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Where to Find Scholarships for Single Moms
Tweet Share on Facebook September 29, 2011 Comment (2)While it was once rare to see women in college classrooms, these days there are more women than ever enrolled in higher education. In fact, there are currently more women enrolled than their male counterparts. With the female student population growing, so is the number of "nontraditional" students. Single mothers are among those in this category. Scholarship providers are creating more financial aid opportunities tailored to fit female students in special circumstances. Here are just a few:
If you had to put your higher education on hold due to raising a family, the Jeanette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund offers a scholarship for women over the age of 35, pursuing a technical or vocational education, an associate's degree, or a first bachelor's degree. Other requirements include U.S. citizenship and a low-income eligibility. Applications are available November through December each year.
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Pick a College Major That Pays Off
Tweet Share on Facebook September 22, 2011 CommentSelecting a major is one of the biggest decisions of your college career. Not only will your major dictate a lot of your academic path, but it becomes a huge part of your college life. Your chosen field of study helps determine the people you work and hang out with, the projects you do in your spare time, and even the parts of campus you know well. (I'm pretty sure I can still use the University of Minnesota's underground tunnel system to get to Murphy Hall from anywhere in the known universe.)
With a decision of that magnitude, there are plenty of factors to take into consideration before you declare. Obviously, you'll want to major in a field that you care about, that you're interested in a career in, and that you have the right skill set for. You'll want to talk to folks at your desired colleges and find out about their strongest programs. And, of course, you'll want to look into the financial side of things—which majors have strong financial aid opportunities, and which will pay off in the long run as you embark on a career.
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Look to Parents' Employers for College Scholarships
Tweet Share on Facebook September 15, 2011 Comment (2)It was a great summer, wasn't it? You laid around the pool all day, hung out in the basement playing video games with friends, and watched marathons of your favorite reality TV shows for hours on end. But now that you're several weeks into the school year already, it's time to crack down and get to work, and not just on your math homework.
Yes, we're talking about college again. It'll be here before you know it, so don't wait until it's time to fill out the FAFSA before you start to seriously think about how you're going to pay for it. Lucky for you, the Internet has made it much easier to locate and apply for scholarships than ever before. But before you dive into your search, there's one not-so-obvious place you should look first: your parents' place of employment.
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Discover Scholarships Just for Men
Tweet Share on Facebook September 8, 2011 Comment (4)Up until the past decade or so, men were earning college degrees at a higher number than their female counterparts. And aside from athletic awards, scholarships specifically for men were not very common.
But a 2010 report by the American Council on Education shows that males account for only 43 percent of students enrolled in postsecondary education. Since the gender gap in college enrollment has swung in the other direction, scholarships for men are now an important way to help males continue to enroll in college and keep earning those degrees.
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Look For 5 Qualities in Scholarship Recommendation Writers
Tweet Share on Facebook September 1, 2011 Comment (2)Many scholarship programs will ask applicants to submit one or more letters of recommendation along with their completed application. Recommendation letters can help fill in the gaps between the information you provide about yourself (such as your grades and extracurricular activities) and why you are uniquely qualified to earn top scholarship dollars. Getting the right letters of recommendation could make all the difference between a top award, a smaller award, or no scholarship award at all. To make sure your recommendation covers everything it should, keep these five things in mind:
1. Select people who know you well: The first step to getting great letters of recommendation is to select the right people to write them for you. The best recommendations come from people who know you well, and with whom you've worked closely. Teachers, employers, and coaches are excellent choices, as are people you've volunteered with and members of your clergy.
