TOP TEN SCHOLARSHIP IN THE STATE

TOP TEN (10) SCHOLARSHIP IN USA

From the  on going series on SCHOLARSHIP ACROSS BORDERS, I wish to let our numerous reader have access to the list of the all the top ten scholarship across all borders. Our focus will be on the top ten scholarship in United State of America, when and how to apply for it.

1. Fulbright Scholarship

   5 Things You Probably didn’t Know About the         Fulbright

The Fulbright program is a great scholarship opportunity for U.S. citizens who would like to study abroad in Europe for example. In this article you will learn all details about the complicated list of eligibility, application, and proposal requirements that will give you a better idea of whether the Fulbright is right for you.

NOTE: Don’t worry if you are not eligible! There various other opportunities and more than 16 billion Euros worth of scholarship opportunities available for studying in Europe every year! Check them out on http://scholarship.admission.guides.com

What is a Fulbright?

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the Fulbright program began in 1946 with the aim to increase the mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of other countries. Currently operating in more than 155 countries worldwide, the program awards 1,700 grants per year that sponsor various kinds of research and teaching opportunities abroad.

1.) 155 Different Fulbright Programs

The Fulbright application, the process, and program depend entirely on the country. Fulbrighters often say that there are effectively 155 different Fulbright programs because the variation between them all is so great. This means that you must carefully consider which country you are going to choose, your reasoning for this choice, and then you must thoroughly examine the procedure for that specific country before you apply.

2.) Four Different Types

Most people dont realize that Fulbrights actually fall into four different categories (three of which function similarly). The way I divide them below is slightly different from the manner in which theyre organized on the Fulbright website, but if youre curious about their layout, click here.

1. Study/Research Grant: The broadest of all, the study/research grant provides funds for academic research abroad in any discipline and is open to both students and professionals of any age. What sets the study/research option apart from other programs is the lack of a determined final requirement. Basically, you will not be expected to produce a paper or make a presentation at the end. This is not to say that those at IIE and the Fulbright program, specific to your country of choice, have no expectations. You will be asked to complete a mid-term and final report, and you will be held to a very high standard of community engagement throughout your stay. Although the Fulbright program prides itself on the flexibility that it gives to its scholars providing the space and resources for them to go where the experience takes them without a rigid itinerary it also emphasizes the fact that this scholarship is not about the individual, it is about the individuals interactions with his/her surroundings.
2. Creative and Performing Arts Grant: If you are less of a scholar and more of a performer, the Fulbright can still be a means for you to live abroad while studying the art you love. Within the general category of Creative/Performing Arts, you can propose a project that focuses on music (mtvU), dance, photography, creative writing, filmmaking, or whatever your area of study may be.
3. Specialized Grant: There are a number of specialized grants. Theyre unique both in terms of subject and country. For example, you can apply for a specialized grant in journalism, business, or the sciences; for example you can apply to study the Irish language in Ireland instead of proposing a research topic of your own creation.
4. English Teaching Assistantship: While the first three kinds of grants are all similar in that they necessitate independent research, the English Teaching Assistantship does not. Instead, the focus is education. The I.I.E. highly stresses the difference between the three grants listed above and the ETA Fulbright, where your focus will be on the classroom. It is important to note that:
   (a) Your roll will be that of a teachers assistant. (b) The ETA still places a lot of importance on community engagement and expects you to independently participate in academic or community service projects.

3.) The Affiliation

If you apply for a study/research grant, it is vital that you find an educational institution or another sponsoring entity to be your affiliation, even if you are planning mainly independent research and travel. One of the most challenging parts of the Fulbright application may be finding someone to sponsor you. What exactly constitutes an affiliation? How do you even begin looking for one? For answers to these questions and advice on the affiliation in general, check out my second article.

If you apply for an English Teaching Assistantship, on the other hand, you dont need to worry about finding an affiliation. This may sound nice in the context of the application process (one less box on that checklist), but be sure to think about what it will mean for your time abroad. The Fulbright program of your country will set you up with your affiliation, meaning you will have less control over who/what your affiliation is, and therefore where youll be living/traveling/etc. There are pros and cons to either type of Fulbright (research oriented or teacher oriented), but if you choose an ETA, be prepared to be flexible when it comes to the affiliation.

4.) When is it Best to Apply?

Your age may affect the application process in several ways depending on your level of education and work experience you will be eligible for different kinds of grants.

But for those of you who are preparing to finish, or who recently finished your undergraduate degree, the most important factor to think about is the Fulbright Program Adviser (FPA). The FPA is an on-campus adviser associated with your school and, according to IIE, a huge resource. Is it better to apply for a Fulbright during your final year of undergraduate school, so you can utilize the FPA for all s/he is worth? Fulbright alumni and representatives alike told me that, in general, FPAs are always willing to help even after you have graduated. The extent to which you can use the FPA back on campus after you have graduated depends on your school and your relationship to your FPA.

And dont worry about applying before you graduate just because you think it will up your chances. Whether you apply through your school, or after you graduate under the at-large category, will not affect your chances of acceptance.

5.) Eligibility Requirements

In order to apply for a Fulbright, you must first meet a few eligibility requirements:

• U.S. Citizenship (If youre not American, check out the Fulbright for Foreign Students or the Fulbright for Non-U.S. Scholars Program)
• Hold at least a B.A.
• Possess proficient language skills relevant to your country of choice.
• You are not eligible if you have completed your P.H.D. research, but you may apply if you are in the midst of a P.H.D. program.
• With more specific or specialized Fulbrights, there are specialized requirements

WHAT YOU NEED TO GET THE SCHOLARSHIP (PROCESSES)

How to get your scholarship

Getting a scholarship is a very good option to finance your studies and enables you to fully concentrate on getting your degree instead of worrying about money issues. This article is giving you an overview on how to succeed with that.

Start as early as possible!

DON’T WAIT!!! The application process of many scholarships takes quite long and application deadlines finish early. As soon as you know what you are going to do you should therefore start with the preparation right ahead! You do not know yet what and where to study? Visit: http://scholarship-admission-guides.blogspot.com/

Find the right scholarship

There are thousands of scholarships out there as well as other types of funding like grants, prizes, studentships, competitions, fellowships and many others! Luckily not all of them are just dependent on your GPA. Do you come from a specific country? Do you study a specific subject? Are you member of a religious denomination? All those factors for example can qualify you for a financial support for your studies! http://scholarship-admission-guides.blogspot.com can help you finding a suitable scholarship for your needs.

Application

Before you start preparing your application make once more sure that you have chosen the right scholarship for you. Do you match all the eligibility requirements? Carefully check all the scholarship information that will be provided on the Blog, but also visit the website of the scholarship provider. Do you match the profile? You will be investing a lot of time in this application and you will want to prioritize.

If you made sure you picked the right scholarship, it is time to prepare your application. Most of the times you will need to prepare the following documents:

• Certificates of your previous education
• Recommendation letters (work/academic)
• Language certificate (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS)
• Motivation letter
• Curriculum Vitae

Make sure all of the documents needed to apply for the scholarship are in order before you start to write. You won’t want to go back to them after writing your letter, to discover you are missing an important document. Also and we cannot stress this enough start in time. This will give you the opportunity to make your letter stand out and not have to rush with the deadline. You also want to make sure the applications are filled out neatly and that nothing is missing. Make sure there hardcopies of every document you are sending, because if anything happens you won’t want to start over.

Certificates of your previous education

Depending on your university it may take some time until you receive your transcript of records, diploma etc. Try to get it (and some certified copies of it) as soon as possible. Ask the university as well as the scholarship provider for the possibility of using preliminary documents in order to meet close deadlines.

Recommendation letters

Letters of recommendation are an important part of every scholarship application. Since your professors and employers might be busy, try to get them as early as possible. However, carefully read the requirements of the scholarship you would like to apply to. Some of them have very specific rules about the recommendation letters and do not accept general ones.

Where to go, who to ask?

The best place to go for letters of recommendation is teachers that have taught you for a while or your school guidance counselor. They will probably know you best and can give you a strong letter of recommendation. Some scholarships may allow you to have non-academic references as well (from an employer or community leader etc.). If this is the case, and they know you well, you can ask them.

What to do?

Ask your potential recommender if they would be able to write a strong letter on your behalf. You should also give your recommender more than enough time to complete the letter. Make sure you provide your recommender with: The scholarship application information, an updated version of your resume, the most recent versions of the samples required for the application and a short paragraph on your accomplishments as well as what you would like them to highlight in their letter. Remind them as the deadline is approaching, do not assume the letter will be sent by them once they have agreed to write it and collect the letters from them personally.

Language certificates

If the language of the program you apply to is not your native language you are most of the times required to obtain a certificate showing your language skills. For English language TOEFL and IELTS are the most common ones which are widely accepted among scholarships and universities worldwide. Be aware that it takes some time to prepare, take the test and receive the results.

Motivation letter

The motivation letter is a crucial part of your application. Below are some useful tips and guidelines to writing a successful scholarship application letter. They involve the process one can undergo before writing the letter, what to consider when writing, the process of checking your work and information on letters of recommendation.

THINKING OF WHAT TO WRITE?

Brainstorming: Why should you get the scholarship and not someone else?

Generally, there are two important questions you need to answer: Why you, and why this scholarship? It is a good idea to have a brainstorm before you start writing. Spider diagrams are great for this, as you can put the main topic in the middle and jot down supporting details and arguments as you go along. After this is done to the best of your ability, it helps to take those ideas and formulate them into an outline for your essay. Don’t forget to check the scholarship website (in particular their mission). It is always a good idea to use family and friends as sounding boards. You should also think about to looking towards your extracurricular activities and strong personality traits when deciding on the topic of your letter.

Writing: Musts! Be concise, stay on topic

When writing the letter, make sure that you stay on topic! Do not get caught up in the points you are trying to make, that you do not give the reader an infinitive answer at the end. Also be aware, that most questions have an underlying question. When you are answering why you want to study in a particular field? keep in mind that the reader really wants to know why you would be the best in what it is you are going to do etc.

You also need to make sure that your body paragraphs relate to your introduction, because the introduction is what gives people an idea of what it is they should be expecting to read. Remember to be specific! You know what it is you are trying to say, but the reader doesn’t know you or the way you think. Make sure your points are comprehensible and come across clearly.

Tonality is the key! Personal yet professional

You must also be aware of the tone you are writing in. Yes, the letter is personal, but the purpose is professional. It may help to think of who will be reading your letter and to write it as if you are addressing someone familiar, someone you respect, and someone you want to share your story with. This may help you to identify an audience.

What helps: Be genuine and positive

It really helps to stay original when writing. Remember that you are up against a lot of other applicants for the same scholarship and originality will help you stand out. Be genuine about what you are writing and make the reader feel your personality. It may help to share a bit of your life that is relevant, as this makes the letter a bit more personal. You can give examples of where you have demonstrated relevant skills or personality traits. When bringing in personal examples, you will want to avoid the sob stories. Scholarship committees are not interested in how hard your life has been, but rather how you have overcome the challenges that you have been faced with and what you have accomplished despite them. Make sure the reader gets a sense of your positive attitude towards life. Optimism is what makes organizations excited about giving you money to pursue your passion and possibly changing the world while doing so.

Checking your work: Proofreading is not just a spell-check!

The more people that you can convince to proofread your letter the better. They make pick up on little mistakes as well as give you new and fresh ideas. Be aware that spell check is nice, but does not catch every mistake. Ask the people reading your letter if they believe every sentence is crucial to the letter, as this should be the case. It may also be in your best interest to ask them if the topic of your letter was clear, if there are any visible clichés, what the worst part of the letter was and if they think anyone else could have written a letter just like yours. If they answer the last question with a yes, then you are missing your personality and that is a major part of a successful scholarship letter.

Revision: Give yourself a couple of days and then check again

Revision should be done carefully. You are only allowed a certain amount of words, so you want to use them wisely. Make sure you delete anything that does not relate to your main argument. Consider reordering your supporting details, and make the broader implications of your experiences clear. Important arguments need to be at the foreground of the letter. It might help to put your letter aside for some days and then check it again.

Send it in and fingers crossed!

Hopefully all of the above tips have helped you while you were working on getting your scholarship, and you'll want to tell all your friends about http://scholarship-admission-guides.blogspot.com Now all that is left to do is send it in and wait for a response exciting!

Make sure you visit http://scholarship-admission-guides.blogspot.com when you need to find a place for your next level of study.

Scholarship

A scholarship is an award of financial assistant for a student to further their education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria, which usually reflect the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award. Scholarship money is not required to be repaid.

Getting a scholarship is a very good option to finance your studies and enables you to fully concentrate on getting your degree instead of worrying about money issues. This article is giving you an overview on the life and legacy of the donor or founder of various scholarships across borders, the colleges and universities that offers the scholarships, when to look out for the scholarships and how to succeed with that.

International Students on Scholarships

Classification of Scholarships

The most common scholarships may be classified as:

• Merit-based: These awards are based on a student's academic, artistic, athletic or other abilities, and often factor in an applicant's extracurricular activities and community service record. The most common merit-based scholarships, awarded by either private organizations or directly by a student's intended college, recognize academic achievement or high scores on standardized tests. Most such merit-based scholarships are paid directly by the institution the student attends, rather than issued directly to the student.
• Need-based: In the United States for instance, these awards are based on the student and family's financial record and require applicants to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to qualify if the scholarship is a federal award. Private need-based scholarships also often require the results of a FAFSA, which calculates a student's financial need through a formula that looks at the expected family contribution and cost of attendance at the intended college.
• Student-specific: These are scholarships where applicants must initially qualify by gender, race, religion, family and medical history, or many other student-specific factors. Minority scholarships are the most common awards in this category. For example, students in Canada may qualify for a number of aboriginal scholarships, whether they study at home or abroad. The Gates Millennium Scholars program is another minority scholarship funded by Bill and Melinda Gates for excellent African American, American Indian, Asian Pacific Islander American and Latino students who enroll in college.
• Career-specific: These are scholarships a college or university awards to students who plan to pursue a specific field of study. Often, the most generous awards to students who pursue careers in high-need areas such as education or nursing. Many schools in the United States give future nurses full scholarships to enter the field, especially if the student intends to work in a high-need community.
• College-specific: College-specific scholarships are offered by individual colleges and universities to highly qualified applicants. These scholarships, given on the basis of academic and personal achievement, usually result in either a full-ride to the college, or for a reduced rate of tuition.

• Athletic: Awarded to students for showing exceptional skill in a sport provided by the college.

Local scholarships

It is typical for persons to find scholarships in their home region. Information on these can be found by asking local institutions and organizations. Typically, these are less competitive as the eligible population is smaller.

• Guidance counselors: When starting to explore scholarship opportunities, most high school students check with their guidance counselors. They can be a reliable resource for local scholarships.
• Non-profits and charitable trusts: Most non-profit organizations have at some point of their history founded scholarships for prospective students. The Good Schools Guide, a guide to schools in the UK, states "Charitable grant-making trusts can help in cases of genuine need," and goes on to outline several instances where this may be the case, including an "unforeseen family disaster" and a "need for special education".

Community foundations: Many counties and cities and regions have a local foundation dedicated to giving money in the form of grants and scholarships to people and organizations in the area.

If you are reading this articles and you find it informative, then you will not want to miss my next edition that comprehensively explain the process you need to take to get that scholarship. IF YOU DREAMS IT, THEN YOU CAN ACHIEVE IT.