Look where you least expect it…

Now, the main purpose of my blog is to give people the opportunity to send in their essays for me to read*, but I will be updating once every once in a while with a tip for those applying.

My first tip is to look where you least expect it. What does that mean? Calm down and let me tell ya. When I was applying, I looked ev-ery-where. I looked at all that I was involved in, and what my parents were involved in, and sought out scholarships through those organizations. A lot of times, I never even thought certain places had scholarship programs. Here’s an example, think about what you do in your everyday life, the places you go to, the services you use…all of these places just might have a scholarship or two you can apply for. If you’re going to a fast food restaurant or shopping store, look at how KFC and Target have opportunities. If you're using a Microsoft program, think about Bill Gates and his scholarship targeting minority students.

Basically, in addition to the obvious places to look, like the organizations you are a part of (National Honor Society or Beta Club), look in the not-so-obvious places. When you begin to think outside of the box, that is when your chances of winning become higher.

A couple websites to consider:

www.fastweb.com (great site that does a lot of the scholarship search work for you)
www.coca-colascholars.com (over 1400 scholarships awarded each year)
www.uncf.org (features many overlooked scholarships for minorities)


*Please see the March 14, “What’s the point?” entry for more details regarding essay submission for critique/revision.

What's the point?

Contrary to popular belief, there is a TON of money out there just waiting to be "given" to some student who knows what it takes to get it. While there are many factors that are pretty predictable (i.e. a moderately high-high GPA, community involvement, leadership positions, extracurricular activities, etc.), there are ways to -for lack of better words- make your activities sound as monumental as you think they are. I am not at all condoning lying on an application. I have never had to, and had my entire four years of undergraduate paid for (and then some). But there are so many ways to say the same thing. You just have to pick the better way.

I'll be writing/updating this site in my regular voice...meaning there will be some "text talk" or other shortcut/slang/jargon/whatever because it's just a more relaxed way of communicating for me. Don't be alarmed, speaking well is def my well-being. I don't have a PhD in English grammar but I know a little more than the basics. I am also super extreme about getting things right (which is part of the reason for Internet/predictive text on my phone, no misspellings!).

I am giving you all the option to send me your scholarship essay* so that I can critique/proofread it (askjameelah@gmail.com). When I was younger (and still now), I was very self-conscious about my writing. I had the hardest time letting people I know read it, especially in front of me. So if there are people out there like that, I completely understand how you feel and invite you to send your essays. I'll read them, evaluate them, then send them back to you with my suggestions.

*The submitted essays must be 500 words or less (I mean, I do have a life). You can take an excerpt from the original, but please include the essay topic. They have to be submitted at least one month before the scholarship deadline (must be included in the e-mail). I will not use any part of anyone's essay for my own personal gain, whatever kind of gain I could get out of a scholarship essay, Idk. If your essay gets lost in the Internet ether and someone else uses/takes it, I am not responsible. Once you use the Internet for anything, your information is out there anyway. Once again, I am not responsible for anyone's essay. All I'm going to do is read it, proof it to the best of my ability, then send it back to you with my suggestions.