Photo: howtolearn.com

After researching, choosing, and applying for a scholarship, take a deep breath and congratulate yourself! Then, gear up to receive results and take the next step in your journey to college education. The good news? No matter what the results, Cappex is here to help.

After Applying

• Check to see if there is a way to track the status of your application. There might be a timeline offered by the organization to track the application process.
• Find out how the organization will notify you with results. If it’s through email, be sure to check your email (and keep an eye on that pesky Spam folder) regularly. If it’s through the US Postal Service, be sure you don’t throw out any mail that might pertain to your scholarship.
• Don’t bank on one scholarship – continue researching your options to maximize your chances of earning college funds.

Results: The Good

• Congratulations! You’ve won a scholarship!
• If you don’t know already, find out how the funds will reach you. Will it be through a check or through your university? Make sure you know how and when the scholarship will be applied so you can track the transactions.
• You basically have a first draft of a college essay written. Cool! Use it on your college applications when it is relevant.
• Start budgeting and planning how you can use your funding most effectively. If the scholarship can be applied anywhere, decide what works best for you financially.
• Try to calculate what you will still owe after using your scholarship money. Then, apply for more scholarships!

Results: The Bad

• Don’t freak out if you didn’t win the first few scholarships for which you applied. This is totally normal – you’re not going to win them all.
• Keep looking. Keep digging. Keep asking and researching opportunities. Talk to your guidance counselor if you are having trouble. They may have some secret weapons and places to look.
• Ask the organization that denied your application for notes on why you were not accepted. They might be able to offer good advice on your writing skills. It also might be reassuring to know that they just had too many applicants this year and it was only a matter of numbers.
• Don’t give up! Try filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) if you have not already.

The most important thing to remember is that time spent on scholarships is time well spent. They are terrific opportunities with many benefits. You gain experience and the good feeling of working hard towards something special – your college years!

How to Get a Scholarship: Research and Planning | Choosing and Applying | Results and Your Next Step

Photo: buzzle.com

Scholarships are excellent tools for helping students pay for their education. Students can be rewarded with a scholarship for everything from their academic performance to their artistic ability. However, with all of the options available today, it is not always obvious which scholarships to choose or how to submit an application. The good news? Cappex is here to help you find the right scholarship opportunities for you.

Choosing

• It’s important to research many different scholarships. You probably will not find a perfect fit on your first try, nor find one scholarship that can cover everything.
• Consider your financial need. If to this point, you are completely without any funding for school, choose a scholarship that gives you as much monetary help as possible. You may be able to find one that offers funding each year, instead of all at once.
• Consider your time frame. If the deadline is one week away, make sure you have enough time to complete the application and do a good job. If you don’t think you can, check to see if the scholarship is offered every year. You might be able to apply the next year, giving yourself more preparation time.
• Consider whom the scholarship targets. Choose only those scholarships that actually pertain to you. If you’re considering a scholarship for student musicians, do not try to fake a musical interest or talent. Choose one with criteria you meet – if you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. It’s out there!
• Consider your competition. If this is a national scholarship, you know you’ll have to stand out among thousands of other students. If this is a private business or a local organization offering funding to a specific group, you may have a greater chance of earning that scholarship money.
• Consider the source. Make sure the organization offering the scholarship is legitimate and follows through. If it looks questionable, try to contact someone who can give you real answers and send you physical information on how you will receive funding. Make sure you know how to avoid scholarship scams.
• Bottom line? If you find a scholarship opportunity that immediately excites you, do it! Anything that gets you pumped up about education is a good thing. Trust your instincts.

Applying

• It may sound silly, but be sure to fill out the application completely! If you are lacking a component or have incorrect information listed, you run a great risk of being tossed out before even being considered.
• Don’t complete the application in one sitting, especially for those scholarships that ask for an essay. Create drafts, edit your work, and have someone else you trust look over your application and give you feedback.
• To make the application process easier, keep a master list of all of your credentials and accomplishments. Use this as a reference when applying to each scholarship!
• Be thorough and use concrete examples in your essay. Generalizing will not help you stand out!

How to Get a Scholarship: Research and Planning | Choosing and Applying | Results and Your Next Step

Photo: smartmoneydaily.com

Scholarships are becoming an increasingly crucial way for students from all walks of life to pay for their schooling. Scholarships open up doors and provide opportunities for college education that would otherwise remain out of reach. The hardest part? Getting started and finding the best scholarships for you! The good news? Cappex is here to help you find them.

First and foremost, don’t assume that you won’t qualify for scholarships! They are not just awarded for perfect grades or financial need, although those are certainly great reasons to apply for funding. Don’t give up before you’ve researched your options.

Research

• Scholarships exist everywhere, even in unlikely places.
• Check with local businesses – often they have programs or small scholarships available to students planning to go into business or marketing.
• Churches, synagogues, and other places of worship may offer scholarships to students going into religious studies or those that have completed volunteer work.
• Look into opportunities at the schools to which you are applying. Sometimes scholarships are offered after a student has performed well for several semesters.
• Word of mouth can be a great tool. Let friends and family know you are on the lookout for scholarships. They may know of ones you’d be interested in or have advice where to look.
• Check out these cool essay contests.
• Take the PSAT (Practice SAT)! You can opt to have your scores sent to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which sponsors the PSAT. They offer scholarships to students with excellent scores. Plus, its great practice for the real SAT.
• Visit Cappex for scholarships that align with your interests or major. There is funding available for everything from the arts to engineering!
• Clear up scholarship myths and misconceptions by checking out these Scholarship Myths Debunked.

Planning

• Start early. Give yourself enough time to research, apply, and try again if for some reason your first few attempts are unsuccessful.
• Apply to more than one! Don’t be afraid of utilizing multiple scholarships to pay for your education. Just make sure that they don’t interfere with any Federal Aid you are receiving.
• Scholarships have deadlines. Again, the earlier you begin searching for the scholarship that is right for you, the better your chances are of completing the application on time.
• The PSAT has a sign-up deadline, too! Sign up early in the school year to take it when your high school offers it. Usually, the PSAT is offered in October.
• Set aside a small amount of time each day to do one thing on your scholarship To-Do List. Whether this is “Find One New Scholarship” or “Write INTRO to Scholarship Essay,” make time to do it. Small steps lead you to your big goals.

How to Get a Scholarship: Research and Planning | Choosing and Applying | Results and Your Next Step

So yes, tuition can be pretty steep, but there are ways around it if you stay ahead of the game and keep your eyes peeled for scholarship opportunities.

On the other hand, there are some costs to college that are a bit unexpected, and we don’t want them to catch you off guard. So here are five unforeseen expenses that you might have to dole out  some cash for that are not included in your college tuition:

1. Tutoring
You are a very intelligent person, but your physics class is much more difficult than you could have imagined. You totally thought you owned that exam, but when you got your grade back, you realized you need to work a little harder. So you visited the physics resource center, you went to your professor’s office hours, you met up with friends in the class, and the concepts were just not hitting home. Sometimes, the many resources your school provides for you won’t cut it–you need a couple one-on-one sessions with an expert who can give you all their attention and focus on what you’re missing.

Yes, tutoring can be a bit pricey, but failing a class can cost you much more.

2. Labs and materials
This mostly goes for art and design students who can’t simply use a pen and paper to do their work. If you’re an art and design student, you might have to pay lab fees (that goes for science students as well), and you’ll probably have to purchase your materials for your art, which can add up. Try to budget in your lab and materials costs before the semester starts so you don’t overdraw your bank account on canvases and oil paints.

3. Printing
It depends on your school, but usually your college or university will give you an allotted number of pages you can print for free (or that’s already included in your tuition), and then it will start charging you. Be careful for this because many professors will have you print off your own course packs which may be hundreds of pages.

4. Healthcare
Being a student is hard. You’ll study hard. Work hard. And probably party hard. With that entire combination, there’s no doubt you’ll ultimately wind up with some sort of illness. Just be weary; a trip to your university care center isn’t free of charge. Don’t be surprised when you get a bill for the tests you took. Also, don’t be taking CAT scans just for fun. Well, you probably knew that.

5. Computers and computer emergencies
Most college students have their own computers. It’s an expensive tool, but it’s also incredibly helpful–you can do you work on your own schedule, not the computer lab’s.

So there’s the cost of the actual computer, but there’s also the chance that your computer might need to be fixed. Too often it all begins with an ill-positioned cup of coffee, a clumsy roommate, a banana slip on the floor, and boom! Your keyboard is drenched in hot coffee and making weird noises. Or, maybe you downloaded a shady file. There are so many reasons your computer can go rogue–like, maybe it’s one of those computers from the future that was sent back in time to take over the human race–but it’s one of the most important tools you have with you at college, so you’re probably going to put the money down to fix it.

What are some unforeseen costs you experience during college? Leave a comment!

All you have to do is see if you’re a match:

1. OP Loftbed Scholarship
Amount-$500
Deadline-July 31
Quick fact-High school seniors through doctoral-level students can apply.

2. Lincoln Forum Scholarship
Amount-$250-$1,000
Deadline-July 31
Quick fact- This scholarship is available for enrolled college students.

3. Family Travel Forum Teen Travel Writing Scholarship
Amount-$200-$1,000
Deadline-August 1
Quick fact-To qualify for this scholarship, applicants must sign up to be members of the MyFamilyTravels.com community prior to application.

4. Shut Up and Sweat Scholarship
Amount-$2,000
Deadline-August 1
Quick fact-This is the perfect scholarship for student athletes!

5. AFSA Second Chance Scholarship
Amount-$1,000
Deadline-August 24
Quick fact-5 awards will be granted.

Want more scholarship matches? Make a profile on Cappex!

US News recently published a list of the 10 least expensive private colleges and universities for 2010-2011. As you go through the list, compare the numbers with the average cost of tuition and required fees for the 2010-11 school year which was $26,079.

Here are the 10 least expensive private schools:

1. Berea College
Tuition and fees 2010-2011-$910
Cool fact: Berea College charges no tuition; every student is provided the equivalent of four-year, full-tuition scholarships and has to take part in a work-study.

2. Brigham Young University-Hawaii
Tuition and fees 2010-2011-$4,330
Cool fact: The university owns the Polynesian Cultural Center, the largest living museum in the state of Hawaii, which employs roughly one third of the student body.

3. Brigham Young University-Provo
Tuition and fees 2010-2011-$4,420
Cool fact: Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series, is an alum.

4. Lane College
Tuition and fees 2010-2011-$8,000
Cool fact: Planning for the school had begun in 1878, but the school’s establishment was delayed by a yellow fever epidemic in the region in 1878.

5. Life University
Tuition and fees 2010-2011-$8,622
Cool fact: Life University remains the largest school in the chiropractic profession.

6. Blue Mountain College
Tuition and fees 2010-2011-$8,870
Cool fact: The college officially became co-educational in 2005.

7. Park University
Tuition and fees 2010-2011-$8,898
Cool fact: The original concept called for students to get free tuition and board in exchange for working up to half day in the college’s farm, electrical shop or printing plant.

8. Mountain State University
Tuition and fees 2010-2011-$9,000
Cool fact: The university has gone through 3 name changes: Beckley College, The College of West Virginia and now, Mountain State University.

9. Philander Smith College
Tuition and fees 2010-2011-$9,450
Cool fact: Philander Smith College was a pioneer during the civil rights movement as many of its students engaged in nonviolent resistance against segregation laws

10. Alice Lloyd College
Tuition and fees 2010-2011-$9,500
Cool fact: The college is one of two colleges in Kentucky–the other is Berea!–and one of eight in the nation–that have mandatory work-study programs.

Want to share your thoughts on this? Leave a comment!

Congratulations to the winner of the Trick Out the Cap scholarship, Mary L. of Highland Park N.J.! Her tricked out cap won by receiving the most “Likes” with 321 likes in the finalist round.  Let’s give a standing ovation for Mary’s intricate design that will bring her one step closer to paying for college.

Mary and her scholarship-winning design:

In addition to Mary’s winning entry, we’d also like to acknowledge a few of our favorites here at Cappex. These are tricked out caps that show such great innovation in their designs that we had to share them with you:

Amber L. of Sanibel, Fla.	Rachel C. of Amherst, N.Y.
Grace H. of Wheat Ridge, Colo.	Deyaun V. of Port Isabel, Texas [youtube width="250" height="180"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA41khROZm0[/youtube]

Thank you to all of our Trick Out the Cap participants. You can see all of the tricked out cap submissions here.

Or, you can get a head start on the next Cappex scholarship here!