Evaluating thousands of scholarship applications has definitely left an impression on me. I still remember some of them, because the students who submitted them managed to get into my head in a personal way. Many books and articles will tell you that “personalization” is good, but they don’t tell you how to accomplish that. I saw a photo attached to an app showing the senior student shaking hands with the President of the United States. Another enclosed an audio ! tape that revealed his talent to play the fiddle in a country band. A girl had her photograph taken with a well-known professional golfer after she had won a state tournament. A boy included a picture of his debating trophies. Another had won a two day fishing tournament and held the trophy in a picture to prove it. Another had built his own computer. Still, another had patented her own invention, a device for counting inventory units. In each case the items were part of the requirements of the scholarship award, not just thrown in for effect. These are super examples of “personalizing” a scholarship application, but it doesn’t have to be that noticeable.

There were also attempts at personalization not well received, a picture of a girl in a very tiny bikini. The word thong comes to mind. Another included prize ribbons with a request to return them when the judging was over. We had to send them back at our own expense! Another application had an algebra homework assignment inside, oops. We sent that back, too. Her siblings were probably blamed for its disappearance. One application had a Santa Claus hat inside. It came from Alaska. I’m still trying to figure that one out.

Why is personalization so important? Imagine that you are on the committee, sitting around a table with 247 scholarship forms. It is the committee’s job to pick a winner. All of the apps appear to look alike. All things being equal, which one is going to be chosen? It’s impossible to say. But, let’s suppose that one personalized his/her request and made it stand out positively from the rest. Now, someone has taken the time to be bold, inventive and creative. They have made it possible for the scholarship committee to know more about who they are. They are more than a just a piece of paper with a name on it. They have revealed intimate sides to their personalities. Who will win now? The choice is obvious.

Personalize don’t dramatize. Use good judgment and common sense when personalizing. Try to imagine who the people are making up the committee. Then, send in your request knowing that, out of all who sent their forms, you are the one who will win. You are the person who deserves the money.

Planning produces positive outcomes when the scholarship effort is truly a family affair.

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A video of our performance of Shostakovich 10th Symphony, arranged by Cliff Colnot, performed in Buntrock Hall, Symphony Center, home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

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looking for US scholarship grants for graduate students – im a non-US citizen?
I would like to apply for a scholarship grant to any Universities in the US (state of california preferred). I am a Filipino with a b1/b2 US visa, a graduate of De La Salle University in the Philippines with a degree on Psychology however my employment experiences are in the Marketing industry for 6 years now. I would like to take any course/programs related to this field. I would appreciate if you can help me know how to go through the process as I do not know where and how to start with it.

About Author

Dale Clifton, The Scholarship Doctor

To learn more about planning! to win scholarships visit http://ScholarshipDoctor.com
My newsletter is full of tips and ideas. No cost. MailTo:signup@ScholarshipDoctor.com

2006 The Scholarship Doctor, Dale Clifton – All Rights Reserved – Dale is an educational consultant and expert at helping families win college scholarships.

Are there mistakes that can disqualify a college

scholarship application? You bet. Generally speaking, most local scholarship committees may find a few minor mistakes acceptable, but the higher the level of competition, the less tolerance there is for a faux pas. And when you go for the gold at the national level of competition, no mistake is permissible. Even at the local level, if the competition is heavy, one error can result in the loss of money.

Even small spelling mistakes can cause an application to be thrown out. A judge reviewed a submission from a girl who was second in her class. She had a 3.95 GPA. The problem? She misspelled salutatorian. Believe it! How does that

happen? Surely, it should have been noticed. Was it a keyboarding error? Maybe.

Another application from a boy on the baseball team noted that he won the league batting title with a .259 average. Know anything about baseball? Most likely, the number 2 should have been a 3, 4, 5, or even 6.

Yet, another listed the applicant’s age as “88.” Do you suppose she was the oldest high school student in the country…in the world? But wait, she listed her birth date as eighteen years earlier. Those are the kinds of silly little miscues that can disqualify good candidates. Use the computer spell check and have someone read for context and spelling problems. Most people cannot do a good job of proof-reading themselves. Why take a chance?

Another blunder is leaving blank spaces. This is not a good thing. The committee may think that you are trying to hide something. If the question or statement is not applicable to you, write DNA on the line, which is the standard abbreviation or acronym for Does Not Apply.

Use a computer and keyboard whenever possible. Investigate the many inexpensive and free form-filling computer programs. No long hand here. Never write in pencil. And, NEVER, NEVER. EVER, EVER use whiteout.

Follow directions exactly. It is not unusual to see lists where paragraphs are required and vice versa. Sometimes a signature is needed with the name printed. A simple YES or NO may be necessary, Instead, an opinion is given.

Here’s a tricky one that trips many juniors and seniors with honor roll credentials. After ten years in school, they still have problems using to, too, two, and they’re, their,there.

Oops! I saw a sure regional and possible national winner disqualified, because her application missed the deadline date…by one day. Always beat the deadline. Mail early.

How could this happen? An app arrived without the parent permission slip signature.

Check, Check, Check.

This bears repeating: most mistakes can be eliminated when others proof the application. Then read it aloud while someone else listens.

What can you do, if the mistake cannot be corrected? Be sure to make a copy before you start. If it says “copies are not permitted,” go back for one or two more originals.

Planning produces positive outcomes when the scholarship effort is truly a family affair.

To learn more about planning to win scholarships, visit:

http://ScholarshipDoctor.com

My newsletter is full of tips and ideas. No cost.

MailTo:signup@ScholarshipDoctor.com

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The Rockstar tradition of groundbreaking, original gameplay and humorous tongue-in-cheek storytelling invades an entirely new setting: the schoolyard. As a mischievous schoolboy, you'll stand up to bullies, get picked on by teachers, play pranks, win or lose the girl, and ultimately learn to navigate the obstacles of the worst school around, Bullworth Academy – a corrupt and crumbling prep school with an uptight facade. The story follows Jimmy Hopkins, a teenager who's been expelled from every school he's ever attended. Left to fend for himself after his mother abandons him at Bullworth to go on her fifth honeymoon, Jimmy has a whole year at Bullworth ahead of him, working his way up the social ladder of this demented institution of supposed learning, standing up for what he thinks is right and taking on the liars, cheats and snobs who are the most popular members of the student body and faculty. If Jimmy can survive the school year and outsmart his rivals, he could rule the school. Ready yourself for a hilarious return to campus living with Bully, the outrageously funny debut title from Rockstar Vancouver, now available for playstation2 computer entertainment system in North America. Bully: Scholarship Edition is coming March 4, 2008 to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the Wii home video game system from Nintendo.

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How can the last 250 years of biblical scholarship help us break free of erroneous presuppositions and analyze
What in the world does that mean? It is a question in my bible as literature class. Also if you do know… what is your opinion on it, it might help me out.
This is the full question if it helps you figure it out, but I understand the rest of it:
How do our unexamined assumptions and preconceptions influence our understanding of the bible? Should we rely on the authority of a particular religious institution in trying to comprehend what individual writers say in different books? If we wish to read the texts objectively, how do we manage to attain that goal? How can the last 250 years of biblical scholarship help us break free of erroneous presuppositions and analyze each biblical document in the context of its individual authors place, time, and worldview? What are the advantages of letting each biblical work speak for itself without making its message necessarily conform to that of other writers who underwent different religious experiences?

About Author

Dale Clifton, The Scholarship Doctor

2006 The Scholarship Doctor, Dale Clifton – All Rights
Reserved – Dale is an educational consultant and expert at
helping families win college scholarships.

Can you imagine not being able to complete your education to the levels you wanted, all down to a lack of money? Well, if you are a US citizen, then that should really never be a problem.

Every year the U.S. government allocates more than $67 billion worth of student grants alone. With the astronomical amount of grants distributes to different federal agencies nationwide, free grant info could be a valuable tool to enjoy the benefits of government grants.

Fortunately for us, this free grant information is conveniently accessible over the internet. For this information you can visit government websites that would cater to your needs. If you’re a student looking for free grants on scholarships or a budding entrepreneur searching for free grant details for small business, the internet may have the answers you are looking for.

GovBenefits was recently launched to cater to the public’s need to be informed of benefit programs that one can avail of. Whether you need free grant information on road projects, emergency funds, student scholarship grants, etcetera, GovBenefits may provide you with the details you need. Free grant info by GovBenefits can be accessed at govbenefits.gov Free grant info at GovBenefits is a government initiative spearheaded by the President Bush aimed to make e-government initiatives more citizen-focused.

Another great source for this free information is the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA). The CFDA contains a huge database of federal assistance programs maintained by General Services Administration (GSA). Generally, free grant info found in CFDA is directed to individuals or organizations that have previous knowledge of the grant application processes in the government.

For students who want to avail for this information, the Free Application for Federal Students Aid (FAFSA) website fafsa.ed.gov could be of huge help. Free grant info is not the only information found in this student resource. There is also information on loans and campus-based student aid programs. FAFSA is seven-step guide that inquires about your personal data, school plans, financial status and many others.

You can also access these details directly at the different government agencies concerned. All you need is to access individual websites to get information related to the department programs.

Free grant details can be found in government agencies websites such as Department of Education Grants and Contracts Information, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Transportation (DOT), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Stopping Violence Against Women and Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides details on the over 300 programs run by several agencies.

Another valuable source of free grant information could be found in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA assists victims of natural disasters such as fire, earthquake, storms and others.

Details can also be found in other online federal grant resources. Grantsnet, Non-profit Gateway and the Foundation Center all these websites contain valuable free grant info about federal grant programs.

Other important sources could be accessed using search engines like about.com. With the aid of computer technology and the governments internet initiatives, free grant info is right at your fingertips.

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The Rethink Scholarship is an $18000 scholarship for art directors and designers to Langara Colleges Communication and Ideation Design program. The winner will also receive a 3-month internship with Rethink. For more info visit rethinkscholarship.com

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What is a good web site to get nursing school scholarship info?

About Author

Geoff Morris

Geoff Morris has been
investigating Free Grants on the
Internet. Visit his site to see around thirty sources of these available
Free Grants.