While Memorial Day was the official day to recognize the contributions Veterans have made to the society, however any day is a great day to recognize those who place their lives on the line for us each day. So for veterans and their families we have a great load of scholarships for you!

Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program

ELIGIBILITY

You must be the son, daughter, or spouse of:

• A veteran who died or is permanently and totally disabled as the result of a service-connected disability. The disability must arise out of active service in the Armed Forces.
• A veteran who died from any cause while such service-connected disability was in existence.
• A servicemember missing in action or captured in line of duty by a hostile force.
• A servicemember forcibly detained or interned in line of duty by a foreign government or power.
• A servicemember who is hospitalized or receiving outpatient treatment for a service connected permanent and total disability and is likely to be discharged for that disability. This change is effective December 23, 2006.

Veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq Conflicts Scholarship Program

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• Uniformed Services Members of the United States who served in Afghanistan, or contiguous air space as defined in federal regulations, on or after October 24, 2001, and before a terminal date to be prescribed by the United States Secretary of Defense; or in Iraq, or contiguous waters or air space as defined in federal regulations, on or after March 19, 2003, and before a terminal date to be prescribed by the United States Secretary of Defense, may apply for a scholarship if they are:
• A veteran who served at least 60 days in the Afghanistan or Iraq Conflicts
• An active duty member of the Armed Forces who served at least 60 days in the Afghanistan or Iraq Conflicts
• A member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States or the Maryland National Guard who was activated as a result of the Afghanistan or Iraq Conflicts and served at least 60 days, as defined above; or
  • a son, daughter, or spouse of:
  • a veteran or active duty member of the Armed Forces who is serving or has served in the Afghanistan or Iraq Conflicts at least 60 days, as defined above; or
  • a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces or Maryland National Guard who was activated as a result of the Afghanistan or Iraq Conflicts and served at least 60 days, as defined above.
  • Applicants must be residents of Maryland, must be accepted for admission or enrolled in a regular undergraduate program at an eligible Maryland institution, or be accepted for admission or enrolled in a 2-year terminal certificate program in which the course work is acceptable for transfer credit for an accredited baccalaureate program at an eligible Maryland institution. Students must be enrolled as either a full-time (12+ credits per semester) or part-time (6-11 credits per semester) undergraduate student.

AFCEA Educational Foundation Disabled War Veteran Scholarship

ELIGIBILITY:

• Currently enrolled and attending either a two-year or four-year accredited college or university in the United States.
• Students may also be enrolled in an accredited distance-learning or online degree-granting program affiliated with a major, accredited two-year or four-year college or university in the United States.
• Freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior undergraduate students enrolled at the time of application either part time or full time in an eligible degree program as stated below.
• Candidates must be major in the following or C4I-related fields of electrical, aerospace, systems or computer engineering; computer engineering technology; computer network systems; information systems security; computer information systems; information systems management; technology management; electronics engineering technology; computer science; physics; mathematics; or science or mathematics education. Majors directly related to the support of U.S. intelligence or national security enterprises with relevance to the mission of AFCEA will also be eligible.

Fine tuning your resume is much like polishing your scholarship essay. A few well-thought out edits and a fine toothed comb could be the difference between getting those much needed scholarship bucks and paying for college by selling plasma.

Proofread

It should be totally unnecessary for me to say this, but proof your resume thoroughly and have someone else give it the once over as well. A fresh pair of eyes can pick up on any grammar and flow issues.

Watch Your Formatting

Resume styles go in and out just like fashion trends. Do a quick I-net search for the most appropriate and current style.

Update Often

New achievements, including scholarships won, should be added to your resume as they come. This saves you from having to backtrack. Experts also advise that you update and tailor your resume to each scholarship. Some scholarships may focus more on your volunteer opportunities. Look for a way to highlight those on your resume, by forgoing the classic "chronological order" type of resume for the more appropriate qualifications/experienced based resume.

Memorial Day is a day that we nationally take a moment to remember those who have been killed serving our country. We also honor veterans and to many, this is a time of family and relaxation signaling the beginning of summer. So some time today, during cook-outs, parades and getting together with family and friends. Take a moment to remember those whose sacrifice makes our fun days possible.

The Fund for Veterans’ Education Scholarship

Eligibility:

• Be a veteran of any branch of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines), Coast Guard, National Guard and Armed Forces Reserves.
• Have served and been deployed for a total of at least 60 days in Afghanistan or Iraq after September 11, 2001 (or served in the surrounding area and have documented service in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom), or be a veteran who was deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq after September 11, 2001, but did not meet the 60-day active service period as a result of a service-related injury or condition incurred while serving in Afghanistan or Iraq.
• Be enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis in an undergraduate program of study at any accredited two-year or four-year institution, public or private, including technical schools for the fall 2008 term.
•  Have applied for and accepted all federal, state and institutional need-based grants and all available military educational benefits.

Deadline for application is June 15, 2008.

Yesterday we looked at the purpose of a scholarship resume and today we will look at what you should include in your resume.

Accomplishments - Make a list of all the wonderful things you’ve accomplished. Ok, maybe not all, you can leave off the spelling bee you won in the second grade, however if you are a four time national champion, definitely list it.

Volunteer Experience - All of those hours of keeping kids from eating Playdoh and teaching them how to share pays you back better than macaroni-inspired thank you cards.

Skills or Special Talents - Have you been taking dance classes since you were knee high? Do you have magic tricks that’ll put David Blaine to shame? Are you a director of short films that have a huge YouTube following? Put it on there. Be mindful, some skills - bong making, auto theft, for example are best left out. As a matter of fact - stop it!

Education - List your current and former school of course, but don’t forget about any special classes, i.e. AP, or internships.

Other items:

• Your personal info - name and addy, not your turn-offs and the date of your first kiss.
• Any other scholarships you’ve won.
• Anything else that helps you stand out in the crowd. You resume is your opportunity to show the committee who you are, take full advantage of it.

Next, we’ll look at simple tweaks to make your resume sparkle!

In addition to an application, letters of recommendation and a possible essay, many scholarship committees want to a copy of your resume. Writing a resume can be a daunting task for many adults so it’s no wonder students feel a little clueless. This week we will focus on all things resume.

Purpose
A scholarship resume is like a typical work resume in many ways - it portrays experience, abilities and activities in a positive light - yea you! It also helps committees identify the characteristics and skills you posses that coincides with what they look for in recipients. It differs in that its focus is setting you up for scholarship monies, instead of a job, focusing heavily on your academic career and extracurricular activities.

Another great byproduct is when you see all of your accomplishments, activities and interests in one place, you are better able to identify the types of scholarships that best suite you.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at what to include in your resume.

Unfortunately, these scholarships don’t mean a lifetime supply of free soda, but on the plus side you may be able to graduate without owing Uncle Sam your first born!

The Cocoa Cola Scholars Program

The foundation awards 50 four year, $20,000 scholarships and 200 $10,000 four year each year to eligible high school seniors.

Apply AUGUST 1 - OCTOBER 31

Eligibility:

-Current high school or home-schooled seniors attending school in the US.
-US Citizens; US Nationals; US Permanent Residents; Temporary Residents (in a legalization program); Refugees; Asylees; Cuban-Haitian Entrants; or Humanitarian Paroles.
-A minimum 3.0 GPA by junior year.

Many students know APA from the little style guides English teachers pass out before term papers are due. Well, besides telling people where to put a comma and how to cite books, the APA is also a place where psychology students, specifically graduate students can apply for a number of scholarships.

Psych students, break out your curriculum vitae and get moving, most of these scholarships are due on May 16th - yep, three days from now!

The Carol Williams-Nickelson Award for Women’s Leadership and Scholarship in Women’s Issues

Eligibility:

• Be a female American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS).
• Be in good academic standing in a doctoral program
• Not an APAGS officers or subcommittee chair.

Required Materials:

• A cover letter that includes the name of the award and introduction to application packet
• A curriculum vitae
• Two letters of recommendation
• Essay

Other APAGS Scholarships:

The Ellin Bloch and Pierre Ritchie Honorary Scholarship

The Nancy B. Forest and L. Michael Honaker Master’s Scholarship for Research in Psychology

Diversity Dissertation Scholarship

Personal recommendations. You’ve got to have them for most scholarship applications, internships, grad school applications and a host of other education related scenarios. Some may think that getting a good recommendation is as easy as asking for one, but there are some things you should consider:

Ask Early. Most people have a pretty busy schedule, this is no different for former teachers, bosses, school counselors, etc. In fact, these people are often so bombarded for recommendationst they have to turn away some students’ requests. Asking early for a recommendation allows the writer to have time to really give attention to your letter as opposed to firing off a generic "Angela is a great student, I think she will do well in college. Signed Student Counselor Overworked."

Set an Early Deadline. Give your writer a set time by which the letter needs to be written and sent to the committee or given directly to you - and make sure their deadline is well before the scholarship deadline.

Ask and Remind Gently. Remember, you are asking for a favor, don’t ride your recommendation person until they send the letter and don’t ask, beg, demand or hint at a positive recommendation. Obviously you want a postive one, being a demanding stalker won’t get you there.

Give Clear Instructions. Explain and send an accompanying sheet to the writer specifying what the letter is for, what organization or scholarship, whether it needs to be on specific letterhead, i.e. school, whether the letter is an open or closed letter and then instructions on when, where and how to mail the letter and how many to mail. This allows the writer to address the scholarship committee directly and helps them formulate what they are going to say about you so they can show you in your best light.

Choose Wisely. Once a letter of recommendation is sent you can’t get it back. So be careful about who you choose to write it. Your batty neighbor next door may love you, but if she can’t write a letter that is accurate and contains a certain amount of eloquence, you’re sunk. Likewise, asking someone you don’t know, or someone you are on rocky terms with, i.e. a professor whose class you failed, isn’t going to score you any points, in fact it can negatively affect your chances.

There are times when we mess up, big time! I went out of town for a couple of days and blogged some great stuff for ENotes. I swear I typed them in, scheduled them and bounced off for a worry free week. Today I happend to check and no blogs. Not a single one. And there is no back up for those blogs. They. Are. Gone. Which leads me to today’s topic:

Double-Checking Electronic Submissions.

Electronic submissions are a great advancement in the scholarship process. It used to be most materials had to be copied, placed carefully in a large envelope and shipped off to scholarship committees. Now, a quick copy, paste and click and you’re on your way to college cash.

Yet, one wrong click can lead to an embarrassing mistake. Or worse, no submission. Most sites are equipped with the handy email or number confirmation that your application has been received. If confirmation is not available or you don’t receive one, there is nothing wrong with a short, professional email asking if the application was received.

As for me, well it’s back to the blogging board - and pray I can remember all the stuff I wrote!