Five easy steps to winning scholarships
Angela Cooper-McCorkle
Issue date: 2/26/10 Section: News
Students are often put off by the process of finding and applying for scholarships, but if you can make a cake, you can probably win some cash for college. When baking a cake, all you really need are a good recipe, the right ingredients and an ability to follow directions, and the same goes for scholarships.
Scholarships today aren't just about having good grades, scoring touchdowns or doing the best Bill Gates impersonation, so don't let yourself be intimidated by the idea of cracking eggs or competing with other college students for money. 474 EvCC students receive scholarships, and there is no reason you can't join the group.
Step 1 - Assemble your ingredients.
The best way to find out what scholarships are available is to regularly check out EvCC's scholarship web page at www. everettcc.edu/scholarships.
Although it may seem tedious, remember, "if you put in 2 hours into searching and applying for a scholarship , and you win a $500 award, you just earned $250/hour," says Laurie Franklin, dean of Enrollment and Student Financial Services.
The EvCC Foundation, itself, has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships during the past year and intends to double the amount of scholarships available in the next five years, according to Sharon Johnson, annual fund coordinator.
"We currently have $30,000 additional dollars to be awarded for the spring quarter," says Johnson. Students who want one of the 40 $750 scholarships need to turn in the short application, available on the school's scholarship web page, by Monday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m.
However, there are far more scholarships available than just the Foundations'. Some of the current, diverse offerings include scholarships for foster children, environmental science majors, writers, students knowledgeable about the Holocaust, and one by the American Society of Women Accountants, that does not even require that you be a woman!
One way not to search for scholarships is to pay an agency to provide you with a list. It is unnecessary and will not provide any more options than you could find on your own for free.
Step 2 - Follow the recipe.
Make sure you qualify for the scholarships you're interested in. It should be obvious that if your driving ambition is to be a painter, you shouldn't hit up the folks at the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, but there are other criteria to consider.
Some scholarships require students to be in their second year of college, have a specific major, a certain background, minimum GPA, or fit into other categories. Remember, you don't want to be caught short after you start making your batter or your budget, so apply for more scholarships than you need, knowing that you won't receive every award.
Expect more competition for larger awards, so apply for the $15,000 Bob & Eleanor Grant Trust if you qualify, but don't overlook all the $100 opportunities either.
Finally, don't botch the recipe by not paying attention to the directions. Before you fill out a single line, read the directions from top to bottom, twice.
Find out what information is required, when the application is due and what you might need to include in addition to the application form, like a transcript, reference letter or portfolio.
Step 3 - Bake the cake.
Once you know exactly what is expected, get ready to fill your application with lots of goodies; cake is always better with a little lemon zest or a handful of chocolate chips. If an application asks for at least two references, give three or four, at least one paragraph on what you'll do with the money, write a few, demonstrating not only what class you'll use the funds for, but what they will do for your overall education and your long term career plans.
Most importantly, don't skimp on content. Fill out each line fully, and when it comes to longer answers, don't leave anything out. In some cases, it is relevant and appropriate to list details regarding family and personal struggles, in another case, you may want to describe your first experience with a camera in preschool and how it led you to pursue a photography career. The main thing you want to convey is that giving you money is a wise investment, that you will repay by being a much better member of society as a result of the scholarship. A donor doesn't want to just hear that you can get an Associate's for their $5,000.
The donor wants to know you'll follow her footsteps into law and improve the reputation of the profession, or that by being the first person in your family to attain a college degree, you will improve the socio-economic status of your entire family and give back what you've gained to the community. Never exaggerate, but always present your best self and your ideal outcomes.
Step 4 - Don't forget to frost!
Every cake deserves icing, the delicious glue that holds together the layers and makes a humble batter shine. If you want your applications to shine, type them, unless you have mad calligraphy skills to show off.
Next, make sure to have two people you trust proofread your application, but not people who love you to much to be objective!
Tutors in the writing center in Rainier 112 are an excellent source for constructive feedback who can also provide students with the tools to perfect applications.
"We do lots of this!" says
Writing Center employee Karin Turner, who says students should "read the essay aloud...[to] help catch errors and trouble spots and give [yourself] a new perspective on the essay's 'flow'." Students should "plan on revising the essay several times before submitting it," says Turner.
Finally, if you want to really stand out, send a thank you note the day after you submit your application, thanking the sponsor of the scholarship for the opportunity to apply and reminding them, in one or two sentences, why you deserve the scholarship and how you will use the money wisely.
Step 5 -Have your cake and eat it too. You earned it!
Scholarships today aren't just about having good grades, scoring touchdowns or doing the best Bill Gates impersonation, so don't let yourself be intimidated by the idea of cracking eggs or competing with other college students for money. 474 EvCC students receive scholarships, and there is no reason you can't join the group.
Step 1 - Assemble your ingredients.
The best way to find out what scholarships are available is to regularly check out EvCC's scholarship web page at www. everettcc.edu/scholarships.
Although it may seem tedious, remember, "if you put in 2 hours into searching and applying for a scholarship , and you win a $500 award, you just earned $250/hour," says Laurie Franklin, dean of Enrollment and Student Financial Services.
The EvCC Foundation, itself, has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships during the past year and intends to double the amount of scholarships available in the next five years, according to Sharon Johnson, annual fund coordinator.
"We currently have $30,000 additional dollars to be awarded for the spring quarter," says Johnson. Students who want one of the 40 $750 scholarships need to turn in the short application, available on the school's scholarship web page, by Monday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m.
However, there are far more scholarships available than just the Foundations'. Some of the current, diverse offerings include scholarships for foster children, environmental science majors, writers, students knowledgeable about the Holocaust, and one by the American Society of Women Accountants, that does not even require that you be a woman!
One way not to search for scholarships is to pay an agency to provide you with a list. It is unnecessary and will not provide any more options than you could find on your own for free.
Step 2 - Follow the recipe.
Make sure you qualify for the scholarships you're interested in. It should be obvious that if your driving ambition is to be a painter, you shouldn't hit up the folks at the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, but there are other criteria to consider.
Some scholarships require students to be in their second year of college, have a specific major, a certain background, minimum GPA, or fit into other categories. Remember, you don't want to be caught short after you start making your batter or your budget, so apply for more scholarships than you need, knowing that you won't receive every award.
Expect more competition for larger awards, so apply for the $15,000 Bob & Eleanor Grant Trust if you qualify, but don't overlook all the $100 opportunities either.
Finally, don't botch the recipe by not paying attention to the directions. Before you fill out a single line, read the directions from top to bottom, twice.
Find out what information is required, when the application is due and what you might need to include in addition to the application form, like a transcript, reference letter or portfolio.
Step 3 - Bake the cake.
Once you know exactly what is expected, get ready to fill your application with lots of goodies; cake is always better with a little lemon zest or a handful of chocolate chips. If an application asks for at least two references, give three or four, at least one paragraph on what you'll do with the money, write a few, demonstrating not only what class you'll use the funds for, but what they will do for your overall education and your long term career plans.
Most importantly, don't skimp on content. Fill out each line fully, and when it comes to longer answers, don't leave anything out. In some cases, it is relevant and appropriate to list details regarding family and personal struggles, in another case, you may want to describe your first experience with a camera in preschool and how it led you to pursue a photography career. The main thing you want to convey is that giving you money is a wise investment, that you will repay by being a much better member of society as a result of the scholarship. A donor doesn't want to just hear that you can get an Associate's for their $5,000.
The donor wants to know you'll follow her footsteps into law and improve the reputation of the profession, or that by being the first person in your family to attain a college degree, you will improve the socio-economic status of your entire family and give back what you've gained to the community. Never exaggerate, but always present your best self and your ideal outcomes.
Step 4 - Don't forget to frost!
Every cake deserves icing, the delicious glue that holds together the layers and makes a humble batter shine. If you want your applications to shine, type them, unless you have mad calligraphy skills to show off.
Next, make sure to have two people you trust proofread your application, but not people who love you to much to be objective!
Tutors in the writing center in Rainier 112 are an excellent source for constructive feedback who can also provide students with the tools to perfect applications.
"We do lots of this!" says
Writing Center employee Karin Turner, who says students should "read the essay aloud...[to] help catch errors and trouble spots and give [yourself] a new perspective on the essay's 'flow'." Students should "plan on revising the essay several times before submitting it," says Turner.
Finally, if you want to really stand out, send a thank you note the day after you submit your application, thanking the sponsor of the scholarship for the opportunity to apply and reminding them, in one or two sentences, why you deserve the scholarship and how you will use the money wisely.
Step 5 -Have your cake and eat it too. You earned it!
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Russian Wives
posted 3/19/10 @ 12:48 AM PST
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