SCHOLARSHIP INFO

1. SCHOLARSHIP INFO • Alaska Commission of Post-Secondary Education & The Alaska Performance Scholarship • Scholarship Searching: • Tips • Unlikely Sources • Search Smarts • Online Searches • Letters of Recommendation • Scholarship Essays

2. Alaska Commission on Post-Secondary Education

3. Tips for Getting Scholarships and Other Financial Aid: • Work hard to get and maintain good grades in school • Perform as well as you can on your ACT or SAT exam (Fee Waiversare available for FR&L recipients for many tests and college applications) • Start early looking for scholarship money: Internet, library, your community, etc. • Have a teacher or counselor proof-read your scholarship essays before you submit them

4. SCHOLARSHIPS—not just for the athletes and the 4.0 student $114 million was given away last year from private donors (not including state/government funding) • Have asthma? • Use duct tape? • Left handed? • Last name Leavenworth? • Jewish orphans who want to be aeronautical engineers? • Baptist minister’s daughter? • Like to build models, operate HAM radios, bird-watch, garden, basket-weave? • Entering a profession where there is a foreseeable shortage of workers, like nursing?

5. SEARCH SMARTS Tips To Protect Yourself From Scholarship Scams: http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/scams.phtml 1. If you must pay money to get money, it might be a scam, unless purchasing a book on scholarships or aid 2. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 3. Spend the time, not the money, looking for scholarships 4. Never invest more than a postage stamp to get information about scholarships. No one can guarantee that you will win a scholarship

6. Online Search for Scholarships & Colleges: www.fastweb.com www.AKCIS.org Username: Matsu Password: 4akcis www.gocollege.com www.fafsa.ed.gov www.finaid.org/scholarships/ www.wiche.edu/sep/wue www.school-grants.org www.nationalhumanservices.org www.indian-affairs.org http://alaska.spe.org www.ashrae.org/students (Heating & Refrigeration) www.uncf.org/ www.bp.com www.collegescholarshipsandgrants.org/ www.collegeboard.comwww.uaa.alaska.edu/futurestudents www.APS.alaska.gov

7. Letters of Recommendation • Why you need them • Who to ask • Remember, this is a favor! • An amazing example: using the portfolio process Plan and prepare Request Assist

8. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION Dear Mr. Bowker,  I am asking you to write this letter of recommendation because I trust you. I feel that you have seen the kind of person I am and, perhaps more importantly, the person I strive to be. I have done well on my testing, have a strong GPA and rank, have taken a rigorous course load, and as a result am applying to many highly competitive schools, such as Northwestern University and Dartmouth College. To get in, it is of the utmost importance to attain strong unique letters of recommendation that set me apart. Despite that I have only been in your class one year; I believe you know me enough to do just that. You will be sent an email shortly with a link to the common application recommendation form. This is what needs to be filled out. While I encourage you to write freely and candidly, I feel that you are especially qualified to give insight on my academics and character. I have included some other events that may or may not help: How I was more interested in knowing why and how math worked, as opposed to just memorizing for the tests. The improvement of the quality of my assignments over the year. My general participation and charisma in class. The log line The “man talks” we’ve had over the years. Thank you for doing this, it really means the world to me. I would like to have this letter at the latest by October 26, 2011. This is the day after parent teacher conferences, and while sooner is always better than later, I know that you are a very busy person, perhaps more so this year than others in light of the seven period schedule. Again, I want to thank you for doing this, as well as for all the guidance you’ve bestowed upon me in the past four years. You’ve really helped make the high school years something worth remembering. Sincerely, ~~~~~~~~ Things to place in your portfolio • Cover Letter • Resume • School Form (if available)

9. SCHOLARSHIP ESSAYS BASIC GUIDELINES FOR ALL COLLEGE PREPARATION ESSAYS • Meet deadlines • Follow rules (due dates, length, margins/fonts, type of title, and WHAT you are supposed to be writing about! • Reviewers—peers & a 24-hour reread

10. WHAT TYPE OF ESSAY? • ADMISSIONS— • showcase YOU • Give selectors a reason to want to have you belong to their organization—demonstrate virtue, or personally meaningful, startling, or specific experiences • SCHOLARSHIP— • academic or issue oriented • Reveal your passion/position for the topics or issues

11. Key Topic SELF is about…A meaningful experience in my life was failing to make the varsity volley ball team my freshman year. Main idea Failing to make team Main idea Alternatives Main idea Grew as a person Essential Details Essential Details Essential Details Pressure from family Could have quit Made the varsity the next year History as a player I loved the sport and stuck with it Respected for perseverance Tryouts Got to be captain of new team Played for the love of the game—not just recognition This coach taught me special skills Needed that to be a team player Personal dream shattered So what is important to understand about all of this… Conclusion Perseverance in the face of disappointment has been a valuable quality in my life, and failing to make the team as a freshman was a meaningful time in developing it

12. Key Topic is about… Main idea Main idea Main idea Essential Details Essential Details Essential Details So what is important to understand about all of this… Conclusion

13. RESOURCES Fastweb : Scholarships, Financial Aid, Student Loans and Colleges Killer Tips for Scholarship Applicants College Admissions Essays: Samples, Critiques, and Writing Tips

14. Presentation created by, Vicki Bowker, 2013 vicki.bowker@matsuk12.us Migrant Education Coordinator, MSBSD Teacher