Category Archives: scholarships

admissions, Scholarship Friday, scholarships

Scholarship Friday: A look at Zinch

 

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zinch

An interviewer asked me the other day which scholarship search engine would I recommend. Hands down–it’s Zinch. I chose them for these 5 reasons:

1. Their scholarship search engine is second to none

You can search for over $1 billion dollars in scholarship awards, set deadline reminders, and get scholarship advice from past winners. Their scholarship home page features a current scholarship and posts scholarships with approaching deadlines.

2. They connect students to colleges–2 for 1 (scholarship and college match)

Zinch is a free service that allows high school students to present themselves to college admission officers – as real people and more than just as SAT/ACT test score.

Importantly, college admission officers want this information. More than 750 colleges and universities work with Zinch to identify students who might be right for their schools.

3. The Double Your Money Program & $1000 Weekly Scholarship

They will match scholarship winners (up to $1000) if they apply to an eligible scholarship on their website and win. Who doesn’t need more money for college? They also offer a weekly $1000 scholarship based on the answer to a simple question (in 3 sentences or less).

4. They connect with students

Zinch simply summarizes this by saying: “The admissions process is very stressful. We know. So we let students connect with other students who are going through the same frustration, struggles and pains as they are. Hopefully that way the process can be a little bit easier.”

They engage and connect with students on their Facebook page as well. Every parent knows that nagging their students to apply for scholarships can be taxing. Zinch knows that and does a great job motivating them. They also connect with their high school blog for students: More Than a Test Score.

5. They connect with parents

Zinch offers parents the information they need to help students in their college process. On their parent page, they give parents free resources to download, a forum to discuss concerns with other parents, and some candid conversations with admissions officers and financial aid experts. Parents can also sign up for their email newsletter and read relevant articles on their high school blog, especially for parents.

Zinch is so much more than a scholarship search site. You can search for and apply to scholarships, connect with colleges, connect with other parents, and connect with other students.

Scholarship Friday, scholarships

Scholarship Friday: 10 Easy Scholarships

 

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scholarship

What could be easier than winning a scholarship and you didn’t even have to write an essay and/or fill out a long application? There isn’t. The rewards may not be as big as those long, involved essay scholarships, but 10 $1000 scholarship add up to $10,000. That’s not chump change! Most of them just take a few minutes to enter:

Zinch Weekly Scholarship

Every week, Zinch gives away $1000 to one high school or college student. Zinch 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.

College Week Live Monthly Scholarship

There are two requirements for entering this $1000 scholarship program:

  1. Apply online by registering at College Week Live’s website (http://www.collegeweeklive.com). Limit one (1) Application per person. Application includes complete name, contact, and high school information as required on the CollegeWeekLive registration form.
  2. Additionally, applicants must login and participate in a CollegeWeekLive virtual event held between the first and last day of the month by no later than the last day of any given month at 11:59 PM EST to be eligible for that month’s scholarship. Participation requires visiting at least 3 college booths.

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.

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!

Do Something Scholarships

If you’re ready to hop on your phone and start applying, one of your first stops should be DoSomething.org’s scholarship listing. The long-standing youth activism organization offers a rotating array of scholarship competitions that usually require nothing more than a text message to enter. Deadlines and programs vary, so it’s worth following @DoSomething on Twitter for updates.

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.

$1000 GPA Isn’t Everything 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.

Got Chosen $1000 Monthly Scholarship

GotChosen is offering a recurring monthly scholarship to help college students. The GotChosen $1000 Every Month Scholarship is easy and free to enter. The scholarship is not awarded based on academic achievement or financial need. Instead, 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.

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.

Scholarship Detective $1500 Scholarship

ScholarshipDetective is a free scholarship search engine. To celebrate their launch we are awarding two $1,500 college scholarships. To enter just complete this application including a 140 character or less statement on how you plan to use the scholarship money. Deadline for entry is December 31, 2013.

Don’t delay. Many of these entry deadlines are within the next few months. 10 entries mean 10 chances to win. And remember: you can’t win if you don’t enter!

 

scholarships, Uncategorized

Scholarship Friday: Young Patriots Essay Contest

 

young patriots essay

The Young Patriots Essay Contest is currently being offered by the National Center for Policy Analysis. This is an essay contest open to all high school students. The winner will receive a $5,000 college scholarship, second place will receive a $3,000 scholarship, and third place will receive a $2,000 scholarship.

Topic and formatting

This contest is designed to challenge high school students to creatively solve problems in the realm of public policy through the art of writing.  The topic of this year’s essay contest is:  “According to the four required readings. What policy changes should the government pursue in order to best foster economic prosperity?” Note that the four required readings are available at the above link.

Your essay should be written in English and should not exceed 1,200 words. More questions on format (and on the contest in general) can be found answered on the contest website.

Awards

Aside from the aforementioned scholarships, winners will:

  • Have their essay published on Debate Central
  • See their essay posted on the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) home page
  • Have their essay shared with 350,000 NCPA Policy Patriots via email
  • Have their winning entry be sent to their hometown newspapers, radio and TV.

Application and deadline

To apply, simply email your essay in to lauren.sabino@ncpa.org. Make sure to include all essential information, including your name, address, phone number(s) and e-mail address in the body of the e-mail. The submission deadline is December 15, 2013.

For more great scholarships go to Scholarships360.org.

 

scholarships

$10,000 Scholarship Essay Contest

 

fire scholarship

This year, The Foundation for the Individual Rights in Education is once again offering high school juniors and seniors the chance to win scholarships towards their education. 

High school juniors and seniors for the 2013–2014 school year who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible to participate in FIRE’s $10,000 scholarship essay contest. To enter, students must submit an essay between 800 and 1,000 words on the provided topic below.

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.

FIRE will accept essay contest entries from August 1, 2013 to January 1, 2014. Winners will be announced January 31, 2014.

Instructions for the Essay:

Familiarize yourself with FIRE and FIRE’s issues. Our mission statement:

The mission of FIRE mission 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.

Reading FIRE’s Guide to Free Speech on Campus and exploring thefire.org are good ways to become more familiar with FIRE.

Watch these two short videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSwp-UTNzus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS6IA93o79s

Students should also watch FIRE’s other videos, available on YouTube.com/theFIREorg.

Answer the essay question: 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. Your essay should be 800–1,000 words.

For complete details, as well as the submission form, please visit http://thefire.org/contest.

 

financial aid, scholarships

Check out this scholarship app

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scholly app

Every parent and student can use some help with the scholarship search process. And what is it they say? There’s a scholarship app for that!

Christopher Gray, known as the “Million-Dollar Scholar” after being awarded $1.3 million in scholarships, has created an app to help students search for scholarships. Over the past three years, Gray has also helped other families manually scour through databases, and figured, “Hey, I need something that can help.  There has to be a faster way.”

scholly appThe app uses eight specific parameters, like state, GPA, or race, to instantly filter through a deep directory of scholarships available for the prospective student.

“It’s extremely simple,” says Gray and that ultimately was the goal. Since students are using their smartphones for just about everything today, he felt the app fit the needs of his audience.

A recent study, conducted by Sallie Mae, shows that 39% of families used scholarship funds to pay for college during the 2012-2013 academic year and Scholly connects users with relevant scholarships in about five minutes.  Scholly’s database is updated monthly to remove scholarships that are no longer available, add scholarships, and refresh deadlines.

Scholly can be purchased for $0.99 in the Apple App Store and Google Play.The app’s costs were intentionally positioned to make it affordable. Pay 99 cents and you may get thousands of dollars for college.

 

 

financial aid, scholarships, Uncategorized

Yes you can (win that scholarship)!

 

yes you canYes you can (win that scholarship)! “Yes you can” are the call words for many motivational speakers, school programs, political campaigns and even song lyricists. The scholarship hunt requires that type of motivation: perseverance, attention to detail, and the desire to succeed. We all know that success requires attention to the goal and focusing on the prize. The scholarship search is no different.

“If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again!” That pretty much sums up the search process. Scholarships are the icing on the cake in the college admissions process–get into the right school and fund it with free money. Winning a scholarship to pay for college is every parent’s dream and the scholarship search process is every student’s nightmare. But with a little effort and some good advice on how and where to search, the effort will be worth their time. There is money out there for every type of student and every area of interest. Yes you can (win that scholarship)!

Read about five cliches that apply to the search for scholarship bucks>>

financial aid, scholarships, Uncategorized

10 Scholarships Summer Prep Tips for Students

6 Comments

 

Today’s guest post is by Monica Matthews of How to Win College Scholarships. Monica’s advice for parents and students is always helpful and timely. Her proven track record of winning scholarships for her own family and her “how-to” approach that helps other parents do the same, makes her an expert in the scholarship search process.

____________

scholarshipsFor students, summer vacation usually means sun, beaches, and fun.  For parents of the college-bound, however, summer means one step closer to college tuition bills and students loans.  There are a number of things students can do to get a jump-start in the college scholarship process during the summer, while at the same time saving time for fun in the sun.

  1. Volunteer – Helping others is a great way to explore career options, meet mentors, and rack up invaluable community service hours that scholarship providers look for in their applicants.
  2. Write – Scholarship essays are how judges get to know students on a deeper level.  Students can find some early deadline scholarships and practice writing the required essays. Continue reading 10 Scholarships Summer Prep Tips for Students →
admissions, college apps, college costs, college guidance, college housing, college majors, college planning, college visits, dorm life, financial aid, parenting, scholarships, student loans, test prep, tutoring, Uncategorized, websites

Comprehensive List of College Info Websites

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college planning

Here’s a current comprehensive list of my picks for college info websites. Do you have any additional suggestions?

COLLEGE BLOGS

ParentingforCollege.com–You will find the MOST information ere olege news. Come here first to find the latest and bhest tools to hn our blog: college guidance, college planning, college coaching, and colelp you navigate the college maze.

TheCollegeSolutionBlog.com–An excellent resource for college-bound teens and their parents: admissions, testing, and financial aid.

UniversityLanguage.com/blog–Great blog articles about everything related to college admissions geared toward students.

GreatCollegeAdvice.com/blog–An excellent resource about the college admissions process providing expert advice helping students map their college journey.

USNews.com/Education–The education channel of U.S. News and World Reports providing the latest news and information related to college.

CollegeBasics.com–An excellent resource for information about college essays, college applications and high school resumes.

InsideHigherEd.com/blogs–Several different blogs related to higher education.

CollegeAdmissionsPartners.com/blog–An expert blog dedicated to helping students find the right college.

CollegeFocus.com/colleges–A virtual clearinghouse of blogs related to college life, parenting, college searches, etc.

Road2College.com–You can find just about any topic related to college prep at this site: financial aid, college planning, student loans, test prep, and more.

PARENT SITES

UniversityParent.com–A site where parents can ask questions, gather information, and download and view college guides and campus newsletters.

CollegeParentCentral.com–A blog created to give parents useful information about college and the college admissions process.

YourCollegeKid.com–A site with parent forums and other college prep tools.

CollegiateParent.com-A site dedicated to providing parents with information for their college students.

FINANCIAL AID

Fafsa.ed.gov–The official government website for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

SallieMae.com/plan–A FREE education investment planner that will help determine college costs, compare college costs, and provides information about student loan repayments.

SavingForCollege.com–Everything you need to know about financing a college education.

FinAid.org–An excellent resource for the answers to all your questions regarding college financial aid.

CollegeFinancialAidAdvisors.com–Help with the college financial aid process.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Fastweb.com–An extensive scholarship search website with a massive database of scholarships, along with articles and helps designed specifically for parents.

Chegg.com–A free service for students and parents where students can showcase themselves, connect with colleges, and search for scholarships.

Cappex.com–The place to go to find merit scholarships and academic scholarships from colleges across the country.

Scholarships.com–An extensive scholarship search engine that helps you search and schedule alerts for deadlines.

How2winscholarships.com–A guide for parents and students on how to effectively apply to and win scholarships.

COLLEGE VISITS

SmartCollegeVisit.com–Created to provide information about college visits, help parents and students plan, and view personal accounts from both parents and students.

CollegeWeekLive.com–A virtual college fair that sponsors free LIVE events with archived presentations, student chats, and college booths.

Youniversitytv.com–Learn about colleges by watching video tours, chat with students on campus forums, post questions and get answers.
CustomCollegeVisits.com–Offer custom tailored to your family’s needs, whether you’re visiting college & university campuses close to home, across the country or from overseas.

COLLEGE PLANNING

Cappex.com–A site created for students to help them simplify their college search, create a profile and search for scholarships.

CommonApp.org–The common application site used by 400 colleges and universities across the country.

PrincetonReview.com–The best value colleges list for public and private institutions across the country.

UPromise.com–UPromise partners return a portion of eligible purchase money back to you. Those earnings accumulate in your Upromise account until you decide to use it to invest in a 529 plan, help pay down eligible student loans or assist with college expenses—all tax-free!

CollegeBoard.com–It’s here you’ll find the CSS Profile application (required by many private colleges), register for the SAT, and read articles about planning for college.

CollegeXpress.com–A search site that groups colleges in categories and provides college “hot” lists (i.e. top college for late bloomers, colleges for students needing a second chance)

VolunteerMatch.org–Find local volunteer opportunities for your college-bound teen and teach them about the importance of giving back to their community with the added bonus of adding that service to their high school resume.

KnowHow2Go.com–A college planning site for college-bound students providing helps and aids from middle school to senior year: interactive and fun!

 BigFuture.collegeboard.org–A planning tool to help parents and students get ready for college.

TEST PREP / TUTORING

TutorsForTestPrep.com–An SAT expert and coach offering tips to help your college-bound teen improve their SAT/ACT scores.

FairTest.org–The site for the National Center for fair and open testing providing information about colleges who do not use the SAT/ACT for admissions decisions.

QuincyTutoring.com–A resource to find a tutor and schedule a tutoring session.

LaunchpadEducation.com–Tutoring to help students with learning disabilities and ADHD.

TEXTBOOKS

ECampus.com—Find textbooks, sell textbooks, search for college supplies and college apparel all on this one site.

Chegg.com–A hub for students to compare textbook prices, study for exams, and choose the right courses.

RECRUITING

NCSASports.org–The college recruiting site for athletes.

BeRecruited.com–If you have a teen that’s a student athlete, they can create an online profile here and help colleges and coaches find them and be recruited.

college costs, financial aid, scholarships

The True Cost of College

 

How much is the average American spending on higher education? More than you might expect. This infographic goes beyond tuition and offers a comprehensive breakdown of the real costs of college, as well as what goes into financing a degree, including the realities of student loan debt. What is the true cost of college?

Did you know?

  • The total annual expense of attending an in-state public four-year institution averages $22,261 (only $8,655 of which is tuition and fees, the rest is room and board, books and supplies, transportation and other expenses)
  • Attending an out-of-state four-year public institution averages $35,312 and a private non-profit college or university averages $43,289 each year
  •  $237 billion in financial aid was given during the 2012-13 school year; the average student received $13,218 in financial aid
  • 67 percent of 2009 college graduates are in debt with student loans
  • Total student loan debt exceeds $1 trillion and increases nearly $3K every second

These are just a few statistics that emphasize how important it is to understand all the expenses of college and identify potential funding opportunities while budgeting for higher education. The full infographic can be seen at VarsityTutors.com.

college costs

 

scholarships

Varsity Tutors Announces $1000 Monthly Scholarship

Students Can Enter Every Month for a Chance to Win $1,000 Toward College

scholarshipSt. Louis, Mo. (March 26, 2013) – In its continued effort to help students achieve academic excellence, Varsity Tutors, a premier one-on-one academic tutoring and test prep provider, announced today that it has launched a monthly college scholarship contest. The merit-based scholarship program, open to U.S. residents ages 16 and older, provides students with the opportunity to win $1,000 toward their college tuition.

“At Varsity Tutors, we believe it is imperative that students have what they need in order to successfully achieve their academic goals,” said Chuck Cohn, founder and CEO of Varsity Tutors. “We recognize that in addition to academic support, students sometimes also need help funding their studies, so I’m incredibly proud to announce that each month we plan to award a $1,000 college scholarship to a deserving student.”

To enter, students must submit an essay during the submission period. Essay themes center on academic-based topics and encourage students to reflect on their aspirations and plans for their education and beyond. Two scholarships have been awarded since the program started in January 2013.

“Opportunities like the Varsity Tutors $1,000 Scholarship Contest are very rare and valuable,” said Taylor Hudgins, freshman at Meredith College and the January award recipient. “Winning this scholarship means a new world of opportunities, making unpaid internships and paying for books possible. Thanks to Varsity Tutors, I can look forward to next semester without financial worries.”

A monthly winner is determined through two rounds of review. Each month, the submission period opens on the 1st and ends on the 15th. Valid entries are then displayed on the Varsity Tutors website and put to an online public vote beginning on the 16th via social media shares. Once the voting period closes at the end of the month, a panel of judges reviews the five entries that received the most votes and then proceeds to select a winner. Entries are judged based on clarity of expression, creativity, originality of expression and sincerity.

The next submission period begins on April 1st. To learn more about the Varsity Tutors College Scholarship Contest and view the official rules, visit www.varsitytutors.com/college-scholarship.

 ________________

About Varsity Tutors

Varsity Tutors is a premier private academic tutoring and test prep provider designed to help students at all levels of education achieve academic excellence. Varsity Tutors delivers in-home, personalized, one-on-one instruction in any subject from STEM to the humanities, as well as customized preparation for all standardized exams including the ISEE, SSAT, SAT, ACT, and graduate exams such as the GRE, LSAT, MCAT and GMAT. Students from elementary to graduate school are expertly matched with an exceptional tutor who is best able to address their unique needs and goals. To ensure satisfaction and safety, only the highest caliber tutors are selected to join Varsity Tutors following a rigorous screening process. Varsity Tutors currently serves 19 cities nationwide and offers a variety of tutoring packages. Students and their families interested in learning more about Varsity Tutors should visit www.varsitytutors.com.