Education, Home Schooling, College, Sholarship, Online Degree
Posts tagged Bucks
Great Recommendation Letters Win Big Scholarship Bucks
Aug 13th
Your scholarship application is due in ten days. It must have three recommendation letters attached, and, so far, you have not gotten any back from your teachers. A note to each of them last week hasn’t gotten any results. Talk
about strained nerves. All the work to get the application ready, and now letters are halting the process.
This is a scenario that repeats itself hundreds and thousands of times each year. You can avoid this problem by taking important appropriate actions. Start by asking for your recommendation letters at least six weeks in advance. This allows busy teachers to take their time in
writing great responses. After two weeks remind them with a note in their mailboxes. Seven days after that make a visit to their classroom. Remind them in person that your application could be late and disqualified and that you will come by in a few days to pick it up. Thank him or
her again and then stop by once more.
One way to avoid total mayhem is to ask for more letters than is really needed (awards may vary in the number of letters needed).If the requirement is two for an award, ask four people.
If you are applying for more than a couple of scholarship awards (and you really should be), ask the teacher or whoever, if they would be willing to put their comments on a CD.
Remind them that you will be sending out dozens of applications. It will save them time. Then, you will bring the letters by for their signatures. They can inspect the documents before you send them in. A hand-written signature is always best.
Who should you ask? Does it make a difference? Yes, it does matter. Know this: English and foreign language teachers generally write the best letters. They personalize them and may write from a half to a whole page. They also
produce results that have no spelling or grammatical errors. Again, and this is a general statement, coaches and physical education teachers write the shortest remarks and may have mistakes in spelling and grammar. But, go with your best options regardless of teaching position.
Use your high school letterhead, when possible.
Remember to ask your teacher if they can write a positive response. If not, move on. A probable scholarship winner fulfilled all requirements with a big plus and was in line to receive an $8,000 award. Everything was super except for one recommendation letter. She assumed her coach would write a glowing response. He didn’t. Don’t
let that happen to you. She didn’t win.
Follow the same time-line for all requests, and remember this: everything in life is a decision, make the right ones today for your college scholarship success.
Big College Scholarship Bucks are Won in Summer
Aug 12th
Driving to the beach. Visiting the park for an enjoyable picnic. Seeing a baseball game. Calling on the local fishing hole. These are great summertime activities. Other pursuits include painting, cutting the grass and washing
and waxing the car. We look forward to all of them with great anticipation. When the weather gets warm (no doubt about it), thoughts and actions turn to outdoor events.
One activity that gets forgotten by many college-bound students and their families is the inside expedition of hunting for college scholarships, searching for huge scholarship dollars, initiating the quest for money that will significantly reduce or eliminate college debt. This happens for four reasons. First, it is easy to forget because summer is now and scholarships are in the future, the distant future. Second, my child is not smart enough to win a scholarship. So, why bother thinking about it now or ever. A third possibility: our student has no desire to go
to college. Fourth, our family income is too high.
These are all relevant ideas. But, they are all bogus. Here’s why. Summer is the best time to begin scholarship activities because there is no rush to get the job done. One can take time to do everything leisurely and thoroughly. Rushing
creates anxiety and anxiety creates mistakes. The old maxim slow and sure wins the race also applies to going after scholarships.
Some students are slow in developing. The first two years produce mediocre outcomes, while the junior and senior years produce above average results. And, know this, scholarship committees often regard the last two years as more important
than the first two!
Got a seventeen year old that has no intention of getting a post-high school education? Attention, attention, attention: a high percentage of these change their minds. Have you made up your mind to use this summer in a profitable way, a way that could eliminate the need for future minimum wage summer jobs? There was a commercial on television a few years back. The slogan went like this: “You can pay me now, or you can pay me later. The choice is up to you.” By starting right now, this summer, you can cut your college educational bill by $10,000, $20,000 or even $50,000. Use your computer to investigate and sign up for college scholarship information.
Everything in life is a decision, make the right ones today for your college scholarship success.
