Posts Tagged ‘Cappex’
#1 Cappex Facebook Fan Scholarship Winner: Beata S. Noblesville, Indiana
Recent scholarship winner, Ms. Beata S. sure knows a thing or two about researching and applying for scholarships. After all, she’s taking home $1,000 to help her pursue her higher ed dreams.
So, we asked her some questions about herself and her college and scholarship search experience.
Here’s what Beata shared:
What is your secret to finding and applying for scholarships?
There is no secret trick to applying for scholarships. Use a great scholarship search engine such as Cappex and apply for as many scholarships as you can. Do not be shy to tell the scholarship committee about all the great things you have done. The applications may seem time consuming, but the hard work is worth it when you are given the opportunity to attend college and pursue a degree you love.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
When I grow up, I want to be a chemical engineer. I love all the possibilities the field presents, and I look forward to finding new and innovative ways to solve real-world problems.
Name something you just could not live without.
I cannot live without my family. They ignited my desire to learn and explore that has led to countless opportunities. I am very thankful for all that they have done for me.
If you could offer a younger student one piece of advice for the college search, what would you say?
Be persistent. The college search may seem daunting at first. But, if you know what you want, then you will figure out a way to make it happen.
You can discover more scholarships from Cappex and beyond. Simply visit Cappex.com. And thanks again to Beata for sharing her college and scholarship tips!
A Small Thank You to Students Who Applied for the $1 Butterfly Effect Scholarship
Cappex launched our $1 Butterfly Effect Scholarship in October. It was (and is still open to apply for!) one of the most unique programs we’ve ever done.
Students basically apply for one dollar. Yep. One dollar. But the students understand that it’s not about the monetary value of the scholarship, it’s about the symbolic value-the butterfly effect of it all. The one dollar serves as jumping off point for the rest of their college search and scholarship journey. Applying for the dollar is a small action that could lead to a big future. And once they applied for their dollar, they’re eligible for the $2,500. See? One small little thing can turn into something much bigger.
But there’s also the twist that students could choose to donate their dollar instead of receive it.
We wanted to acknowledge the big hearts of those students and present the first 100 folks who donated their dollar with this:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIsqqzFk8tw[/youtube]
Thanks to all who have participated in the butterfly effect!
And remember, you can still apply! Deadline’s December 31st.
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7 Scholarship Applications for Students to Complete Before 2012
There are so many scholarship opportunities out there, and as a blogger for Cappex, I feel it is my pseudo-superhuman duty to bestow some of them upon you for you to click on.
Students get so severely stressed out about finding scholarships even though there are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of scholarships out there to be had. A little work just has to go into it. Maybe some organization, some time to actually apply, some more time to review your work, and maybe a little more time to make it extra super appealing to whoever will be reading your application.
Just because you apply for a scholarship doesn’t mean you’ve done a good job at showing the scholarship providers that you deserve it. But you probably do deserve a nice hunk of free money; so take the time these scholarship applications probably deserve instead of just crossing your fingers that some Wizard of Oz type person will just pick your name out of a hat. Give youself a step up!
Start now. See if you’re a match for these scholarships, all due before 2012.
1. Dr Pepper Million Dollar Tuition Giveaway
Deadline: December 31
Award range: $2,500-$100,000
Quick fact: Open to high school juniors through college juniors, Dr Pepper will be awarding 50 different students with big, like really big, scholarships.
2. ScholarshipPoints.com Scholarship
Deadline: December 14
Award range: $500-$10,000
Quick fact: This scholarship’s application process shouldn’t take more than an hour or so.
3. Most Valuable Student Award
Deadline: December 2
Award range: $1,000-$15,000
Quick fact: Open to all high school students, this scholarship is renewable, which means it actually can add up to $60,000 total!
4. Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum Student Essay Contest
Deadline: November 11
Award range: $50-$100
Quick fact: Available for all high school students.
5. STOP hunger Scholarships
Deadline: December 5
Award range: $5,000
Quick fact: All grades, high school and up, with volunteer or community service are eligible to apply for this renewable scholarship–remember, renewable.
6. Imagine America Scholarship Program
Deadline: December 31
Average award: $1,000
Quick fact: High school seniors and college freshman must be attending or plan to attend a participating US career college.
7. Ecologist Initiative Scholarship
Deadline: December 31
Average award: $850
Quick fact: This scholarship is meant to engage young people from around the world in environmental clean-up and conservation projects. If that’s passion of yours, apply!
Will you apply to any of these? How much time do you spend on scholarships applications?
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The Easiest, Coolest, Bestest Scholarship Ever Now Exists
That’s right, ‘bestest’ is not a word. But it certainly applies to the scholarship that Cappex has just unleashed on the public:
The Cappex $1 Butterfly Effect Scholarship
You’re right again, that’s not a typo. We are giving away $1 scholarships to A LOT of people.
Want more details?
Watch this video to get a clear idea of why we’re giving away dollar bills and how it can turn into a $2,500 scholarship:
[youtube width="600" height="350"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM37lhi4E3I[/youtube]
Still need a bit more of a breakdown?
We want to give you $1 as a kinda symbolic gesture to mark the start of your college and scholarship search. It’s like the first flutter on the way to your big college dreams.
So what we’re trying to say is that just like how the small action of a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a chain of events that leads to a large-scale hurricane halfway around the world, one dollar can be the thing that sets in motion the events that lead to your awesome dreams.
Plus, apply for your dollar, and you’re also eligible for the $2,500 scholarship!
If you’re already a member on Cappex, you should apply by logging into Cappex.com and going to the scholarships tab.
If you’ve never been on Cappex before, go here.
The most important thing, is that to really make the butterfly effect grow like crazy, we need your help! Share this linke– http://www.cappex.com/butterfly — on Facebook, Twitter, or just through word of mouth.
Will you join the Butterfly Effect?
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To Ignore or Not to Ignore College Rankings
Anything that comes in a list of best to, uh, less than best, is fun. I’m not quite sure about the science behind this, but I’m pretty certain somewhere down the line the answer to all war will be solved by producing a massive “Best Of List” to captivate the world’s attention and distract from war for centuries.
The rankings that caught our attention this week came from U.S. News & World Report’s annual college rankings. They’re certainly fun to look at, to compare and contrast, and see who’s winning the race. But, in reality, is the college ranking system really all that accurate or dependable?
Of course, the schools that made this year’s 2012 top 10 colleges ranking are undoubtedly superb schools–Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc. (you can probably fill in the rest yourselft)–but is there any such thing as the one, singular best college in the nation for every student?
Of course not.
There’s also something that smells a little fishy with the rankings. According to Michael N. Bastedo’s column in the Chronicle, the percentage of responders to the U.S. News survey is declining every year.
On top of this, there is a clear conflict of interest in how the rankings are produced. A huge percentage of the survey takers are college admission folks. Why would college leaders want to give positive evaluations to their competition? It’s like asking you to vote for your opponent in the student body president election.
Another issue is that rankings don’t necessarily mean that much despite the amount of significance we place on them. There are so many schools that are overlooked because they’re not as well known, a lot smaller, in stranger places, whatever the case may be, that leads them to be overshadowed year after year in the college rankings.
If you’ve created a profile on Cappex and connected with your college matches, you were probably pleasantly surprised at how some of your college matches are schools you had never heard of before.
So, yeah, rankings are super fun to look at. And I bet it doesn’t feel too badly to make the top ten list. But, when it comes down to choosing a college, college rankings barely skim the surface of how good school will be for you and your career.
How does this post rank in your blog post rankings?
How important are college rankings in your college decision? Leave a comment!
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College Football Top 20 Fun Facts
It’s that time of year where everyone’s catching the college football bug. Whether you’re a fan of the game, or just a fan of school spirit, you can’t help but get excited about all the “RA RA” on campuses across the country.
So without further ado, here’s a list of fun facts about the schools in college football’s top 20. If you visit or apply to any one of these school’s, you need not worry about what you’ll be doing on Saturdays:
1. University of Oklahoma (Norman, OK)Fun fact-The Oklahoma administration prides itself on the aesthetic appeal of its 3,000 acre campus which has a lot of Native American influence.
2. University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)
Fun fact-Alabama’s mascot is “Big Al” the Elephant. His origins date back to 1930 when a sports writer heard a fan yell ”Hold your horses, the elephants are coming!” as the first team ran onto the field.
3. Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, LA)
Fun fact-The school was founded in 1853 as the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy.
4. Boise State University (Boise, ID)
Fun fact-Their football team plays on blue astroturf that is nicknamed “The Smurf Turf.”
5. Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL)
Fun fact-It was declared in 2010 to be a “Budget Ivy” university by the Fiske Guide to Getting into the Right College.
6. Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA)
Fun fact-The College’s official name is The Leland Stanford Junior University and has an endowment of 13.8 billion dollars. Stanford also boasts having 16 Noble Prize winning graduates.
7. University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI)Fun fact-The popular comedic news source “The Onion” was founded by Wisconsin students on campus in 1988.
8. Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK)
Fun fact-Historically renowned programs include its College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the College of Veterinary Medicine. The College of Engineering is also internationally renowned in the fields of architecture and mechanical engineering.
9. Texas A&M University (College Station, TX)
Fun fact-A&M ranks in the top 20 American research institutes in terms of funding and has made notable contributions to such fields as animal cloning and petroleum engineering.
10. University of Nebraska (Lincoln, NE)
Fun fact-As of 2009, the University’s cafeterias no longer provide trays to the students, a program implemented to reduce organic waste and save money.
11. University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC):
Fun fact-South Carolina has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for its research and engagement,has received a Top-10 ranking from U.S. News & World Report for being “most promising and innovative,” and for decades has received annual recognition for its prestigious undergraduate and graduate International Business programs.
12. University of Oregon (Eugene, OR)
Fun fact-UO is the home of the Oregon Bach Festival, a donor-supported program of the University and the only major music festival affiliated with an American university.
13. Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA)
Fun fact-Tech is one of the few public universities in the United States that maintains a corps of cadets.
14. University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR)
Fun fact-The University of Arkansas recently completed its “Campaign for the 21st Century,” in which the university raised more than $1 billion for the school, used in part to create a new Honors College and significantly increase the university’s endowment.
15. Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
Fun fact-MSU pioneered the studies of packaging, hospitality business, telecommunication and music therapy. Today its study-abroad program is the largest of any single-campus university in the country, offering more than 200 programs in more than 60 countries on all continents including Antarctica.
16. University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)
Fun fact-Florida was ranked second in Kiplinger’s 2009 “Best Buys of Education” (behind the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill).
17. Ohio State University (Columbus, OH)
Fun fact-Students and alumni often refer to OSU as The Ohio State University. “The” is actually an acronym that stands for Tradition, Honor, and Excellence.
18. West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV)
Fun fact-A new Mountaineer Mascot is selected each year during the final two men’s home basketball games. The new Mountaineer receives a scholarship, a tailor-made buckskin suit with coonskin hat, and a period rifle and powder horn. The mascot travels with most sports teams throughout the academic year. While not required, male mascots traditionally grow a beard.
19. Baylor University (Waco, TX)
Fun fact-Baylor was originally founded as a Southern Baptist college by the first Baptist missionaries in Texas.
20. University of South Florida (Tampa, FL)
Fun fact-USF is one of the nation’s top centers for the advancement in research of treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases.
Have you been watching college football? Who are you rooting for?
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15 Most Artistically Inclined Colleges and Universities
Are you the type of person who sees a white wall and gets instantly inspired to paint a mural? Or, while you’re supposed to be paying attention to your teacher talking about the fall of the United States economy and our sad plummet from world power, do you happen to be snapping your fingers to the song you’re silently writing in your head? Or, when your mother asks, “Why in the world are you banging your head against the wall?” you respond with solemn remorse that it’s your desperate attempt to rid of your writer’s block so you can finish your Samuel Beckett-inspired one man puppet play once and for all!?
Then perhaps these schools are for you. The Daily Beast produced this list of colleges and universities that are the most creatively inclined.
The rankings were drawn based on how imaginative the schools’ student bodies are, the creative atmosphere the colleges foster, and the percentage of students majoring in visual or performing arts as well as the number of official campus clubs with artistic missions.
1. California Institute of the Arts
5. Mannes Colleges (The New School)
8. University of Southern California
10. Vassar College
12. Kenyon College
14. Whitman College
Are you an artistically inclined student? What schools are you looking into?
Comments: 2 Comments »
Which 11 Colleges Have the Best Campus Food?
It’s like Christmas time for college rankings. I’ve been checking for reindeer footprints because it’s like Santa swung by my desk last night and dropped off all these great lists that I can share with you guys!
There are rankings on the most beautiful colleges, the least expensive, the best return on investment–the list of the lists goes on and on and on. But, the most important one I could possibly share with you at this moment in time (maybe it’s because I’m hungry), is the best colleges for food.
This specific list hails from the Daily Beast and was crafted by taking into account both on-and off-campus food experiences. Which means both the quality of food served in the dining hall as well as the food, including the percent that is local/organic food, as well as the number of restaurants per capita in the surrounding area were put into the calcuation.
With that, here are the 11 colleges and universities with the all-round best food:
Is good food key to a great college experience or just a plus? What’s your opinion? Leave a comment below.
Comments: 2 Comments »
Friday College Town Hall
In Friday College Town Hall, we post a question about college, and you leave an answer in the comment field. Today’s question:
Between 30-40% of incoming college freshmen are undecided on a major when they enter college. It’s also estimated that between 75-80% of students change their majors during their college careers.
Is it good to be open minded about your studies or does jumping around majors hurt you in the process?
Leave your answer in the comments below or tweet at @Cappex to chime in (we’ll post your answer below)!
Comments: 16 Comments »
5 Reasons to Relish in High School Before College
Being a teenager means wanting the next best thing–the newest Apple product, that new Ed Hardy shirt, those Uggs, a Razor scooter, a laser disk player, a MySpace account–and some of those things you wind up regretting.
Look, I basically sold my soul to my parents for three months to earn enough allowance to buy Jurassic Park on laser disk, so I understand what it’s like to want the next best thing with all your heart.
I especially understand when the next best thing is college, which means freedom, no parents, new friends, no more social cliques, and getting to be a grown up.
So let me play devil’s advocate with you because it’s likely you’re going to ignore your parents’ pleas to you to “not grow up too fast.” But hey, don’t grow up too fast. Sure high school can seem lame because everyone’s telling you what to do and you’re just like, so over it. But, let me try to convince you why you shouldn’t let yourself get too over it too quickly.
5 reasons to relish high school while you can:
1. Your friends
Chances are, you’ve made some of your best friends in high school, or even just that one in a million person who also prefers mustard over ketchup 100% of the time. Our high school years are essential in forming who we become largely because of the friendships you make. So even if you’re not popular, or you feel too popular, whatever your angst-y angle on the situation is, your high school friends are special because they’re going with you on this weird roller-coaster of adolescence that nobody else will ever quite understand. So don’t be too rushed to say goodbye to them.
2. The guidance
You’re probably sick and tired of people telling you what to do, but if you can just spin it a little and think of what every teacher, parent, or counselor is saying as suggestions that you can take or leave at the door, it might be little easier to swallow. The thing you need to grasp is that you’re not an adult, as mature as you may be. And being in high school is a unique opportunity to be around adults who have had experience in life who can guide you. Your high school is a community that is literally built to help you succeed. Get the most out of its resources and your relationships before your pop a wheelie out of there.
3. The extra-curricular activities
High school, of all places, is the place to learn how to be involved in something, to grow with a team of people, and to eventually take on leadership positions. Whether it’s sports, DECA, debate, theater, choir, student council, volunteer, or anything else, your high school activities give you the opportunity to be passionate about something and to also expand yourself as well-rounded person.
4. The fleetingness
Blink and it’s over. You’re in your mid-40s wishing you could just be back in those high school halls, high-fiving your pals as you pass them in J-Hall, stopping to chat with your crush of that moment, and leaving for biology with the delightful and exciting sense of butterflies in your stomach. High school, in retrospect, is super fun. You’re just with a bunch of your peers all day learning about things you never knew before. But yeah, then it’s gone.
5. The preparation
I know I’ve been a bit sentimental about this whole relish your high school years thing, and it’s not like I wish I was back in high school or anything–I mean, I totally do–there’s a badminton rival I’d really like to meet face-to-face with again–but here’s a non-sentimental point. High school prepares you for college. If you’re all “I’m just so over this!” and you decide to graduate high school early, for the wrong reasons, you won’t be as prepared for college as you could’ve been.
So yes, it’s okay to delete your MySpace account, but just enjoy the days you have left in high school.
Are you “over” high school? Or do you think students take high school for granted? Leave a comment below.
Comments: 1 Comment »
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