Aside from any special essays, there are a few subjects that should always be in your scholarship essay. • Your financial situation. You’re asking for money, so be honest of your situation. On the other hand, don’t turn it into a sob story unless it really, truly is a sob story. • Background and accomplishments. The scholarship committee wants to know ...

The essay: It's the most important part of your scholarship application, and it can be the hardest. But the essay shouldn't keep you from applying. Take a look at some commonly asked essay questions and use them to prepare for your scholarship applications. Brainstorm ideas, do some research or create your own "stock" of scholarship essays. When the time comes, you'll ...

Scholarships are a valuable part of college financing. But you may be surprised to learn that scholarships may actually reduce the amount of financial aid you receive from your school. Three national scholarship experts comment on this issue. • David L. Pardieck, director of financial assistance, Bradley University • W. Scott Friedhoff, Ph.D., associate provost for enrollment management, Bradley University • ...

Congratulations! You've won a scholarship! You'll want to call Mom, Dad, Grandma, Cousin Bob ... and Uncle Sam. Your scholarship may count as income; if so, it will be taxed. To make sure you're ready for tax-time, find out if your award is taxable and what you need to do to file your return. Tax-free Scholarships and Fellowships A scholarship is ...

After 4,000 essays and a long week of deliberations, we have finally selected our two winners of The Bank of America Student Voices Essay Contest! The contest asked students to answer the question “What’s the best way a student can manage their money in current economic times?” in 250-350 words. Two awards were given -- one to a student in the ...

FastWeb is bringing you this summer’s hottest and most competitive triathlon. Dust off your training shoes because this race starts on July 9, 2009. First Leg: The World’s Shortest Essay Contest. You’ll be asked to enter an essay with a maximum of 140 characters. That’s so short we’re hoping to get into the Book of Records. Prize: $1,500. Here's how to ...

Your scholarship application is complete. All that's left is your letter of recommendation. Your work is done, right? Actually, no. Even though you don't write the letter, you're responsible for making sure it gets written. And there's a lot you can do to ensure it's the best letter possible. Who Should Recommend You? The best recommendations come from people who ...

Wouldn't it be great to know what scholarship providers look for in an application? Take an inside look at how judges pick their favorites. At First Glance The judges' first evaluation of your application is a quick one—usually only 15 to 30 seconds. Most applications don't get past this quick but important first stage. Give your application one last review ...

How would you like to play your favorite sport on a college team and get financial assistance for it? You can! According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) about $1 billion worth of scholarships are awarded to around 126,000 student-athletes every year. Getting an athletic scholarship is challenging, but you can make it easier on yourself by learning the ...

To mount an effective scholarship campaign, the first thing you need is a winning game plan. Start by implementing the following four key action strategies. 1. Plan to apply for as many scholarships as possible Some students make the mistake of thinking that they maximize their chances of winning by pouring all of their energy into one or two scholarships. But ...

I'm about to dispel five widespread myths about winning college scholarships. Myths that have, unfortunately, prevented many deserving students from winning money for college. By learning the truth behind these myths, you'll gain a better understanding of the essential "rules" of the college scholarships game. MYTH #1: "Only students with high academic achievement win merit scholarships." The Real Story: Scholarships ...

FastWeb’s Shout for Cash Contest went off with fireworks on July 4th. Nearly 16,000 users logged in for a chance to win $500. In celebration of our freedom of speech and the new FastWeb Discussions channel, FastWeb gave away $500 in our Shout for Cash Contest to one lucky FastWeb user who logged in to www.fastweb.com on July 4th, 2009. The ...

Sometimes two is better than one. Get your friends together and learn more about scholarships that are group efforts. Scholarship competitions that allow you to work with partners can be a great way for you and your friends to earn money for college. Each person in your group contributes his or her talents and together you may win a scholarship you ...

You may be eligible for more awards than you think. The secret is to "type" yourself. Find the maximum number of scholarship opportunities by thinking about who you are and what you do. College Major/Field of InterestIf you're in college, start with your major or academic area. Departments and schools, as well as academic and professional organizations, offer scholarships for students ...

Shaquille O'Neal earned a basketball scholarship to Louisiana State University. The 2005 Nobel Prize Winner in physics, John L. Hall, won a science scholarship to Carnegie Mellon University. But you don't have to be a basketball star or science wiz to win money for college. Scholarships designed for students with unique talents can help fund your degree.SkateboardingDo you know what an ...

Knowing these warning signs can keep you from being a scholarship scam victim. 1. Fees: You shouldn't have to pay to search for or apply for scholarships. Check out the free scholarship search at FastWeb.com. 2. Credit card or bank account information needed: You should never have to give credit card or bank account information to award providers. 3. Scholarship guarantee: ...

Receiving a Fulbright Scholarship sure sounds impressive. If you’re a Rhodes Scholar no one would doubt your academic chops. But what exactly are they? They’re just two of several international grants and fellowships that fund a wide variety of independently-designed projects and advanced academic study abroad for recent college graduates. In other words, you could get paid to study a topic ...

Some scholarship applications bring home the bucks—but plenty of others don't. When you put these two groups of applications side by side, the differences are like night and day. What Makes a Winning Application Unsuccessful scholarship applications, more often then not, resembled a laundry list of activities, awards, and accomplishments. Although these credentials were often impressive in and of themselves, reading ...

You feel confident about your scholarship essay. It's a neat, well-written piece. There's a great chance you'll pass the first round and be in contention for the award. What about the second round? Now you're up against applicants who also submitted neat, well-written essays. Now the judges are pickier. These essay errors commonly knockout applicants in the second round: Vaguely Addressing ...

Applying for scholarships can be a complicated process, from gathering the paperwork, getting recommendations, writing application essays and meeting the deadline. Good letters accomplish two things: they make the process more efficient, and they display maturity and professionalism to the selection committee. Below are some essential letter tips that just might make yours the winning application. And don't forget, as more ...