ScholarUp

Social Action Scholarships

Do you have a passion for social action?

DoSomething.org awards college scholarships to teens who work to make a positive social change in their communities for a variety of causes - including hunger awareness, environmental preservation and animal rights. The nonprofit organization has awarded more than $600,ooo to nearly 200 teens. 

Check out their website at http://www.dosomething.org/scholarships for scholarship descriptions, deadlines and links to apply, plus information on the organization's other programs and campaigns.

In The News - Hot Topics In Higher Education

College Decision

• From The New York Times Answers to Your Questions on Making the Final College Decision
• From The Huffington Post College Decision-Making: Students, Experts Talk What To Do After You Get In To College
• From NextStepU Make A Decision


Puppy Therapy

• From Los Angeles Times UC Irvine students take study break with stress-relieving dogs
• From The Huffington Post UK Aberdeen Students Given Special Puppy Room To Help Them Relax During Revision
• From Metronews Edmonton university students de-stress with puppies, sundaes and bubble wrap


College Costs

• From The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition Discount U.
• From ABC News College Costs More, but Per-Student Spending Is Down
• From Fox Business How to Talk About College Costs With Your Kid

How To Make The Most Of Your College Award Letter

So you have received the financial aid award letter from your school, but now what?

If you are having trouble deciphering the letter, if the package you were offered isn't enough or if you think there is an error - get in touch with a financial aid officer from the school right away!

Here are a few things you could discuss with the fin aid officer (in a polite and mature manner, of course):

• Does the office have all the necessary - and correct - documentation and personal/family information from you?
• Get a thorough explanation of the letter and answers to any specific questions you may have. What does the financial aid offer cover?
• Can they recalculate your Expected Family Contribution? (This is especially relevant if something has changed in your family situation since you filed your initial application for aid.)
• Are there additional grant or scholarship opportunities available at the school that you must apply for separately?
• What steps do you need to take to finalize your aid package for the fall semester?

It never hurts to ask - remember, an appeal shouldn't affect your initial offer in a negative way. You will be glad to have this part of the pre-college process completed, leaving you free to celebrate your momentous accomplishment of getting accepted!

529 College Savings Plans

A few more important facts about 529 college savings plans:

• Once a 529 plan is set up, the contributions are invested on behalf of the account holder through options like stock mutual funds, bond mutual funds and money market funds. 
• There are no age limits on the beneficiaries of 529 plans, so both children and adults may utilize them.
• 529 contributions are not tax-deductible; however, the earnings from the 529 plan are not subject to federal tax as long as the withdrawals are used for eligible college expenses.  
• If you withdraw money from a 529 plan and do not use it on eligible college expenses, you will be subject to income tax and an additional 10% penalty on the earnings.  
• 529 balances may be transferred between beneficiaries as long as they are used for eligible college expenses.

 

Happy saving!

In The News - Hot Topics In Higher Education

Financial Aid

• From US News and World Report FAFSA Tips to Help Nontraditional Students Pay for College
• From USA Today Sequestration complicates college aid notices
• From Bloomberg Poor Scholars Hit by Money Squeeze From Wealthy Colleges

Spring Break

• From The New York Times 9 Spring Breaks, From Budget to Beyond
• From USA Today Par-taaay! 2013's trashiest spring break destinations
• From the Houston Chronicle Ongoing war makes Mexico spring break a perilous party at best

Digital Learning

• From GigaOM The future of digital learning? News Corp.’s Amplify debuts its tablet for K-12 classrooms
• From The Wall Street Journal What's the Future of the Digital Classroom

ScholarUp Gets A Makeover!

In conjunction with ScholarUp's one year anniversary, we are busy putting the final touches on our completely redesigned monthly e-newsletter. Not only will ScholarUp showcase a fresh and easier-to-read look, but also new content including advice columns, career resources and scholarship launch and deadline information.

Don't miss out on all that ScholarUp has to offer - sign up now and you will receive the revamped newsletter directly to your inbox in a few days!

Like us at Facebook.com/ScholarUp and Follow @applyISTS on Twitter, too! 

How To Write A Winning Essay

Make Your Scholarship Essay Stand Out - In A Good Way!

• Proofread - Check your essay for grammar, spelling, punctuation and formatting errors – and make sure you have adhered to the word limit (if there is one). These little mistakes can make you seem lazy or careless to the reviewer.
• Be Honest – Not only will it make the writing process easier, but your genuine voice will shine through rather than your perception of what you “think” the scholarship committee wants to hear. Plus, it’s easy to tell when someone is making something up – so don’t talk about how working at soup kitchen made you want to be a chef unless it really happened.
• Get To The Point - Whether you are ask to respond to a specific question or invited to write about anything you want, it is extremely important to be concise and deliberate in what you write. Scholarship committees see hundreds, if not thousands, of essays every year – they don’t have time for fluff or pages upon pages of words that don’t address the given topic.
• Think Outside the Box – When possible, try to inject some personality and creativity into your essay. For example, you could use song lyrics, a personal story or unique analogy to illustrate your point of view. Some programs even accept video essay submissions!
• Act Like A Pro – It’s writing, after all, so language and tone are important. Don’t use profanity and avoid abbreviations, emoticons and text speak – your writing needs to be mature, professional and easy to read. 

One to Watch - Interviews with Scholarship Winners - Yeyin Yi

At a very young age, Yeyin Yi decided she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare when she grew up. Little did she know, however, that a product her family depended on throughout her childhood would have a major impact on her journey to achieving her childhood goal. 

Last year, Yi was selected as one of the top ten 2012 Future Care Scholars, netting her a $10,000 scholarship from the makers of Tylenol.

Over the past two decades, the makers of Tylenol have given away nearly $9 million in scholarship awards to students pursuing a healthcare education. The Tylenol Future Care Scholarship offers 30 awards at $5,000 and 10 awards at $10,000 to undergraduate and graduate students who have completed a minimum of one year of study in public health, health education, nursing, medicine or pharmacy.

“While growing up, Tylenol was the ‘go-to’ drug for our family, so I had great pride in the act of just submitting an application for the scholarship,” said Yi. “Winning this scholarship inspires great pride in myself, an element of shock and an immense abundance of gratitude to Tylenol.”

“I am so honored to have received such an award, and the impact it has made financially is exceedingly recognized but the impact it has made to my confidence is invaluable,” added Yi.

Yi, now 33, holds Bachelor of Science degrees in both biology and nursing and is currently a Doctor of Nursing Practice student at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing. Yi’s decision to enter the healthcare field was not motivated by a noteworthy event or person in her life; instead, she attributes her character as the strongest contributing factor.

“I am a sensitive individual who has always strived to make those around me feel better, whether they needed emotional, mental, physical, or spiritual support,” said Yi. “Becoming a health professional was a natural course for me and it reflects the part of my personality that finds pleasure in helping others.”

In addition to her professional goals - which include serving as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in a large teaching hospital, educating undergraduate and graduate-level nursing students and participating in clinical research – Yi is dedicated to giving back through outreach and volunteer work. Specifically, she hopes to contribute her time and attention to opportunities involving mission work in indigent countries and local programs focused on eradicating disparate healthcare.

The 2013 Tylenol Future Care Scholarship application period will open in April. For more details and updates, connect with the program on Facebook.

School Buzz - College Profiles - February 2013

Williams College

Brief Description: Williams College is a private, liberal arts school in the residential town of Williamstown, nestled in the Berkshires region of Northern Massachusetts. Undergraduate enrollment tops out at about 2,000 students.

High Honors: For their 2012 list of Most Affordable Schools, The Daily Beast placed Williams in the top 20 nationwide, noting that although cost of attendance is $57,000 a year, the average debt of a Williams graduate is just over $8,000.

Equal Opportunity Education: Williams meets 100% of the demonstrated financial need for four years for all admitted students. Plus, the college admits students from the US, regardless of their ability to pay.  

Fun Fact: Roughly 35% of Williams students graduate as double majors – of the 68 fields of study offered at the college, the most popular majors are Economics, English and Psychology.

 

Photo courtesy of Williams College

 

 

McGill University

Brief Description: McGill is a research-intensive university in Quebec, Canada with two campuses and more than 37,000 students.

High Honors: McGill has the most Rhodes scholars (134) of any Canadian university. The university is also recognized worldwide for its stellar teaching and research programs.

“Green” Money: Each year, McGill gives nearly $900,000 to student projects aimed at improving the school’s impact on the environment. McGill launched the Sustainability Projects Fund in 2009.

Fun Fact: McGill students hail from more than 150 countries and nearly 20% claim French as their first language. Parlez-vous Francais?

 

Discounts that Count - Ways to Save Money in College

Digital Entertainment – Save a bunch of cash each month by ditching your cable subscription. Streaming video sites like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Instant Video and Redbox Instant offer free and low-cost options so you can still watch your favorite shows and movies online.