Tuesday, November 22, 2011
I will continue updating this blog
For a few years, I cannot access blogspot in China. It's really frustrating to find that when you have devoted so much time doing the blog but failed to update and read it any longer. Recently I finally found an available vpn to access the blogspot, as well as other popular blocked sites like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, etc. I set my email posting add just now, and so I will be able to update the blog even when I cannot access it. Just like what I did to the blog in wordpress.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Saturday, January 10, 2009
How to win a Scholarship
Merit scholarships are typically awarded on the basis of academic, athletic or artistic merit, in addition to special interests. Some merit scholarships also consider financial need, but rewarding talent is the primary objective.
In most cases the scholarship sponsor has a set of criteria they use to select the winners from among the qualified applicants. (This is in contrast to scholarship lotteries which select winners randomly.) So a key to winning a scholarship is to identify the sponsor's criteria and tailor your application to those criteria.
Sponsors can have a variety of goals in offering a scholarship.
Some companies offer scholarships as a form of community development, to invest in the future of the communities where they are based. Others offer scholarships to help retain current employees and recruit future employees. Colleges may offer scholarships to recruit a talented and diverse student body. Colleges may also offer scholarships in specific majors to encourage students to enroll in underrepresented majors (e.g., scholarships for women and minorities in science and engineering). Membership organizations tend to offer scholarships to promote their field or the mission of the organization. Other scholarships may be established to honor the memory of someone who has passed away, to provide a legacy that perpetuates his or her values.
The first step is to make sure you qualify for the scholarship.
If the application requirements specify that you must have a 3.7 or higher GPA and you have a 3.6 GPA, don't bother applying. Most scholarship sponsors receive so many qualified applications that they do not have the time to consider applications that fail to satisfy the requirements. You may be a wonderful and talented person, but if your application is not qualified, the selection committee is not going to look at it.
On the other hand, if you barely miss the application requirements, you should try to improve until you qualify. For example, if you have a 3.6 GPA and the award requires a 3.7 GPA to apply, you could try working hard in school to improve your grades until you achieve a 3.7 GPA. This is why it is worthwhile to search for scholarships as soon as possible. Many awards also have prerequisites, such as requiring a portfolio of your work or a project report, that can take time to prepare.
The FastWeb scholarship database will only show you awards that match your profile. FastWeb has the tightest match of any scholarship database, so you're less likely to waste time on awards for which you aren't qualified.
As noted previously, all scholarship sponsors receive more qualified applications than they have awards available. The most competitive scholarships have a selection ratio of 1 in 400. The least competitive awards have a selection ratio of 1 in 10. According to the 1999-2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 6.9% of undergraduate students receive private sector scholarships, and the average amount received is $2,051. That means that your raw odds of winning a scholarship are 1 in 14.5.
But scholarship sponsors aren't going to give you money simply for breathing. They want to give money to the most talented qualified applicant. So to maximize your chances of winning the award, you need to identify the criteria they will use to select the winner. Sometimes the sponsor has published the criteria they use. Sometimes you have to critique your application from the sponsor's perspective.
It is important to remember that scholarship sponsors are evaluating applications, not applicants. You need to ensure that your application and the supporting materials contain all the relevant information the committee needs to evaluate your candidacy. The committee only knows what your application and your letters of recommendations tell it. Write an application that highlights the aspects of your background that match the sponsor's goals.
In most cases the scholarship sponsor has a set of criteria they use to select the winners from among the qualified applicants. (This is in contrast to scholarship lotteries which select winners randomly.) So a key to winning a scholarship is to identify the sponsor's criteria and tailor your application to those criteria.
Sponsors can have a variety of goals in offering a scholarship.
Some companies offer scholarships as a form of community development, to invest in the future of the communities where they are based. Others offer scholarships to help retain current employees and recruit future employees. Colleges may offer scholarships to recruit a talented and diverse student body. Colleges may also offer scholarships in specific majors to encourage students to enroll in underrepresented majors (e.g., scholarships for women and minorities in science and engineering). Membership organizations tend to offer scholarships to promote their field or the mission of the organization. Other scholarships may be established to honor the memory of someone who has passed away, to provide a legacy that perpetuates his or her values.
The first step is to make sure you qualify for the scholarship.
If the application requirements specify that you must have a 3.7 or higher GPA and you have a 3.6 GPA, don't bother applying. Most scholarship sponsors receive so many qualified applications that they do not have the time to consider applications that fail to satisfy the requirements. You may be a wonderful and talented person, but if your application is not qualified, the selection committee is not going to look at it.
On the other hand, if you barely miss the application requirements, you should try to improve until you qualify. For example, if you have a 3.6 GPA and the award requires a 3.7 GPA to apply, you could try working hard in school to improve your grades until you achieve a 3.7 GPA. This is why it is worthwhile to search for scholarships as soon as possible. Many awards also have prerequisites, such as requiring a portfolio of your work or a project report, that can take time to prepare.
The FastWeb scholarship database will only show you awards that match your profile. FastWeb has the tightest match of any scholarship database, so you're less likely to waste time on awards for which you aren't qualified.
As noted previously, all scholarship sponsors receive more qualified applications than they have awards available. The most competitive scholarships have a selection ratio of 1 in 400. The least competitive awards have a selection ratio of 1 in 10. According to the 1999-2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 6.9% of undergraduate students receive private sector scholarships, and the average amount received is $2,051. That means that your raw odds of winning a scholarship are 1 in 14.5.
But scholarship sponsors aren't going to give you money simply for breathing. They want to give money to the most talented qualified applicant. So to maximize your chances of winning the award, you need to identify the criteria they will use to select the winner. Sometimes the sponsor has published the criteria they use. Sometimes you have to critique your application from the sponsor's perspective.
It is important to remember that scholarship sponsors are evaluating applications, not applicants. You need to ensure that your application and the supporting materials contain all the relevant information the committee needs to evaluate your candidacy. The committee only knows what your application and your letters of recommendations tell it. Write an application that highlights the aspects of your background that match the sponsor's goals.
MBA Scholarships
The MBA is a massive financial investment. Just think about the cost of the course, which could be anything from about £10,000 up to near to £30,000 a year. Then there is the cost of living, which in reality is the same as the cost of going to work – what with your food and your travel and your mortgage or rent if you do not own a home in the city where you are studying. Then you have the cost of books, which can add up to near to £1,000 in the year or two that you are studying. You also have the cost of a laptop, which will make your life easier as you won’t be reliant on the computer systems at your business school, and there is software to get as well.
If you are taking a full-time course then you should also remember that you are foregoing your salary, which could be any amount after tax and is an opportunity cost of doing your degree. Even if you are taking a part-time course you still need to be able to pay for the course. You need to be able to fund all of this – and unless you have a lot of savings, can take out a good value loan, or have generous parents, then it will be difficult. This is why it’s very important to apply for scholarships.
Scholarships are basically awarded to those who are believed to be worthy of them. This is important to realize. Organizations who offer scholarships try their best to do so on merit. What they regard as merit can differ between organizations so it’s important for you to find out what the organization that you are applying to require in a “scholar”.
Searching for Scholarships
• Start Searching for Scholarships ASAP. It pays to start your search for scholarships as soon as possible. Many scholarships have early deadlines, even as early as August or September. If you start searching in January, you will miss the deadlines for half the awards.
Start searching for scholarships at an earlier age. Most students don't start searching for scholarships until their senior year in high school. But there are many awards available for students in earlier grades, even junior high school.
• Apply to as many awards as possible. Apply to every award for which you are qualified, no matter how small the award amount. Every penny helps, and winning an award adds a line to your resume that can help you win other awards. The less lucrative scholarships are often less competitive, so you have a better chance of winning them. Several small awards can add up to a significant amount of money.
You can't win if you don't apply. Even if you are extremely talented, your chances of winning any particular scholarship are low, since you are competing with many other equally talented applicants. To improve your odds of winning a scholarship, apply to more scholarship competitions.
Do not, however, apply for awards for which you do not qualify. It is a waste of your time. Scholarship sponsors receive far more qualified applications than they have awards available, so they are not going to look at any candidate that doesn't satisfy their criteria.
• Seek out less competitive scholarships. Seek out small local awards that are not listed in most of the national databases and scholarship books. These awards are less competitive, and so your chances of winning them are greater. Examples include the local PTA scholarship, Dollars for Scholars scholarship, local cultural and religious organizations, local businesses, and your parent's employer. You can also find information about local awards on bulletin boards at the local public library and outside your guidance counselor or school financial aid office. (TheFastweb scholarship database is particularly thorough about listing small local awards, and encourages all scholarship sponsors to submit information about their awards, even local awards. Fastweb can code those awards to show them only to students who qualify.)
• Use up-to-date award information. When looking for information about scholarships in books, check the copyright date of the book. A book that is more than one year old is too old to be useful. Similarly, ask how frequently an online scholarship database is updated. Most are updated annually or quarterly. The Fastwebscholarship database is updated daily.
• Beware of scholarship scams. If a scholarship has an application fee or other required fees, it isn't worth your time and money to apply. At best such "scholarships" are recirculating the fees to the students, and at worst no money is ever awarded. Never invest more than a postage stamp to obtain information about or to apply for a scholarship.
• Ask the school about academic scholarships. Many colleges offer presidential or academic scholarships to attract talented students. This is especially true at second and third tier institutions. You might be able to get a free ride at a college that isn't as well known.
The main difference between colleges is not in the quality of the faculty or the quality of the facilities, but in the students. After all, Harvard and MIT graduate more PhDs than they can hire as faculty, so many less-well-known institutions have top notch faculty. Since you will be spending more time learning from your peers than inside a classroom, you should visit the school while classes are in session to get a feel for how well you will fit in. But if you like the atmosphere at the school and the school has a good program in your major, there's no reason why you shouldn't accept a full-tuition scholarship at your third choice school. This is especially true if you intend to go on to grad school, since nobody cares where you got your bachelor's degree when you have a PhD or MD.
• Ask to be nominated. If a scholarship requires that you be nominated by your school or the local chapter of the organization, find out who is responsible for nominating applicants, and ask them to nominate you. Often the nominator will not have a formal process for selecting a nominee. If the nomination deadline is approaching, sometimes they will nominate you simply because you're the only one who asked. Even if they have a formal process, by introducing yourself and your qualifications to them you will have improved your chances of being nominated (assuming you didn't annoy them by being too persistent). Provide the nominator with a copy of your accomplishments resume.
• Don't forget to renew your scholarship. If you won a renewable award last year, make sure you satisfy any requirements for retaining it in subsequent years. This may involve maintaining satisfactory academic progress, maintaining a minimum GPA, continuing to study in the same major, retaining full-time enrollment, submitting an annual progress report, and providing a copy of your transcript each year. Some scholarships may require community service or other activities.
If you are taking a full-time course then you should also remember that you are foregoing your salary, which could be any amount after tax and is an opportunity cost of doing your degree. Even if you are taking a part-time course you still need to be able to pay for the course. You need to be able to fund all of this – and unless you have a lot of savings, can take out a good value loan, or have generous parents, then it will be difficult. This is why it’s very important to apply for scholarships.
Scholarships are basically awarded to those who are believed to be worthy of them. This is important to realize. Organizations who offer scholarships try their best to do so on merit. What they regard as merit can differ between organizations so it’s important for you to find out what the organization that you are applying to require in a “scholar”.
Searching for Scholarships
• Start Searching for Scholarships ASAP. It pays to start your search for scholarships as soon as possible. Many scholarships have early deadlines, even as early as August or September. If you start searching in January, you will miss the deadlines for half the awards.
Start searching for scholarships at an earlier age. Most students don't start searching for scholarships until their senior year in high school. But there are many awards available for students in earlier grades, even junior high school.
• Apply to as many awards as possible. Apply to every award for which you are qualified, no matter how small the award amount. Every penny helps, and winning an award adds a line to your resume that can help you win other awards. The less lucrative scholarships are often less competitive, so you have a better chance of winning them. Several small awards can add up to a significant amount of money.
You can't win if you don't apply. Even if you are extremely talented, your chances of winning any particular scholarship are low, since you are competing with many other equally talented applicants. To improve your odds of winning a scholarship, apply to more scholarship competitions.
Do not, however, apply for awards for which you do not qualify. It is a waste of your time. Scholarship sponsors receive far more qualified applications than they have awards available, so they are not going to look at any candidate that doesn't satisfy their criteria.
• Seek out less competitive scholarships. Seek out small local awards that are not listed in most of the national databases and scholarship books. These awards are less competitive, and so your chances of winning them are greater. Examples include the local PTA scholarship, Dollars for Scholars scholarship, local cultural and religious organizations, local businesses, and your parent's employer. You can also find information about local awards on bulletin boards at the local public library and outside your guidance counselor or school financial aid office. (TheFastweb scholarship database is particularly thorough about listing small local awards, and encourages all scholarship sponsors to submit information about their awards, even local awards. Fastweb can code those awards to show them only to students who qualify.)
• Use up-to-date award information. When looking for information about scholarships in books, check the copyright date of the book. A book that is more than one year old is too old to be useful. Similarly, ask how frequently an online scholarship database is updated. Most are updated annually or quarterly. The Fastwebscholarship database is updated daily.
• Beware of scholarship scams. If a scholarship has an application fee or other required fees, it isn't worth your time and money to apply. At best such "scholarships" are recirculating the fees to the students, and at worst no money is ever awarded. Never invest more than a postage stamp to obtain information about or to apply for a scholarship.
• Ask the school about academic scholarships. Many colleges offer presidential or academic scholarships to attract talented students. This is especially true at second and third tier institutions. You might be able to get a free ride at a college that isn't as well known.
The main difference between colleges is not in the quality of the faculty or the quality of the facilities, but in the students. After all, Harvard and MIT graduate more PhDs than they can hire as faculty, so many less-well-known institutions have top notch faculty. Since you will be spending more time learning from your peers than inside a classroom, you should visit the school while classes are in session to get a feel for how well you will fit in. But if you like the atmosphere at the school and the school has a good program in your major, there's no reason why you shouldn't accept a full-tuition scholarship at your third choice school. This is especially true if you intend to go on to grad school, since nobody cares where you got your bachelor's degree when you have a PhD or MD.
• Ask to be nominated. If a scholarship requires that you be nominated by your school or the local chapter of the organization, find out who is responsible for nominating applicants, and ask them to nominate you. Often the nominator will not have a formal process for selecting a nominee. If the nomination deadline is approaching, sometimes they will nominate you simply because you're the only one who asked. Even if they have a formal process, by introducing yourself and your qualifications to them you will have improved your chances of being nominated (assuming you didn't annoy them by being too persistent). Provide the nominator with a copy of your accomplishments resume.
• Don't forget to renew your scholarship. If you won a renewable award last year, make sure you satisfy any requirements for retaining it in subsequent years. This may involve maintaining satisfactory academic progress, maintaining a minimum GPA, continuing to study in the same major, retaining full-time enrollment, submitting an annual progress report, and providing a copy of your transcript each year. Some scholarships may require community service or other activities.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
What have I done these days?
I’ve enjoyed the ielts prep online courses these days, especially the part of speaking test. The tutor spoke English very fluently with British accent, to be precise, the Welsh accent, which made me think of Rhydian from Wales and he is working for Wuxi EF now.
The movie I downloaded called A Few Good Men, which is hard to follow. If I could get all the words from this kind of movie, my English listening comprehension would be enough to live in the United States.
Today I talked a short while with a couple of native English speakers, one boy from Canada, and a girl England. They liked speak fuck and asshole, and I was astonished when I heard they were throwing shit to each other. You know, many people around me are learning English pretty hard, and take it so seriously. But the native speakers show little respect to their mother tongue, aka our lingua franca.
The movie I downloaded called A Few Good Men, which is hard to follow. If I could get all the words from this kind of movie, my English listening comprehension would be enough to live in the United States.
Today I talked a short while with a couple of native English speakers, one boy from Canada, and a girl England. They liked speak fuck and asshole, and I was astonished when I heard they were throwing shit to each other. You know, many people around me are learning English pretty hard, and take it so seriously. But the native speakers show little respect to their mother tongue, aka our lingua franca.
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