Tag Archives: scholarships

Scholarship Friday: Creepy, Freaky Scholarships for Halloween

 

halloween

Although these scholarships have been deemed “creepy and freaky”, any scholarship that gets you FREE money for college is anything but creepy and freaky. In honor of Halloween, here are two of the creepiest.

Are you fascinated with paranormal activity?

The New York-based Parapsychology Foundation offers young ghost hunters and those with interest in the paranormal several scholarships. There are 5 annual awards with varying deadlines

  • The Annual Charles T. and Judith A. Tart Research Grant of $500
  • The Annual Robert R. Coly Prize of $1000
  • The Annual Eileen J. Garrett Scholarship of $3000
  • The Annual Frances P. Bolton Fellowship of $3000
  • The D. Scott Rogo Award for Parapsychological Literature of $3000

You can open the PDF file attached to the link for the foundation to get all the details of each and the deadlines.

Are you a Walking Dead fan?

The Zombie Scholarship Committee from Scholarship Experts wants to know your plan to avoid the zombies, where you would hide (or maybe you don’t need to), and the top five things you would bring to stay alive.

The 2014 Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship is underway, and they are giving one successful “survivor” $2,000 towards his or her college education. Do you think you have what it takes to make the cut? But you better act fast—today is the deadline for this year’s scholarship. For those of you who are making a list for the future. Put this one on you calendar!

Scholarship Friday: Frame My Future Scholarship

 

The 2015 Frame My Future Scholarship Contest is  currently accepting applications. The prizes are as follows:

  • frame my future scholarship1 Grand Prize Winner – $1,000 scholarship, $1,000 donation check to winner’s 2015 attended college/university, and a commemorative Frame My Future frame
  • 4 Scholarship Winners – $1,000 scholarship and commemorative Frame My Future frame
  • 19 Finalists – commemorative Frame My Future frame

How do I apply?

To apply, you must create an original creative image (a photograph, collage, poem, drawing, etc.). 24 Finalists will be chosen to move on to a one-month public voting phase. Church Hill Classics will select 22 of the Finalists based on the judging criteria, and two of the Finalists will be selected based on Fan Favorite criteria.

Eligibility

Applicant eligibility is fairly broad. To apply, you must be:

  • Attending a US college or university full-time for the 2015-2016 academic year (including community college, undergraduate or graduate school)
  • A legal US resident

Application and deadline

You can apply online. The deadline is March 3, 2015 .

Scholarship Friday: FIRE Scholarship

 

FIRE scholarship

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) hosts an annual FIRE scholarship essay contest for high school juniors and seniors.

The mission of FIRE is to defend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience—the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity.

FIRE’s core mission is to protect the unprotected and to educate the public and communities of concerned Americans about the threats to these rights on our campuses and about the means to preserve them.

Also check out FIRE’s Guide to Free Speech on Campus and explore thefire.org to learn more before you begin the scholarship essay process.

Who Can Enter

High school juniors and seniors for the 2014–2015 school year who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible to participate.

Essay prompt

Why is free speech important at our nation’s colleges and universities? Using examples from both videos, discuss how censorship of student speech is incompatible with higher education

Word Length

Students must submit an essay between 800 and 1,000 words on the provided topic below.

Deadline

FIRE must receive all entries by January 1, 2015. Winners will be announced January 31, 2015.

Prizes

One $10,000 first prize, one $5,000 second prize, and three $1,000 runner-up prizes will be awarded for the best essays.

Four $500 winners will be chosen from the remaining entrants in a drawing.

 

Enter here:  http://www.thefire.org/student-network/essay-contest/#prompt

Scholarship Friday: Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Scholarships

 

scholastic awardsAttention, Creative Teens: How to Become an Exhibited Artist or Published Author

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are accepting submissions from students in grades 7–12 who aspire to follow in the footsteps of Stephen King, Andy Warhol and Lena Dunham and gain opportunities for exhibition, publication, scholarships and more.

The annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation’s longest- running, most prestigious scholarship and recognition initiative for students in grades 7–12, is now open for submissions and invites all aspiring teen artists and writers to share their work. Over the past five years alone, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit presenter of the Awards, has received more than one million original works from public, private and homeschooled students. The program provides top-winning artistic and literary teens with exhibition and publication opportunities, as well as access to millions of dollars in scholarships, while continuing its legacy of identifying the early promise of some of our nation’s most exceptional visionaries.

To learn more about the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, visit www.artandwriting.org.

Virginia McEnerney, Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers said, “People who have been successful in their fields, from artists to scientists, all have one thing in common. At one time they were teenagers looking for their first great encouragement. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are a platform of opportunity that allow teenagers to push artistic boundaries and explore as they are shaping themselves to be part of the next generation of leaders, no matter what field of study they plan to pursue.”

Students in the U.S. and Canada, and those attending American schools abroad, are invited to submit creative works in the Awards’ 28 categories, ranging from comic art to photography, flash fiction to poetry, video game design to novel-writing and more. All works are evaluated through a blind judging process based on originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal vision or voice—the same three criteria since the program’s founding in 1923. Submissions are first judged on a regional level by the more than 100 affiliates of the Alliance, which bring the program to local communities across the country. Top regional submissions are then evaluated on a national level by an impressive panel of creative-industry experts. Luminaries in the visual and literary arts, including Andres Serrano, Edwidge Danticat, Kay WalkingStick, Roz Chast and Stephen Savage, have all served as past jurors.

Deadlines for submissions vary by region throughout the winter months, with National Scholastic Art & Writing Award winners announced in March 2015.

What it means to win a Scholastic Art & Writing Award:

  • The outstanding students who win Scholastic Art & Writing Awards walk in the footsteps of celebrated creative leaders such as Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Sylvia Plath, Robert Redford, Stephen King, Myla Goldberg, Richard Linklater, Kay WalkingStick, Zac Posen and Lena Dunham, all of whom won an Award when they were teens.
  • The Scholarship Partner Network includes more than 60 colleges and universities who set aside scholarships for Scholastic Art & Writing Award–winning high school seniors. With more than $10 million available, the program is the largest source of scholarships for creative teens.
  • Each year, 16 high school seniors are awarded the Portfolio Gold Medal, which is accompanied by a $10,000 scholarship—the highest possible honor a student can receive through the program.
  • Cash awards are also available to students of all grades, as well as teachers.
  • Student writers may be published in The Best Teen Writing series of anthologies, which are available for purchase at amzn.com/0545818966.
  • A large selection of student Scholastic Art & Writing Award–winning works will be on display in the Art.Write.Now. National Exhibition in New York City at Parsons New School for Design and Pratt Manhattan Gallery in June 2015. An annual traveling Art.Write.Now.Tour also brings student work to cities across the country. This year’s tour is now open at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI, and will travel to the Salt Lake City Public Library as well as the Catskill Art Society in Livingston Manor, New York.
  • National winners will be honored during a special awards ceremony at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York City, where celebrities, families and teachers congratulate the student winners and encourage them to continue in their paths. To view this past year’s ceremony online, visit www.artandwriting.org/carnegiewebcast2014.
  • Five students in grades 9–11 are selected annually to serve as literary ambassadors as part of the National Student Poets Program, the nation’s highest honor for youth poets presenting original work. Winning a Scholastic Art & Writing Award National Medal in poetry is the exclusive pathway to this honor, which is presented in partnership by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Alliance.

The Alliance is grateful for its generous sponsors, who provide funds to support and produce the Awards: Scholastic Inc., The Maurice R. Robinson Fund, Command Web Offset Co., the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, The New York Times, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, The National Endowment for the Arts, Blick Art Materials & Utrecht Art Supplies, 3D Systems, The Gedenk Movement, Golden Artist Colors, Bloomberg L.P., the Bernstein Family Foundation, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Duck Tape® and additional contributions from numerous other individual, foundation and corporate funders.

To learn more about the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, visit the Scholastic Media Room online at mediaroom.scholastic.com/artandwriting.

Scholarship Friday: 3 Scholarship Scams to Avoid

 

scholarship scamEvery year an estimated 350,000 students and families are victims of scholarship scams, costing more than $5 million annually. Free scholarship money is always great, but sometimes offers are just too good to be true.

When conducting your scholarship search, be on the lookout for these three popular scholarship scams, so

1. Asking for cash up front: If you see a scholarship offer that requires you to send in an application or processing fee, this so-called “scholarship” is almost always a scam. Even if the offer adds a disclosure statement that guarantees a refund, money you send up front is almost never returned. These so-called fees are one of the most popular scams and trap thousands of families every year. Just remember these four words: never pay a fee.

2. Awards without entries: You may have seen ads or emails that promise, “Congratulations! You have just won a $10,000 scholarship to college! To obtain your reward, please send in a $100 processing fee.” These emails are similar to the ones promising your millions if you simply send a fee. If you did not apply for a scholarship or enter in a specific contest for this money, this is probably a scam. Scholarships are rewards for those who do the work, not prizes for doing nothing. If you did not work hard to apply for this scholarship, but it still offers thousands of dollars in cash just for sending in a processing fee, you should not take it seriously.

3. Sweeping promises: Lastly, be aware of scholarship offers that make sweeping claims. If you see an offer that declares any of the following and seems too good to be true, stay away.

  • “The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back.” In life, and in the financial assistance realm, nothing is guaranteed. Do not let this line fool you!
  • “You can’t get this information anywhere else.” If you can’t get information about this scholarship anywhere else, then chances are it is not legitimate. Scholarship search sites are databases filled with scholarships. If the scholarship isn’t listed on one of these resources, then be very cautious.
  • “We guarantee you will win multiple scholarships.” Nobody can guarantee that you will win a scholarship. Most of these claims require you pay a fee upfront.

Students win hundreds of thousands of scholarships each year and they NEVER have to spend money to win them. There are no free rides, however, and it will require some effort on your student’s part. Make sure to always research the scholarship to which you are applying, never send in money, and be cautious of offers that seem too good to be true.

For even more information, turn to the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid Office for an excellent article on avoiding scams.

Scholarship Friday: Use Social Media to Your Advantage

 

social mediaYou have buried your head in the sand if you don’t know the impact that social media has on your reputation. Just watch the news, and celebrities put their feet in their mouths daily on Twitter. The whole world is monitoring what they say. But who is watching what your teen says? Just about everyone these days: colleges, scholarship judges and committees, and future employers.

It’s not enough for your teen to bridle their keystrokes on Twitter or set their Facebook page to private. It stands to reason that if these entities are looking at social media, you should use it to your advantage and create a positive impression. Social media is a great place for scholarship applicants to document their volunteer activities.

Be authentic. Create a blog and write about your experiences. Post pictures on Instagram. Comment on Twitter and Facebook about what you are learning while volunteering. Use social media to showcase your interests, your activities and your learning experiences.

For some excellent tips on how to use social media to your advantage, read:

Scholarship Applicants: Use Social Media to Your Advantage

Your teen may not be a celebrity, but he is being watched by people who are interested in knowing more about him. Don’t let your teen have one of those “uh-oh” moments like Gilbert Gottfried did a few years ago:

bad tweets

 

Debunking 6 Scholarship Myths

 

truthEveryone has his or her own opinion about college scholarships. But the truth is most of those opinions are incorrect. Don’t believe what you hear from skeptics. Here’s the real truth about scholarship myths.

Myth 1

“Only low income families get help paying for college.”

Truth: Absolutely FALSE!

There are all sorts of reasons for scholarship awards: academics, special interests, talents, achievements, personal qualities, activities, skills, family heritage, geographical location, and the list goes on and on!

Myth 2

“Most scholarships are for athletes or minority students.”

Truth: Categorically FALSE!

Minorities and athletes encompass only one small portion of the scholarship landscape. For instance, there are scholarships for surfers, filmmakers, horse groomers, southpaws, and even descendants of revolutionary war and civil war vets; just to name a few.

Myth 3

“Only the smartest students win merit awards.”

Truth: Completely FALSE!

Many of the best scholarships are designed for students who devote time to music, performing arts, foreign languages, community service, web design, science projects, leadership, amateur radio, writing, photography, oratory, and even part time jobs.

Myth 4

“Once you’ve graduated from high school, it’s too late to apply for a college scholarship.”

Truth: WRONG!

Even if you’re already in college there are still scholarships to apply for. They may be a bit harder to find, but they are out there.

Myth 5

“Past actions and choices pre-determine scholarship success.”

Truth: FALSE if you utilize this tip!

Turn weaknesses into strengths. What your teen does from this point on can make all the difference. You can’t change your past but you can certainly use it as a tool to show others that you learn from your mistakes and rise above them.

Myth 6

“It’s best to just apply for a few awards because that maximizes your odds of winning.”

Truth: Extremely FALSE!

It’s a numbers game; apply for as many as you can. You never know which application will hit pay dirt.

Before you dismiss searching for scholarships, you should know all the facts. Don’t believe what the skeptics tell you. There are too many students attending college on scholarships to believe any of these myths.

 

Scholarship Friday: The Scholarship Essay

 

scholarship essayParents love scholarships. They love the idea of a scholarship. They love it when their kids apply for scholarships. Who wouldn’t? Scholarships are free money. But scholarships require just as much effort as the college application, if not more. You have to create a resume, gather information and often write a scholarship essay. It requires drive, perseverance, and a desire to achieve success.

The scholarship essay

For those scholarships that require an essay, the essay is usually the focus. It’s imperative that your student craft an excellent essay; one the addresses the subject matter and follows the requirements. Look online at past winners to help you craft the essay.

The multi-use scholarship essay

Scholarship essays often overlap in the required subject matter, giving you and opportunity to use one essay over and over again. If you can enter with multiple scholarships with one essay, it will save you time. Just be certain when applying that any scholarship specific information is removed for the next one. The worst mistake you can make is apply for a Target scholarship with a WalMart heading.

Don’t forget to follow the guidelines

A simple way to make sure your essay is read and considered is to follow the guidelines. Pay special attention to word count, character count, font size, and subject matter. Any of these oversights will cause your essay and your scholarship application to be tossed.

Make your essay stand out

The essay is your best chance to stand out from other candidates and communicate why you should receive the scholarship. U.S. News and Education provides us with 4 ways to make your scholarship essay stand out:

  1. Know your audience
  2. Plan far in advance
  3. Make it personal and passionate
  4. Find an editor

It’s a no-brainer that finding and competing for scholarships takes time. But the time will be well spent when those awards start arriving. Follow the rules and but forth your best impression. Scholarship committees are looking for the best candidate to receive their scholarship award. Be that candidate, and the award checks will come flying in.

 

Scholarship Friday: 3 Scholarship Truths

 

scholarship truthsParents usually have two misinformed views about scholarships. First, they think it’s impossible to win scholarships because its like the lottery, a one in a million chance to win. Secondly, they think that only kids with high GPAs win scholarships. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I’m not going to lie. Winning scholarships requires a commitment both on your part and on the student’s part. It’s not going to happen if your student isn’t invested heavily in the process. And it’s not going to happen if you aren’t willing to help. It requires work, perseverance, and determination. If neither of these are present, scholarships will be impossible to win.

Here are 3 scholarship truths that can make all the difference:

You MUST search

Searching for scholarships is not easy. It requires an endless persistence in looking for them, a willingness to explore every available opportunity, and a commitment to invest your time and resources in the effort. Yes, you can sign up on scholarship engines like Zinch, but these engines are not your only options; and if you’re not willing to dig for those lesser known scholarships, (especially locally) you’re only decreasing your chances of winning.

Parents can play a huge part in this part of the process. Pay attention, read everything you can, watch for them on social media, subscribe to podcasts (like How to Pay for College HQ) and subscribe to blogs that talk about scholarships (like this one). High school students are extremely busy and their time and effort is best spent completing the applications. You and your college-bound teen can be a team for this aspect of the process.

You MUST apply

One expert, Gyan Devi, says the time spent applying to scholarships reaps more rewards than a part-time job. However, the students MUST be invested in this part of the process. You can’t write their essays, complete the paperwork, or push them into it. If they aren’t invested, it’s not going to payoff with rewards.

One way to motivate them to do this is to have the money talk early in high school. If your student understands that winning scholarships directly affects his/her ability to attend college, they are going to be more likely to commit their time to applying.

You MUST be unique

According to “The Scholarship Mom“, packaging makes the difference. In order for your student’s scholarship applications to stand out, you need to package it properly. Just applying, especially when your student is one of thousands, probably won’t produce winning results. Just like anything you’re trying to sell or promote, it’s all about the marketing. And your student is marketing himself to the scholarship committee. You need to make sure he puts his best foot forward.

The truth about scholarships? There are scholarships for every student, some with high GPAs and some don’t even ask for a GPA. But, unless your student is willing to commit their time to the process, he/she is not going to win any scholarships. If you and your student work as a team, the odds of winning that big payoff increases dramatically. If you follow these simple tips and suggestions, the time spent will be well worth the payoff.

 

10 GPA-Free Scholarships

gpa-free scholarships

Not every student is a stellar student with a winning GPA. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want to go to college AND earn scholarship money to pay for their education. Good news . . . there are GPA-Free Scholarships that make it possible.

Following are 10 GPA-Free scholarships that you don’t need to be in the top 10%, a valedictorian, or the best of the best. You just need to want to go to college and put in a little effort.

1. $1,000 Every Month Scholarship from GotChosen

GotChosen is offering a recurring monthly scholarship to help college students. The GotChosen $1000 Every Month Scholarship is easy and free to enter. A new winner is selected every month by a random drawing. Open to all fields of study, the $1,000 must be used for educational expenses, this includes: tuition, fees, books, supplies, equipment required for study, or towards repayment of outstanding student loans. Virtually anyone 18 years old or older is eligible to participate. Open to U.S. and international students over 18 years of age, this scholarship asks you to register with GotChosen (painless) and enter the monthly random drawing. Applying doesn’t require a good GPA, essay or long form — just taking a gamble with absolutely nothing to lose.

2. College Week Live Scholarship

CollegeWeekLive believes that a college education is the key to having opportunities in life. That’s why their scholarship will reward students who are working hard to research, apply and choose a college. Winning is easy – all you need to do is login to CollegeWeekLive and visit 3 colleges that interest you. One lucky winner will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship every month. And many other winners may find the college of their dreams.

3.  Chegg Weekly Scholarship

Every week, Chegg gives away $1000 to one high school or college student. Cheng believes strongly in education and works hard to connect students with their best-fit colleges. But they also know that it can be expensive which is they award this scholarship this easy to enter scholarship. Just a short form and answering a question in three sentences and you could add $1000 to your college fund.

4. College Prowler $2000 No Essay Scholarship

The $2,000 “No Essay” Scholarship is open to all students and those planning on enrolling within 12 months. The monthly winner will be determined by random drawing and then contacted directly and announced on our Facebook page. One entry per person, but you can come back each month to try again. High schoolers, adults looking to head back to school, current college students and anyone else looking to attend college or graduate school within 12 months.

5. Scholarship Points

The ScholarshipPoints program is free to join and provides you with the opportunity to win thousands of dollars in scholarships each month. Members earn points by doing what they already do online: shopping, reading, gaming, searching, quizzes, polls, and more. The more you do – the more you earn – the better your chance to win a scholarship! Register today and you could be the next $10,000 scholarship winner!

6. University Language $500 Scholarship

What could be easier than uploading your favorite photo? What does college look like through your camera lens? Show University Language Services for a chance to win a $500.00 college scholarship! As a prospective student making college campus visits, you have a lot to take in: the dorms, the classrooms, the cafeteria, the football stadium … not to mention the atmosphere! Whatever it is, submit a photo you’ve taken, along with a description of between 100-200 words on why that photo represents what college means to you.

7. $1000 Cappex Monthly Scholarship

Tell Cappex about yourself and don’t hold back in a simple form to be eligible for the $1,000 A GPA Isn’t Everything Scholarship. This scholarship opportunity will be available at any college or university. Applications accepted for a limited time so apply now.

8. B. Davis Scholarship

This Scholarship is available to all high school juniors and seniors as well as all students currently registered in any post secondary institution. There is no age restriction an this is not an academic scholarship. To apply for this scholarship you will need to write an essay of less than 1000 words on a topic they choose (topics change yearly).

9. Frame My Future Scholarship

Students are asked to submit an original “creation” through an image which expressed what they hope to achieve in their personal and professional life after college. Entries include photographs, poems. essays. collages, drawings, paintings and other imaginative pieces. The entry needs to communicate: This is how I “Frame My Future”, and include a brief accompanying description. Four winners will receive a  $1000 scholarship.

10. American Fire Sprinkler Association Scholarship

The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) offers $20,000 in scholarships (ten winners at $2,000 each) to the 10 high school students (U.S. citizens or legal residents) whose names pop up in a drawing.

But here’s the kicker: You have to read a six-page document on the fire sprinkler industry and take a ten-question multiple choice test. It’s open book and each correct answer scores you an entry into the drawing (10 is the most entries you can have). You even get a chance to correct wrong answers, which doesn’t happen often with tests.