep reading to discover more.

Address any study or subject issues

Number one of the list tactics is dealing with grades, as this is the base level that a college application will address. Happily, this is something that you can definitely help your child with, without micromanaging them as well. Firstly, it’s vital that you take a keen interest in their progress with their studies, without being overbearing and demanding.

Then, if they or their teachers flag up an issue on a particular topic, it will be much easier to address this constructively. It may be that your child is struggling with a specific subject, or that something is going on in their life that creating a distraction for them. However, as long as you are able to have an honest two-way conversation, you will ultimately be able to get them the support or help they need to ensure that their grades remain on target to get into the college of their choice.

Help your child to present a rounded application

Please do remember though that while grades are essential for college, they are not the only thing that the application board with be looking at. In fact, lately, there has been a definite move towards reviewing the whole person and looking at their extracurricular activities as well as their academic ones.

What this means is that you can quickly help your child by encouraging them to engage in activities outside of the home. These may include sports such as basketball, football, and athletics, as well as getting them involved in community projects like food banks, reading programs, and soup kitchens. Even having a part-time job, or getting some work experience in a firm that is related to their studies can go a long way to helping them stand out amounts all the other candidates. Something that can help them secure that much-needed place in their first choice school.

Seek additional help

It’s also wise to remember as a parent that there is plenty of help out there both for you and your child when it comes to making a successful college application. First off there is lots of advice online that can take you through the process step by step, and also help you hone your child’s particular application documents.

Although, if your child is aiming at one of the top schools in the country it can be helpful to approach specialists like Ivy Select admission consulting for some additional help. After all, as they have been through the process of being accepted to an ivy league college, they are the best people to know all the little tips and tweaks to make to your child’s application for the best chance of them getting into their first choice.

Explore financial aid and scholarship options

Lastly, it is important to remember that it may be finance and scholarship issues that are standing in the way of your child getting into their first choice college. In fact, as university fees have risen so sharply in recent times, it is widespread for students to pick the more economically viable options, rather than where they genuinely want to go.

Luckily you can assist your child in dealing with this, by going through the costs of their course with them, and showing them what sort of budget they will be working on. You can even help them by demonstrating how this will affect their income when they are qualified and have to pay any loans back.

It’s obviously also important to openly discuss how much, if any financial help you will be providing to them, and not leave them guessing. After all, this may have a significant impact on whether they end up applying for the genuine first choice or not.

Lastly, it’s crucial that you also go over the options for scholarships with your child as well, and make sure that they understand these entirely before they make their applications. After all, the can be complicated and confusing and they may even need to start working on things like their grades or other requirements before it gets to application time. Something that you can support them with and that can ultimately help them get into their first choice college.

scholarships

Get $2500 for College from College Raptor

 

College Raptor

The $2,500 College Raptor Scholarship is open only to those legal residents of the fifty (50) United States, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory who are 16 years of age or older at the time of application and who are currently enrolled (or enroll no later than the fall of 2019) in an accredited post-secondary institution of higher learning (college, university or trade school).

HOW TO ENTER:

To enter, submit a complete scholarship Application online at the Sponsor’s Website (www.collegeraptor.com/2500scholarship). To be considered an applicant, a person must register with www.CollegeRaptor.com, use the College Search tool and submit a short original, previously unpublished response to one of the scholarship topics. Your written response must be written in English, with correct spelling and grammar. No substitutions of new drafts or corrected pages will be accepted once you have submitted your original Application. Written responses that are obscene, pornographic, libelous or otherwise objectionable will be disqualified. All Applications become the property of the Sponsor and will not be returned. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for lost, late, misdirected, or unintelligible Applications. By submitting an Application, you fully and unconditionally accept and agree to these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding.

APPLICATION DEADLIINE:

June 1, 2018 at 11:59 pm Central Time

SELECTION OF POTENTIAL WINNERS:

Sponsor is looking for eligible Applicants who follow directions and submit Applications that are well-written and clearly and creatively address the topic described above. By no later than August 1, 2018, a qualified panel of judges will select one (1) potential winner based on the criteria of GPA (25%), college entrance exam score (either ACT or SAT) (25%) and essay (50%). Sponsor will select at least one (1) of the submitted Applications as the potential Prize Winning Application. In the event of a tie, the potential winner will be the Applicant with the higher score for overall excellence.

AWARD AMOUNT:

One (1) winner will receive a Scholarship Prize in the amount of two thousand five hundred dollars and zero cents ($2,500.00). The Scholarship Prize will be in the form of a check made payable directly to the accredited post-secondary institution of higher education attended by the Scholarship Prize Recipient (once the Scholarship Prize Recipient has enrolled in an accredited post-secondary institution of higher education and submitted proof of enrollment to Sponsor). Scholarship Prize Recipient must submit proof of enrollment on or before 12/31/2019. Scholarship Prize may not be assigned, transferred, or changed, except at the sole discretion of Sponsor.

SAT, Sponsored posts, test prep

Did You Know the SAT Can Help Your Student Find and Win Scholarships?

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This post is sponsored and written in partnership with the College Board.

SAT

With college tuition high, families are searching for ways to pay for their teenager’s college education. The SAT can connect your teen to scholarships and merit aid that can make his or her dream university more affordable. Many colleges use a student’s SAT score to award merit aid, with many automatic scholarships based on a student’s score.

SAT Suite of Assessments

The SAT Suite of Assessments connects your son or daughter to colleges and scholarship programs that recognize academic achievement and award scholarships based on that achievement. Students who take the SAT can opt in to what the College Board calls the “Student Search Service” to make their names and information available to colleges and scholarship programs.

In addition to providing information to colleges, the College Board has increased access to millions in combined awards through the PSAT/NMSQT for low-income and minority students through partnerships with scholarship providers like the American Indian Graduate Center and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

College merit aid

Colleges provide merit aid to students who excel academically, including those who score well on the SAT. The specific requirements of these scholarships will vary from college to college. Your teen can make the most of his or her SAT score by finding guaranteed SAT scholarships—scholarships awarded based on the SAT score. Colleges often use other criteria like GPA and class rank combined with the SAT score to determine these awards.

For these scholarships, your teen may not be required to submit any extra application information, but in some cases, he or she will have to apply by a certain deadline to be guaranteed the scholarship. Your teen should check each individual college website for the full information.

For example, Colorado State University offers an automatic $4000 scholarship per year to a student who scores 1490 or higher on the SAT with a 4.0 GPA. Students attending Texas Tech University with an SAT score of 1400 or higher, a 3.5 GPA and in the top 10% of their class receive $6000 for up to four years with a one-time award of $4000.

Colleges look for students who will succeed in a rigorous college academic environment. Typically, students who earn high SAT scores demonstrate that ability. Coupled with a strong GPA and other application criteria, SAT scores help colleges ascertain a student’s ability to do well in college. Colleges award these students by providing them with merit aid scholarships.

Note: Don’t forget the regular registration deadline for the March SAT is February 9th. Register now at the Official SAT Registration website. And, there’s still time for your student to study for the upcoming March SAT by using Khan Academy’s FREE SAT prep.

scholarships

These Mistakes Could Cost You That College Scholarship

scholarship

Applying for scholarships requires a commitment of time and a dedication to persevere. It is a job in the truest sense of the word. You will most likely spend hours upon hours applying for scholarships hoping the time will be rewarded with money to pay for college. But the payoff won’t come unless you take the time to apply for scholarships or if you make these five scholarship application mistakes.

1. Not following directions.

Scholarship judges look for students who know how to follow directions. If the student can’t follow the directions, the application will be immediately placed in the reject pile. If the directions ask for only three recommendations, and no more, don’t send five. If it requires students provide a transcript, don’t forget to include it. If the essay word count is specific, (i.e. no more than 500 words) stick to the word count guidelines.

Along with following the directions, always check spelling and grammar on the application itself and any essay submissions. Since many scholarships have thousands of qualified applicants, this one simple mistake can cause you to lose the scholarship.

2. Applying to the wrong scholarships.

Read the scholarship qualifications carefully. If you don’t qualify, don’t apply. Guidelines such as GPAs, specific areas of interest, specific heritage and gender require applicants who meet the criteria. Applying for these scholarships when you don’t match the qualifications is a waste of time.

3. Not personalizing your application.

Just about every scholarship asks for details related to academics, activities and future plans. But personalizing the application will make you stand out. Also, find some time to learn about the organization presenting the scholarship and find a way to include this knowledge in the application or the essay and why it might relate to you.

Research previous winners and find out what the scholarship judges found valuable in these winners. Make sure the application explains why you are the perfect applicant for this award. Be careful when copying and pasting information from previous applications. Make sure the information you provide is unique to each scholarship.

Read the original article at TeenLife Magazine: 5 Mistakes That Could Cost You That Scholarship

Scholarship Friday, scholarships

9-11 Scholarships

 

9-11 scholarshipsToday marks the 22nd anniversary of  September 11th. Twenty two years ago today our country was attacked by terrorists. The attacks resulted in the deaths of 2,977 victims. The victims included 246 on the four planes (from which there were no survivors), 2,606 in New York City in the towers and on the ground, and 125 at the Pentagon. All of these victims left behind families. In these families, there were children who would eventually be pursuing higher education.

Seeing the need to help these families of the victims, scholarships rose up across the country to help their dependents fund higher education. The Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund was established. According to the fund’s declaration, their purpose is:

“… to provide education assistance for postsecondary study to financially needy dependents of those people killed or permanently disabled as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and during the rescue activities relating to those attacks.”

Scholarship America played a major role in the creation of the September 11 Scholarship Alliance, formed by leading scholarship providers and associated organizations to coordinate the various scholarship funds for postsecondary education created in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy. Although the Scholarship Alliance officially concluded its activities, there are still a number of scholarship funds in addition to the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund that provide assistance for postsecondary education for 9/11 families. Start your search here, in any of the following categories:

Memorial Funds and Other Funds
Scholarship America manages and administers Memorial and Other Funds. These Funds are managed and administered separately from the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund and have separate eligibility criteria. Generally speaking, Memorial Funds are provided for a group of families associated with a specific funder, while Other Funds are open to all 9/11 families.

College Funds
There are scholarship funds managed by individual colleges and universities, for use on their campuses only. Many of the colleges and universities provide matching scholarships to students who receive Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund education assistance.

Outside Organization Funds
Citizens throughout America stepped forward and donated funds to many relief efforts in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America. The establishment of scholarship funds was one means of providing such relief and assistance.

The fund this year will recognize an exciting milestone – this summer they awarded over $100 million to financially needy families since the inception of the Fund in 2001. The great news is that the Fund has been invested well and there remains over $96.5 million for the thousands of students who are yet to apply for awards.

Huntley Wealth Care Scholarship

This scholarship is for students who have lost one or both parents who either had no life insurance or were underinsured. Students can either submit an essay or a video essay

scholarships

Need Help With Your Scholarship Search? Jump on Twitter!

 

scholarship search

Need help with your scholarship search?

I’m a Twitter fanatic. I hopped on the bandwagon early and I’ve been using it ever since. If you aren’t on there, you should be. If you want your student to find and apply for scholarships, you most definitely should be. Scholarship sites tweet daily about current and upcoming scholarships. If you (and your student) follow them, you can easily find scholarships daily to apply to.

@Scholarships360

@Scholarshipscom

@PayingforCollege

@AidScholarship

@ScholarshipOwl

@Chegg

@CheapScholar

@SallieMae

@Unigo

@PrepforCollege

and don’t forget to follow me @SuzanneShaffer because I follow these and RT any additional scholarships I become aware of.

In addition to following these accounts, use the Twitter search engine by typing in “scholarship” and “scholarships”. Then check under each category: Top, Latest, People and Broadcasts to add an additional level to your search.

Create a list in your Twitter account and add these accounts and others you find to it. Then, each morning you can check their feeds for the latest scholarships posted. Dig a little deeper and visit their websites to find additional postings.

There’s no lack of scholarship information on Twitter. All you have to do is know where to look.

Once you find the scholarships you want to win them.  For the best chance to win, check out Monica’s ebook: How to WIN College Scholarships. She will help you package the scholarship to stand out among all the other applicants. It’s a small investment with a “HUGE” payoff!

Scholarship Friday, scholarships

4 Excuses to Not Apply for Scholarships

 

scholarshipsIf you haven’t heard them, you have made them. These four excuses will keep you from getting a piece of the free money that’s out there and ripe for the picking. Make these excuses and you will be throwing away money that could be used to pay for scholarships.

It’s a waste of time.

If you think winning thousands of dollars of scholarship money isn’t worth your time you’re wrong. It’s worth every cent of your time and more. A few hours can net you thousands of dollars.

I hate writing essays.

There are plenty of “no essay” scholarships available. If essays scare you, look for the scholarships that don’t require them.

I never win anything.

You can’t win if you don’t apply. It’s a guarantee you won’t win if you don’t make the effort and apply.

Only smart kids win them.

Not all scholarships are academic scholarships. Many do not have a GPA requirement. This excuse doesn’t hold water. Many average students win scholarships.

If you want to know why scholarships are worth the effort, read this article I wrote for TeenLife.com: Are Scholarship Applications Worth the Hassle? You Bet!

campus security, financial aid, scholarships

Scholarships That Pay All Your College Expenses

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scholarships

Everyone wants a free ride for college. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Even athletic scholarships rarely provide students with a full ride for athletes.

Scholarships that pay all college expenses are available, however, if you know where to look. Here are four ways your student can win enough scholarship money to pay for all their college expenses.

Colleges with merit-aid

Good grades, good test scores, a stellar volunteer record and essay, can mean thousands of dollars in merit aid from the college. If your student is applying to one of the colleges on this list, he or she could score enough money to pay for all their college expenses.

Merit Aid Scholarship Directory

Colleges with great scholarships for National Merit finalists

The PSAT is one way to win a full-ride scholarships. If your student is a National Merit finalist (which isn’t that difficult with a little preparation), he or she would be offered a full-ride scholarship and more. Here’s a list of colleges that offer scholarships to National Merit finalists.

Colleges With Scholarships for National Merit Finalists

Colleges with full-ride scholarships

Full-ride scholarships are offered to the students who are at the top of the applicant pool. The bar is set pretty high, but if your student is one of them, they could score a scholarship that pays all their college expenses. How does your student get to the top of the applicant pool? Apply to colleges where their SAT scores and GPA are higher than other students. This list will help you find those schools.

Comprehensive List of Full-Ride Scholarships

Winning multiple outside  scholarships

If your student works hard at applying for scholarships, it’s entirely possible to win enough scholarship money to pay for all their college expenses. Monica Matthew’s son, with her help, won $100,000 in scholarships. If you want to know how she did it, read her story and while you are there, purchase her simple how-to guide.

Finding and winning full-ride scholarships can be done. But it takes some effort: searching for the right colleges, doing the work in school, and applying for scholarships.

Scholarship Friday, scholarships

Green Mountain College Offers $200,000 Sustainability Scholarship

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sustainability scholarship

Green Mountain College Announces $200,000 Scholarship Award to Help a Student Pursue Sustainable Education

The most pressing challenges of our time await your innovative solutions. Green Mountain College, the nation’s number-one college for sustainability based education, wants to empower you to make a better world. Today, the college is announcing a new First in Sustainability Scholarship Award for one student who is passionate about ensuring social, economic and/or environmental sustainability. The winning student will receive free tuition, room, board and fees for all four years at Green Mountain College—a total value of $200,000.

sustainability scholarship

Recognized more than any college for its leadership in sustainability, Green Mountain College of Poultney, Vermont provides a personal, practical and purposeful education that prepares graduates to “do well by doing good.” The college offers 22 academic majors and 32 additional minors and certificates, all built on its core sustainability focused general education curriculum. Students also gain extensive practical experience, from working at a community farm to building a solar garage that charges an electrical tractor (a student project), which gives them a leg up in the “green jobs” market. Ninety-seven percent of graduates are employed or in graduate school and ninety-five percent of graduates are satisfied or very satisfied in their work.

“More than twenty years ago, Green Mountain College became the first college in the nation to dedicate its curriculum to sustainability. Now, the imperative to take meaningful action is stronger than ever. We hope this scholarship will help catalyze today’s students to ensure a more sustainable world for generations to come,” said Robert (Bob) Allen, President, Green Mountain College.

Green Mountain College Offers $200,000 Sustainability Scholarship to High School Seniors
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About the Sustainability Scholarship

Get a head start fulfilling your life’s purpose! Any high school senior applying for admission to Green Mountain College’s class of 2021 is eligible for this scholarship award. Applicants are required to submit an additional essay, describing what change they would like to make for a better and more sustainable world. The piece (up to 800 words) should address these two topics:

  1. This is what you would change.
  2. This is how an education at Green Mountain College will prepare you to make the change.

All First in Sustainability Scholarship Award applications must be submitted online and received by 11:59 pm Pacific Time on February 15, 2017. One winner will be announced April 15, 2017.  The online application form can be found at greenmtn.edu/sustainabilityscholarship.

Green Mountain College offers rolling admissions. To apply for next year’s freshman class at Green Mountain College, please visit discover.greenmtn.edu/applynow/inquiryform. For additional information about the scholarship award, please email Karen Martinsen Fleming at flemingk@greenmtn.edu.

About Green Mountain College

The nation’s number-one college and curriculum for sustainability, Green Mountain College prepares students seeking to build meaningful careers pursuing social, economic and environmental sustainability. The college’s holistic sustainability based education, built on a core sustainability focused general education curriculum, enables students to develop the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in our rapidly changing world. Benefiting from a purposeful, personal, and practical education, 97 percent of Green Mountain College alumni are employed or in graduate school and 95 percent of Green Mountain College graduates report satisfaction from their careers. The college also offers online master’s degree programs, and a three-year B.S. degree in partnership with The Killington Resort. For more information, please see www.greenmtn.edu.