Posts Tagged ‘tips’

3 Reasons Why You Should Use Your Summer to Search for College Scholarships

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

Whether attending the most affordable college is in your future or not, you can make life so much easier on yourself if you start finding and apply for scholarships during the summer! My College Guide has three reasons why you should stop procrastinating and start filling out those college scholarship applications.

Don't wait until the last minute to search for great college scholarships!

Don't wait until the last minute to search for great college scholarships!

College Scholarship Search

There’s a lot of scholarships out there. Sure, you may qualify for academic merit scholarships later, but why take the chance? Don’t wait until the last minute to search for scholarships and and apply! Get ahead of the game now to make it easier on you later.

Exhaust Your Search – There are many, many, MANY college scholarship websites. Besides the usual scholarship websites, there are plenty of other places where you can find college scholarships! By starting your search now over the summer, you can use all the resources at your disposal. When other students are going to wait until their senior year of high school and rush through websites and applications, you can use your time wisely now and search for free money for college.

More Time for Searching – As your high school years go by, you’ll have more and more to do! Start searching for college scholarships early in your high school career when it’s easier to fit in. Right now? You don’t have to fill out college applications, write your personal statement, or visit colleges (although you could). You won’t need to join the club of panicked Seniors who waste their time applying for everything under the sun (even when it doesn’t fit). Instead, you can take your time applying to scholarships now to make Senior year that much easier!

Improve Your Chances of Winning – Not only will you become better at applying for scholarships, but you will increase your odds at snagging one! Applying to scholarships may not be the most fun way to spend your summer, but racking up the free money to pay for college certainly is! You’ll become better at figuring out what an application is asking of you and proficient at deciding whether or not it’s something that fits. Waiting until the last minute? It’s never a good idea.

Make Any College The Most Affordable College

Scholarships add up. It only makes sense to use your summer wisely now. Start thinking “college” now so that in the not too distance future, the college you choose will be the most affordable college!

Image Courtesy of Flickr, Kalexanderson.

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For 20 years My College Guide has produced an annual magazine chock full of free college info for high-achieving high school sophomores. Check out our participating colleges. Subscribe to our blog via RSS or email and stay on top of everything college!

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Posted in Paying for College, Scholarships | 3 Comments »

Turn in an Eye-Catching, Prize-Winning Scholarship Application

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

Keep your eye on the prize, the college scholarship prize, by using our hints and tips to stay on top of the scholarship application game. My College Guide has been there and done that – and is ready to share some things to keep in mind as you begin hunting for scholarships. Big scholarship prizes are out there.

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Public Domain Photos / Emilian Robert Vicol

Dot Your “I’s” – On your scholarship application, just as on your college application, everything will get noticed. If it’s sloppy, looks like it’s been scrunched up and left under your bed for a few days, that’s probably not going to make the impression you are hoping for. Use spell checker, have someone else look it over, and make sure that the scholarship application that you turn in looks great!

Down to the Wire – If you just got started on your scholarship application the night before it was due, you should be aware that there will be many students with academic backgrounds closely matching yours that have spent time creating the perfect application. Your effort, or lack thereof, will get you noticed – but most likely not for the right reasons. Plan ahead!

Unicorns and Rainbows – Stuffing your application full of information that can be found in your application is boring to everyone. Also boring are cliché’s and phrases about how wonderful you are. Show the people reading your application who you are and why you deserve the prize. Less sunshine, more substance.

Senior Year – While it seems almost common for students to not even begin the scholarship hunt until their senior year: don’t! The sooner you get started, the better your chances are for finding and winning a college scholarship. If you are a Freshman in high school, hop on to scholarship websites and see what you can find. Senior year will be busy enough as it is – applying early can help take off some of the pressure in figuring out how to pay for college and give you a bit more time to rack up the awards.

Check, Check, and Check – You meet the required GPA. But you don’t meet the required standardized test score range, you don’t have the mandatory community service, or the leadership roles – so move on! Scholarships are competitive. Don’t waste your time applying for something you just don’t fit. There are going to be hundreds or thousands of other applicants who meet the requirements (and then some).

Think Outside the Box – While the internet is a wonderful resource for finding scholarships (you have read our Fastweb, Scholarships.com, and Super College: Scholarship Tips from Pros in the Know article, right?), don’t think that that’s all there is! Take advantage of other college scholarship resources and see what you can find. Who knows? You may stumble onto a scholarship that has few applicants!

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no-frills marilyn. / marilyn d.

Every Penny Counts – While $100 may seem like a small scholarship and not worth the time and effort to apply, think about all the other students out there who are also thinking that very same thing! Take the time to apply to any and every unusual college scholarship whenever you meet the criteria. Even a small scholarship is that much less money out of your pocket later on. It all adds up!

Get Organized – Consider using a calendar function on your smartphone, laptop or desktop computer, Firefox Browser, or on good old paper! It can be very hard to keep track of which scholarship ends when – and nothing would be more disappointing than spending a lot of time on an essay only to miss the deadline! Write down due dates and cross them off once you send in the scholarship application. It’ll save you heartache later.

What’s your Advantage? — Do you have community service and great extracurricular activities (again, think quality not quantity)? Most scholarships go beyond your SAT scores and GPA – what are you doing right now to make yourself stand out and get noticed? Put your awards and academic recognition to use!

As you can see, there’s no magic way to win scholarships. The key is to apply early, apply often, and only apply for those scholarship prizes that fit your academic background. Ignore the cash amount of the award – it all adds up in the end!

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For 20 years My College Guide has produced an annual magazine chock full of free college info for high-achieving high school sophomores. Check out our participating colleges. If you’re a student, enter for a chance to win an Apple iPad or iPhone or cash!

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Posted in Paying for College, Scholarships | No Comments »

University of Glamorgan Student and The Study Abroad Experience

Friday, November 19th, 2010

Love the thought of study abroad? So did the American student below who now attends the University of Glamorgan in South Wales! One of the big perks of college is that the majority of colleges do have study abroad programs in place so whether you want to study for a semester, a year, or, like Angela from the University of Glamorgan, permanently: you’ve got the option.

In fact, the University of Glamorgan has partnerships with colleges like the University of South Dakota and the University of South Florida – so studying overseas at a college like Glamorgan may be easier than you think! Studying abroad is a life-changing, eye-opening experience, and one that most colleges believe is an essential aspect to individual growth — and a unique (and awesome) part of the college experience.

We are inclined to agree. Stay tuned as My College Guide explores study abroad options, helpful hints, and tips over the coming months. Subscribe for free via RSS feed or email so you don’t miss a minute. In the meantime, watch Angela, English Literature degree student from the USA at the University of Glamorgan on YouTube or below.

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For 20 years My College Guide has produced an annual magazine chock full of free college info for high-achieving high school sophomores. Check out our participating colleges. If you’re a student, enter for a chance to win an Apple iPad or iPhone or cash!

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Posted in Choosing a College, College Campus, College Life, Fun Stuff, Social Media | No Comments »

5 Tips to Help You Prepare for Your College Interview

Friday, March 5th, 2010

The key to a great college interview?  Making sure that you come across as a bright, talented, and accomplished student worthy of attending your college of choice!  If that sounds just slightly overwhelming – that’s where we come in!  Here are tips to help you shine during your college interview!

rustman/Russ Morris

Practice makes Perfect! You might want to have some idea of what you’ll say – without sounding too rehearsed!  Go over potential questions and answers with a parent or friend. Think about your response before rushing in and rambling out an answer – your interviewer will appreciate it! Common questions include:

Why do you want to go to our school?
 What do you hope to get out of your college experience?
 What is your biggest high school accomplishment?
 What are your interests and hobbies?
 Which five famous people, dead or alive, would you invite to a dinner party?  Why?

Oops. Did you receive poor grades during sophomore year because you were dealing with major life events like a serious illness or parents’ divorce?  This is the perfect opportunity to explain why your test scores or GPA aren’t as high as they might otherwise be. If any extenuating circumstances have negatively affected your high school performance, explain them! Keep it brief and professional – you don’t need to go into great detail.

Dress for Success. Most college students don’t exactly dress up for class—but you’re not there yet! Dress a cut above so that you can make an excellent first impression. You can probably skip the business suit, but for guys – you may want to break out the khakis and a button-down shirt and girls: think nice top and slacks or a skirt.  Stay away from jeans, shorts, baggy or torn pants, and anything too tight or revealing.

Phony Baloney! Students sometimes get so worked up and nervous over college admission interviews that they stick to pre-rehearsed responses to questions – and way too many “yes” and “no” type answers!  That makes for a boring interview – for both of you! It’s awesome to be prepared but the admissions officer wants to see who you are. Don’t be afraid to tell an entertaining (and true!) story that reveals your personality and interests. Just, please, don’t share anything you wouldn’t be comfortable telling your grandparents.

How about a little Q & A? Psst!  This interview isn’t just for the admissions officer! Shocking, we know.  But an interview works both ways.  Sure, your interviewer will have questions for you but it’s okay for you to have questions, too. In fact – it’s a wonderful way to show your interest in the school – and learn a little something in the process!

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Posted in College Admissions, College Interview | No Comments »