Tag Archives: scholarships

Scholarship Friday: $1000 From Wells Fargo CollegeSTEPS

August 7, 2015 Suzanne Shaffer

Students are always looking for “easy” ways to earn money for college. In 2013, the Wells Fargo CollegeSTEPS Sweepstakes awarded 600 students $1000 to help them pay for college.

Whether you’re planning for college or already there, sign up for the CollegeSTEPS® program today for tools, tips, and a chance to win $1,000. Once you sign up, we’ll email you helpful information on topics like study tips, securing financial aid, and managing your money. Sweepstakes is subject to the full Official Rules. To sign up and for full rules and details go to: wellsfargo.com/collegesteps

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES. Sweepstakes runs on www.wellsfargo.com/collegesteps from 12:00 a.m. Central Time (“CT”) on 8/14/14 to 11:59 p.m. CT on 8/13/15 (“Promo Period”). Open to full or part-time students who are in an accredited secondary or post-secondary educational institution or program (including, but not limited to, high school, college, university or trade school, or are home schooled in an accredited program) and are legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia born on or before 12/31/00. All eligible students who enrolled in Wells Fargo’s CollegeSTEPS® program between 8/6/10 and 8/13/14 will be automatically entered in the 2014/2015 sweepstakes without having to re-enroll. A total of (160) $1,000 prizes will be awarded – (80) to high school students and (80) to college students during the Promo Period – 40 prizes per each of four drawings. Odds to win depend upon the total number of CollegeSTEPS program enrollments received at the time of each drawing. Sweepstakes subject to full Official Rules. Void where prohibited by law.

This is a #paid post

Scholarship Friday, scholarships

Scholarship Friday: My Best 3 Tips for Finding Scholarships

July 31, 2015 Suzanne Shaffer

A mom on Twitter asked me where to start searching for scholarship money. It’s hard to answer that question in 140 characters, but as I was crafting the tweet, I realized there are three basic tips for finding scholarships:

1. Search locally

The best place and the easiest place to find scholarships is to search locally. Not only is it an easy search, but the odds of winning are far greater since there is a much smaller applicant pool. Check with your local librarian for a list of organizations that offer scholarships. Watch the news and read the paper for scholarship award announcements and winners.

2. Ask your high school counselor

Counselors have multiple scholarships come across their desk on a daily basis. You can check the school website as well. But don’t just stop there. Look at other high school websites in your area for scholarship postings.

3. Follow my blog and READ my Scholarship Friday posts

Most every week I provide scholarship search tips and often scholarship awards on my blog. You can also do a search for “scholarships” and find websites that can help you with your scholarship search.

But, don’t stop there. Get on social media! Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook are great resources for locating scholarship money.

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Scholarship Friday: Scholarships for Women

July 10, 2015 Suzanne Shaffer

I came across this great list of scholarships for women at onmogul.com.

Computer Science, Engineering & Business-Focused Scholarships:

Best Value Schools STEM Scholarship for Women: Female U.S. students who are majoring in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics at the undergraduate level. Applicants must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and an SAT score of 1100 or higher; $2,000 annually, non-renewable; Application Deadline: October

Dell Scholars Program: High school seniors; In addition to winning $20,000, students become part of a Dell Scholar community. These scholars also receive the latest technology equipment from Dell so that they can succeed in college. They receive textbook credits, PCs, laptops, printers, ink, and other supplies; Application Deadline: unknown

ESA Foundation Computer and Video Game Scholarship: U.S. high school seniors and undergraduate students who are pursuing degrees leading to a career in computer and video game arts. Students must be female or a minority, and must have a grade point average of 2.75 or higher; $3,000 annually, non-renewable; Application deadline: May

The Generation Google Scholarship: Created to assist aspiring computer scientists excel in technology and become leaders in the field; $10,000; Application deadline: March 5th (for high school seniors) and January 15th for current college students

General Electric: Women entering fields such as engineering or business; up to $5,000; Application Deadline: unknown

Microsoft Technical Scholarships for Minorities and Women: Must be enrolled in university and actively pursuing a degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, math, physics, or other STEM-related field; either full or partial tuition for the entire academic year; Application deadline: unknown

NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing: U.S high school females with grade point average of 3.0 or better; a $500 cash award; a laptop computer (provided by Bank of America); an engraved award for both the student and the student’s school; and a trip to attend the Bank of America Technology Showcase and Awards Ceremony; Application Deadline: accepted between September 15th and October 31st

NSHSS Foundation STEM Scholarship: U.S. high school seniors who will be attending college in the fall. Applicants must be a member of an underrepresented group, have a minimum 3.5 grade point average and be pursuing a major in a STEM field; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; $1,000 annually, non-renewable; Application Deadline: unknown

STEM Scholarship for Women: Female currently attending or enrolled at an accredited post-secondary institution (under-graduate or graduate) and be majoring full-time in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics program; $2,000 scholarship, twice per year; Application deadline: October 31st or April 15th

Scholarship Friday: Tips to Efficiently Apply for Scholarships

June 19, 2015 Suzanne Shaffer 1 Comment

When financial aid administrators at a college are in charge of scholarships, they may receive 200 applications or more for each opening. They don’t see much personal information, but rather a list of numbers and dates. You need to do everything in your power to make your application stand out from the rest.

Not every scholarship candidate will get called in for an interview. The helpful tips to efficiently apply for scholarships below will allow you to make a good impression on the people who determine whether you get scholarships or not.

Get all the Information about every Scholarship

Every school and organization has its own ways to handle applications for scholarships. Reading all the information completely is vital. If you’re not sure of something, email or call the scholarship provider to make sure everything is clear to you. If your desired scholarship is funded by a company or organization, go to their website and find out more about them.

Make Sure You are Eligible

It’s important that you only apply for the scholarships that are relevant to you. Check to be sure that you fit the special group, age or gender specified in the information.

Organize your Documents

Make files for each individual scholarship you wish to receive. Sort these files by the due dates of the applications. You will need other paperwork in addition to the application. They include:

Financial aid forms, such as the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE® or FAFSA
High school transcripts
Parents’ latest financial information, including their tax returns
Standardized test scores
Letters of recommendation (the number will be specified by the scholarship)
Essays
Proof that you are eligible for the scholarship

Prepare your Resume

Some organizations and colleges will ask for a resume when you apply. If you have held jobs, include those, but don’t worry if you have no work experience yet. Point out honors and awards you have received, and all volunteer service you have completed. If you have spent many hours in volunteer service, omit those that are not as significant as the rest. You want to impress the committee without boring them.

Get Eloquent Letters of Recommendation

Letters should come from academic advisors or teachers who are familiar with your scholastic abilities and your personal interests, as well. This will show the reader that you are able to carry out the specified program you want to pursue. If your academic advisor or teacher knows of your leadership ability or community service, that should be included, too.

Ask people early, if you want them to write letters of recommendation for you. They should know why you are applying and what area you wish to study. Speak with them to help clarify your plans and goals in their minds. Give your writers plenty of time. Don’t wait until the last minute.

Your Application Essay

This is sometimes called a statement of purpose or a letter of intent. It gives the scholarship committee the information they need to become acquainted with you. It should tell of your experiences in the field you wish to pursue. Tell them what you will do with your degree, after you earn it.

Your personal statement gives you a chance to speak about yourself. Show the committee that you have valid opinions and ideas, that you think in a logical way, and that you express yourself eloquently, yet economically.

Have your Transcripts Ready

Many applications require transcripts of schools you have previously attended. Get this information as soon as you know you’ll be applying for scholarships. There may be a small fee for your schools’ official transcripts.

Before you Submit your Application

Proof-read your application with care. Use the grammar and spelling check on your computer. Have someone else read it and offer any helpful ideas they may have.

Be sure that you fill in every blank. Contact the sponsors if you’re not sure what information they want.

Be sure that anything hand-written is legible. Filling the application out online, if available, makes it easier than writing information by hand.

Be sure that you sign and date the application.

Keep Copies of all Documents

Having extra copies of all your documentation makes it easy to send additional forms in, if requested by a scholarship committee. If you apply online, save your work on your laptop.

Track your Package

If you submit your scholarship application through the mail, you may wish to send it via certified mail, or request a return receipt, so that you know your documents arrived on time.

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Today’s guest post is by Pyper Barnes, a Junior Finance Major at the University of Alabama. Pyper is the owner of WeirdScholarships. WeirdScholarships.net is a website dedicated to helping students find unique and interesting scholarship opportunities.

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Scholarship Friday: Penn College Scholarships

June 12, 2015 Suzanne Shaffer

As part of my #DegreesThatWork series, I thought it would be fitting to write about Penn College scholarships. They are committed to helping their students finance their education and have backed up that commitment with scholarships and merit aid.

As I mentioned in my first post, Degrees That Work: A College’s Best Kept Secret, the alumni of Penn College raised 6.4 million dollars last year for their scholarship fund. This money is earmarked for deserving students, both with need and with no financial need. This is no ordinary college. The lists of scholarships available to students is mind blowing–yes, I said mind blowing. And the good news is you only have to fill out their scholarship application once a year and it will match you with available scholarships, making it easy to find them and apply.

Head over to their scholarship page for an extensive list: http://www.pct.edu/scholarships/scholarships.htm

And…if that’s not enough, the page also provides you with an External Scholarship List for various majors, and a link to their STEM scholarship.

These available scholarships are just one more reason to consider Penn College when creating your college list.

Next week on #CampusChat, we will host @PennCollege as our guest. Bring your questions and learn all about the amazing opportunities available at Penn College and their Degrees That Work program.

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Scholarship Friday: Maximizing College Scholarship Options

May 29, 2015 Suzanne Shaffer

With the rising tuition costs every year, it is getting difficult for students and their families to pay for the college because the financial aid packages they get from college are not sufficient to cover the other costs including room, books and other necessities. If they can apply for scholarships, this additional college debt can be covered. The college scholarship money is offered by the private sector sponsors, foundations and corporations and is rising year by year.

Make the mark

The organizations who grant scholarship always ask for academic achievements or grade point average i.e. GPA. Therefore, you need to get high grades in every year of your high school, as well as sometimes even in middle school, to avoid putting your scholarship chances at risk.

Know scholarship options – where to look

Scholarships are gift aid and thus the best option for the students with high skills. The first place you can ask for the scholarships is your school or college or you can check their websites. Some personal organizations, businesses and other country foundations also provide scholarships. If you are an employee in some company, you can also look in your company. Many companies offer programs for their employees like tuition reimbursement programs.

Participate

During your high school years, you should involve yourself in outside activities, which can reflect your leadership abilities. The students who are in need of scholarships who are also involved in several community organizations have a stronger application. Most organizations that offer scholarships consider all the skills beyond academic, as they like to give scholarships to people they believe are well-rounded applicants. You need not to switch your activities randomly just to make your list of accomplishments big. It is important that you are making a difference, giving your focus only a few organizations. You can go for volunteering at local non-profits, student clubs at school or raising money for a cause; there are many more other options.

Make the match

You should make sure the scholarships for which you are applying to must match your skills. Therefore, you may want to build up those special skills required because many scholarships offered only to the people having certain skills. The organizations sponsoring scholarships may look for the applicants who are a certain gender, studying specific degrees, planning to work in certain fields, in need of financial aid, and many endless other skills. At LendEDU, we have a scholarship search that allows applicants to filter off many fields.

Good writing skills

It is highly required having strong writing skills as it is the important part of the application process for scholarships. Essay writing is a must in most of the applications. While this part of the application is often self-explanatory, many scholarship committees review essays as their opportunity to “get to know” the applicant. Having a strong essay with a powerful story or strong reasoning can boost your application to the top of the pile, even if you do not have the strongest grades or test scores.

Apply, apply, and apply

The one and only way you will be getting a scholarship is to apply! All other things come secondary. However, people get disheartened soon just by looking at the amount of time the scholarship process takes and don’t apply. Always remember, the investment is worth it and soon you will be getting hundreds and even thousands of dollars in scholarships, free money that you do not need to pay back!

Determine what makes you special and start searching for the good college scholarships to see the kinds of awards you could have for a chance to win.

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Today’s guest post is from Matthew Zehr, Content Marketing Manager at LendEDU.com! LendEDU is a marketplace for student loans and student loan refinance. LendEDU helps borrowers find the best terms and rates available with one application.

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Scholarship Friday: 10 Facebook Scholarship Pages to “Like”

May 8, 2015 Suzanne Shaffer

Looking for scholarships? Why not use your Facebook time to your advantage. All you have to do is “like” some Facebook scholarship pages and watch the scholarship information fill your timeline.

Here are 10 Facebook pages that dispense regular scholarship information:

1. Scholarships.com

https://www.facebook.com/scholarships.com.info

2. Scholarship Experts

https://www.facebook.com/scholarshipexperts

3. How to Win College Scholarships

https://www.facebook.com/How.To.Win.College.Scholarships

4. Scholarships360

https://www.facebook.com/scholarships360?_rdr

5. FastWeb

https://www.facebook.com/PayingForSchool

6. Scholarship America

https://www.facebook.com/ScholarshipAmerica

7. StudentScholarships.org

https://www.facebook.com/myscholarships

8. Scholarship Junkies

https://www.facebook.com/ScholarshipJunkies

9. Scholarship Care

https://www.facebook.com/Scholarshipcare/

10. Scholarship Points

https://www.facebook.com/scholarshippoints

Need more? Do a search using “scholarship”. There are scholarships listed by organization, by country, by type, by degree and also international scholarships.

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Scholarship Friday: 10 $1000 Scholarships

April 17, 2015 Suzanne Shaffer 1 Comment

This is a great way to start the weekend–10 $1000 scholarships for college. Encourage your student to apply to all of them. Some of them start at 13 years of age–start early!

1. CollegeWeekLive $1000 Monthly Scholarship

www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships/scholarships/162239

The CollegeWeekLive Monthly $1,000 Scholarship is open to both U.S. and non-U.S. students. Applicants must enroll no later than the fall of 2018 in an accredited post-secondary institution of higher learning (college, university or trade school). Applicants are eligible to win only if they register online at www.CollegeWeekLive.com, login to CollegeWeekLive between the 1st and last day of the month, and visit 5 colleges (go to their page) to be considered in the month’s scholarship drawing.

2. Scholarship Detective $1000 Scholarship

www.scholarshipdetective.com/scholarship/

To enter just complete this application including a 140 character or less statement on how you plan to use the scholarship money. We will be awarding one scholarship for the best reason. Deadline for entry is May 31, 2015.

3. Cappex $1000 Scholarship

https://www.cappex.com/page/…/quickApply.jsp?scholarshipID=…

Apply today for a chance to win a $1000 scholarship from Cappex by filling out an easy form. Applicants must be a current high school student. This is a monthly scholarship and the next deadline to apply is April 30, 2015.

4. Gen and Kelly Tanabe $1000 Scholarship

www.genkellyscholarship.com/

This scholarship is for 9th-12th grade high school, college, or graduate student including adult students who are legal residents of the U.S. and currently in school or planning to start school within the next 12 months. The application deadline is July 31, 2015.

5. $1000 Design-a-Sign Scholarship

https://www.signazon.com/contest/grad2015/rules/

“Design-a-Sign” $1000 Scholarship Contest from Signazon Let your creativity help pay for college with the 5th Annual “Design-A-Sign” contest. Applicants must be between 13 and 18 years of age. The application deadline is May 29, 2015.

6. MoolahSPOT $1000 Scholarship

moolahspot.com/scholarship/

The $1,000 MoolahSPOT Scholarship is sponsored by MoolahSPOT.com and helps students of any age pay for higher education. The scholarship is a competition based on a short essay. Students who are 16 or older can apply. Application deadline is April 30, 2015.

7. Sallie Mae $1,000 Sweepstakes Official Rules

https://www.salliemae.com/student-loans/sweepstakes/college-answer-rules/

Sallie Mae’s $1,000 Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents. Entrants may enter the Sweepstakes by completing the online registration form. This is a monthly drawing.

8. Noodle $1,000 College Scholarship

https://www.noodle.com/scholarships/college

Enter for a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship. Applicants must be 18 or older. Register on Noodle for a chance to win.

9. Chegg $1000 Weekly Scholarship

www.chegg.com/scholarships/Weekly-Three-Sentence-Essay-Scholarship

Chegg awards a $1,000 scholarship every week to one super student and choose the winner based on their 2-3 sentence response to the week’s question.

10. Niche $1,000 College Survey scholarship

https://colleges.niche.com/survey/

College students review your school for a chance to win a $1000 monthly scholarship!

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Scholarship Friday: “Design-a-Sign” $1000 Scholarship Contest

April 3, 2015 Suzanne Shaffer

scholarship contest

Let your creativity help pay for college with the 5th Annual “Design-A-Sign” Scholarship Contest! We want to see inspired banner designs that express your future dreams and goals you hope to achieve through higher education. The winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship to a college, university or trade school of their choice as well as a one year 10% Signazon.com discount for their high school! Second and third place winners will receive $200 and $100 scholarships respectfully.

Start Date: Thursday, January 29^th, 2015

End Date: Friday, May 29^th, 2015

How to Enter: The students are encouraged to design signs that represent their dreams and goals. Students can submit their design online and share their entry to earn votes. The student’s goal is to propel their sign atop the leaderboard! The highest number of votes at the end of the contest wins the scholarship!

Scholarship Prizes: $1,000 (1^st Place), $200 (2^nd Place), $100 (3^rd place)

More details about the contest can be found at http://www.signazon.com/contest/grad2015/.

Parenting for College

Tag Archives: scholarships

Scholarship Friday: $1000 From Wells Fargo CollegeSTEPS