Don't You Stop It...

Don't you stop looking for scholarships! The summer is possibly the best time to look for different opportunities. Many students are not concerned with searching and are more interested in preparing for school. So this is your time! Go to sites like www.fastweb.com to improve your search options.

When you find that scholarship you would like to apply to, shoot me an email (askjameelah@gmail.com) with your essay attached and I'll proof it for you. Please give me ample time to read over it (like at least three weeks) as I can be busy from time to time.

Time Is On My Side

I apologize for not updating in so long. Life has been keeping me away! It is reaching graduation time, and the last thing on your mind is yet another application but now is the time! You can still apply for scholarships out there, though they may not be substantial amounts, every little bit helps and adds up. In fact, it is a great time to look for scholarships because many people have stopped their search and are focused on other things. Not as much competition means you have a better chance of winning!

*Reminder* Please feel free to send your essays to askjameelah@gmail.com! (Look at the first blog entry for details).

What's the key to winning a scholarship?

While there is no guaranteed way to winning a scholarship, there is a general set of guidelines to follow. I will go into this more in depth in a later post but, first and foremost, know what you're applying to and who your audience is. Much like in an English Composition class, you have to know who you're talking to in your essays. Knowing this will allow you to cater your writing style to what the judges are interested in hearing about.

Paper Apps to Bad Raps

Let me drop some knowledge on you guys regarding paper applications. Let's start at the top...the mail. Please know how to send snail mail. What is snail mail? Back in the day, when e-mail wasn't as easily accessible, people would send letters using the U.S. Postal Services. It would generally require a stamp (or some form of postage) and an envelope. Believe it or not, some kids don't know this. Anywaaaay, it appears that some students (and parents) believe that their applications are coveted items and people are out to steal them, so simply placing their apps in an envelope won't suffice. Instead, envelopes are then wrapped up in yards of tape and stuffed into yet another envelope supplied by the post office. Although you may not want someone other than the intended party to read your essay, remember that the intended party has to actually...ya know...be able to get to your app. Don't make it hard for them to do so, it becomes very frustrating to have to break out the chainsaw to open an envelope.

And another tidbit of information for you...please keep all of the components of your application together somehow (a paper clip would be the best bet). You don't want someone to open the envelope and have papers spilling out all over the place.

Presentation is 9/10 of the work

We live in a paper-less age, the increased usage of cell phones, laptops, and computer tablets (better known as "the iPad") has created an absence of the need of paper and, subsequently, handwriting. While many scholarship applications allow (and prefer) the ease of an online process, there are enough others that still like to do it "old school" by requesting a paper application. That is where the topic of this post comes in...present your paper well!

There is nothing worse than a great application with a poor presentation. You need to show that your application is important to you, that way those reading it will appreciate it, too. Coffee/food/foreign stains, tears, sticky substances, and anything else you would be weary about having done to your phone should be kept off your app. It looks like you don't care that much about your application when it looks messy.

So, print a couple copies of the application, that way, if you mess one up, you can begin on another. And for those environmentally savvy, do a rough draft on your computer and then just copy it onto the paper printout you have. In this manner, you will have a record of what you submitted.