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Sunday, August 16, 2009

Scholarship Essays - Worth $100 Per Word?

Getting read to write or edit your scholarship essays? Have you ever thought about how much your essays are really worth? When your essay wins you money for tuition and books, it can be worth a lot. Let's take a look.

How Much for That Essay in The Window?

When you write an article that gets published in the newspaper or in a major magazine, you might earn $1 a word, perhaps a little more. It depends on how popular the magazine, and how much their ads cost.

But how much can good scholarship essays earn? In some cases, great ones can earn you thousands in money for college. You can pay your tuition, your books, sometimes your rent and food, too.

When you think of it like that, you can earn a serious amount for each word in that essay, if it wins.

Here's another example for you students at college already: How much did you pay to go to school at your university last year? Add up the tuition, books, transportation, food, your rent: how much?

A good scholarship will pay that much. And good scholarship essays will win those. Some pay less, but they still give away free money for students.

All right, so maybe you don't like to write, and you don't want to hassle with the essay, or even with the application. I'd love to know how many students don't even apply for free money. It makes it that much more attractive to those that do apply. And that much easier to win.

Most applications only require 500-2000 words. Some even require less. This article you are reading now will run about 500-600 words, just to give you a comparison. You can write essays this long.

How to make your essays better

When you apply for a scholarship that requires an essay, plan to do a rough draft. You should always have someone read your essay to check for grammar and spelling mistakes, too. Nothing ruins a scholarship application like simple mistakes. This includes word use errors.

Be sure to check your whole application for mistakes, not just the essay. You wouldn't want to make a mistake in your address, for example, and not receive their answer.

Next, avoid stating the obvious. You already included your GPA, you don't really have to repeat it in your essay. And if your GPA got you onto the honor roll, that probably doesn't bear mentioning either. But if you saved a historic building with a petition drive, well that's cool. Talk it up.

And include how many people you had sign it, as a great little detail. Maybe you helped at the hospital as a volunteer. Instead of leaving it at that, perhaps you can estimate how many beds you made, or meals you delivered, or bedpans you emptied (ick!).

Your scholarship essays provide the reviewers a chance to learn about you. They want to know why you deserve their scholarship. Tell them a true story of the great things you have done. And if you haven't done any, get started doing them now.

Benefits of Military Scholarships

The benefits of a military scholarship are numerous. As a member or former member of the armed forces you deserve as many opportunities as you can get to get your new life on track.

Once you retire from the military it can be difficult to know what to do next. Many military retirees are still below the general population retirement age, so you'll want to find a way to make some money and also to enjoy a satisfying and interesting life doing something else that you enjoy.

So where do you start?

Firstly you need to think of what it is that you want to do with your life. Some industries to consider studying within include:

- Engineering
- Science
- Environmental studies

Military personnel, thanks to their vast experience, often excel at these subjects. You might also consider becoming a teacher in any of these fields, or in something else that you are interested in. It may be something that is completely unrelated t anything you have done before - such as learning another language, becoming a qualified tradesperson or even a librarian! The options are limitless.

But you need money to study and that is where a military scholarship comes in. There are many benefits of these including:

The Benefits

1. There is no need to pay them back because scholarships are 'free money'.
2. Military scholarships have less competition than other programs as there are less people applying. This means one thing: more chance for you to win.
3. Your college tuition fees may be 100% paid for depending on the value of the scholarship.
4. They can often be mixed and used with other separate scholarships, so you can get even more money for your studies.


Military Scholarships and Grants

A free scholarship can allow you to reach your educational goals without the expense and hassle of taking out a school loan. If you get a scholarship you also will not need to find a grant (these can be very hard to get) or quality for a graduate scholarship.

Military scholarships and other minority programs have many benefits including:

1. Less Competition
You will be competing against less people compared with the broader and more open scholarships that are available to the general public. What this means is that you have more chance of being successful and getting the money.

2. No Debt
Scholarships are essentially free money for your education so you will not have any debt hanging over your head as happens with a student loan.

3. Many Opportunities
There are countless military and minority scholarship programs available. These are often open to not only active and retired military personnel, but also their extended family as well.

Aim to apply for as many programs as you can, after all you want to increase your chance of being successful with at least one scholarship. Often you will be allowed to use more than one, so don't be afraid to apply for multiple opportunities and hope for the best!

For the purposes of a scholarship, the military is considered to be any of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard. If you or someone you know is serving or retired from any of these forces then the opportunity to apply for a minority scholarship could be yours - and theirs as well.

Many retired military personnel wish to start life anew and take on a career of interest - a scholarship gives you the cash to do all this and more.

Military Dependent Scholarships

If you are the son or daughter of someone who is in the military then you could be eligible for military dependent scholarships. These scholarships are open to people who are considered the dependents of military personnel - for example of your mother, father or guardian is currently serving or has served in the army, navy, marines or other armed service.

Having someone in your family away on military duties is a stressful time. You always wonder what they are doing, where they are and most importantly, if they are OK. Your mind never really rests until they arrive safely home again.

But you also need to consider your own future. Do you want to go to college and get a degree so that your career path can be taken care of?

If so, your financial options may be limited.

Going to College Costs A Lot
It is no secret that is costs a fair bit of money to go to college or university these days. Tuition fees on their own can run into the tens of thousands of dollars, depending upon where and what you are studying.

Not only are there tuition costs to cover though, you also have books, software, travel, food, accommodation and much more. The list of expenses can seem daunting and never ending.

Scholarships vs Loans
Getting a student educational loan is often the first choice for many young people, but it should not be because it results in you being in a lot of debt once you complete your education. You should instead try and get a scholarship or grant because you don't have to pay back that money, unlike a loan.

And applying for military dependent scholarships means that you are not competing with tens of thousands of other people as is the case with more general scholarships. Instead the applicant field will be considerably smaller - giving you a greater chance to be successful and be awarded a scholarship that will change your life forever.