Scholarship Essays

For many families, few thoughts are as frightening as the prospect of paying for college. Each year, the cost of tuition, books and fees rises faster than the rate of inflation, which makes it difficult for most families to amass an adequate college fund. Typical financial aid packages do their part to bridge the gap between a family's contribution and the actual costs of attending college, but it often isn't enough. Increasingly, many graduates are saddled with oppressive student loan debt, which cripples their chance to build a secure financial future.

Surprisingly, many students and their families overlook a valuable source of "free" money for college: private scholarships. Each year, in the U.S. alone, companies, universities, clubs and organizations offer BILLIONS of dollars in scholarship funds to deserving students at public and private universities. The beauty of these scholarships is that they do NOT have to be re-paid; they represent "free" money that reduces the student's (and family's) expected contribution for college expenses.

Scavenging for Scholarships: Secrets and Strategies to Winning a Free Ride Through College (Copyright 2007) is a practical guide for students and families who want to apply for these private scholarships. We offer a detailed strategy that describes where you can find scholarships that you have a realistic chance of winning, along with advice for preparing your applications, essays and recommendations. We also offer an amazing collection of 50 successful scholarship essays, along with our assessment of why they were successful. Finally, we offer comprehensive advice for your scholarship interview, when you will meet a representative of the sponsoring group and convince him/her that you are the best candidate for the award.

Here is the e-book's table of contents:

Chapter 1: Private Scholarships: Free Money for the Taking

The Nitty Gritty on Scholarships
Finding Scholarships that are Right for You
Working Your List
Deciding Which Scholarships to Pursue
Finding & Managing Your Time

Chapter 2: Completing the Scholarship Applications

Evaluating Applications With a Critical Eye
Preparing a Compelling Scholarship Resume
Coveted Strengths for Scholarships

Chapter 3: Write a Persuasive Essay

Common Topics for Scholarship Essays

Chapter 4: 50 Successful Scholarship Essays

Essays about Career Choice
Essays about Specific Colleges
Essays about Obstacles
Essays about Goals
Essays about Achievements
Essays about Leadership
Essays about Volunteer Work
Essays about Books & Famous Quotations
Essays about Events
Essays about Family & Role Models

Chapter 5: Recommendations that Win Dollars

What Makes a Great Letter?
Who Should Write Your References
Academic References
Additional Reference Letters
Challenges to Getting a Great Reference
Using the Application Form (and Supporting Documents) as a Guide
How to Ask for a Reference Letter

Chapter 6: The Scholarship Interview: Questions & Strategies to Gain Admission

A Profile of Successful Applicants
Tips to Asking & Answering Questions Effectively
Interview Preparation
Typical Interviewers
Interview Mistakes & Disasters
Interview Questions
Questions You Should Ask the Interviewer
Conclusions: Our Best Tips for Interview Success

Chapter 7: Managing Your Winnings

Appendices:

Appendix I: Personal Attributes for Scholarship Search
Appendix II: Possible Scholarship Sources: Local Companies
Appendix III: Possible Scholarship Sources: Community and Civic Groups
Appendix IV: Scholarship Requirements
Appendix V: Format for Your Scholarship Resume
Appendix VI: Request for Reference Letters
Appendix VII.: Sample Thank You Note for a Reference Letter
Appendix VIII. A Terrific Recommendation Letter

Historically, finding the right scholarships has been a challenge. If you visit your local library, you will find numerous scholarship guides that list thousands of awards in a multitude of categories. And that's what is frustrating about most guides...... they provide a wealth of listings, but limited information about each scholarship, which leaves most readers wondering whether or not they have a reasonable shot of winning any given competition. Or, candidates try to "save time" by focusing on larger, national scholarships (such as the Dupont Challenge, the Discover Card Tribute and the Coca-Cola Scholar Program), which receive thousands of impressive applications for every award they offer. In such a formidable applicant pool, winning a penny in these competitions is a long-shot for even the best qualified candidates.

Our guide isn't a pep talk to lead you in the wrong direction, nor is it a laundry list of possibilities. Instead, we offer a practical plan to find and evaluate the scholarships that are the best match for what YOU have to offer. Then, we'll help you develop a winning strategy for each one.

Ironically, although many applicants agree (in theory) the scholarships are a great source of "free" cash, they aren't convinced that the efforts they will expend in the application process will pay off. Food for thought: although nothing is guaranteed in life, billions of dollars in scholarship money is available for candidates who are willing to apply. Someone out there is going to win free money for college. Why not you?

To order Scavenging for Scholarships: Secrets and Strategies to Winning a Free Ride Through College, click below. We use a secure server that accepts all major credit cards.

Scavenging for Scholarships

$20

The publication is an e-book, which will download as soon as payment is received. Save the file to your hard drive (or to a CD) for future use.

Our Services

IvyLeagueAdmission.com also offers the following professional services for scholarship essays:

1. Editing Service. In addition to correcting all grammatical and mechanical mistakes, we will adjust the content and tone to ensure that you are highlighting the strengths that the admissions committee wants to see.

The cost is just $75 for a three page essay (750 words) and $15 for each additional page (250 words / page).

When submitting an essay for editing, please provide the following information:

a) a copy of the scholarship application
b) your initial draft
c) concepts and ideas you want to include or emphasize
d) time constraints
e) any other information you consider relevant

We are confident that we can edit your work into its most inspirational, compelling form!

All essays should be sent to us electronically, either as email attachments or pasted directly into the body of the message. We will complete our work and return our first revision to you within 48 hours of receiving your document. We offer this fast turnaround time 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. After reviewing our initial revisions, we are happy to accommodate any changes or additions you wish to make. We provide a second review of the work at no additional charge.

2. Writing Service. For candidates who require additional assistance, we also provide a complete, start-to-finish writing service for scholarship essays. This service includes a comprehensive review of your application, an in-depth analysis of your strengths and weakness, as well as an original draft of your essay.

Before we begin our work, each candidate will submit a detailed form containing the information we need to draft your essay. This includes a brief summary of your personal history, your academic and work background and your outside activities and achievements. We will also probe your thoughts on your fit for the scholarship and any possible deficiencies.

Within 72 hours of receiving your information, IvyLeagueAdmission.com will return a personal, engaging and creative essay that reflects your potential for success.

For $200, we will provide:

1. One customized scholarship essay (Limit: 750 words, or 3 pages double spaced, 11 point, Arial font)

2. At least one "alternate" paragraph that can be customized for a different scholarship.

3. We also provide one revision of the work at no additional charge.

Click here to order our writing service. Our secure server accepts all major credit cards.

After you pay, you will be directed to our downloadable questionnaire. Please COMPLETE the questionnaire and return it to us immediately for prompt service.

Disclaimer: Scholarship committees consider many factors when making decisions, including the applicant's GPA, test scores, recommendation letters, interview and essay. www.IvyLeagueAdmission.com cannot guarantee that any applicant will win any particular scholarship.