Free College Grants and Types of Scholarships

There are so many types of scholarships available at the moment and free college grants is just one of them. Free college grants are free to apply and they hand out free, non-repayable funds. If you have not applied for one yet, then do it right now as they are a very easy route to take.

In general, scholarships come from 3 sources, the colleges themselves, the state and the private sector. Let's have a quick look at each of these:

Scholarships from colleges: Each college or university will have a variety of scholarships available and you can apply for any of them that are relevant to you. Broadly speaking, they would be either athletic scholarships, academic scholarships or departmental awards. You would need to have specific talents to qualify for any of theses scholarships.

State and federal scholarships: Examples of these are federal pell grants, federal work studies and Perkins loans. There are numerous other ones too and you should contact your state's higher education authority and speak to them about what you may qualify for. Most states offer excellent scholarships, some would be needs based and others may be to encourage women back into the workforce.

Private sector scholarships: There are thousands of private companies that offer private scholarships and they vary from $50 to over $20000. You need to do some research on this but good places to look would be religious organizations, chamber of commerce, high school or maybe school districts and corporations. If you are working, approach your employer for a scholarship and you may be pleasantly surprised.

If you would like to apply for a private sector scholarship then you should also give the free college grants a try. They are quick and easy to apply for and the application does not cost a cent, just head on over right away.

Scholarships For African American Women

For those looking for scholarships for African American Women, you are in luck. There are several scholarship programs out there that will fit your needs. Here are just a few of the scholarship programs that you may qualify for.

The United Negro Fund

This organization has been on the forefront of providing scholarships to ethnic minorities over years. The company's motto is "A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste" which implies how dedicated they are in order to help people utilize their talent, when they cannot afford it.

The United Negro Fund has granted scholarships and financial aid to nearly more than a million of students. American banks also helped this organization in an enlighten way when they donated over a million USD to the organization.

UNCF - Probably one of the most recognized organizations in the world for providing African American Scholarships. They offer their students 21st century academic programs while keeping their tuitions to less than half the average of other private colleges; Administering 400 scholarship and internship programs, so that even students from low- and moderate-income families can afford college tuition, books and room and board.

These are two of the more popular grant programs that are available. They have literally help millions of minorities receive financial aid. Here is a list of other organizations which provide scholarships for African American Women Scholarships are:

1. Ron Brown Scholarship. You could find their website through a search engine.

2. NAACP

3. The Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship.

4. Intel Science talent search.

There are many other African American Women Scholarships that are available online.

Sources of College Scholarship Money

You can get college scholarship money that is based on merit that is not only academic but may also include strong performance in athletics, graphic arts or music. If you excel in any of these areas, you should inquire about possible funding assistance.

Many sources of college funding are based on need. Just about everyone who plans to go to college should fill out a FAFSA which will determine if there are Federal need-based grants available. It is a good idea to fill one of these out even if you do not know whether or not you will qualify for these Federal grants as many private scholarships will also require the results in order to award you a scholarship.

Certain sources of college scholarship money are also specific to the student. There may be scholarships available if you fall into categories that are medical, religious or are awarded to a specific gender or race. If you believe that you may be eligible for something like this, it would be important to talk to a guidance counsellor at your school. They may also be able to direct you towards college funding that is intended for people that come from a certain local area.

You may also consider looking into college scholarship money that is bonded in some way. What this means is that in exchange for college scholarship money you study with the intent to enter a particular profession and usually agree to work in a certain area for a given amount of time. The objective is often to do things like provide educational or health care professionals to rural areas. There also scholarships available through the armed forces that are very similar to these and would require service in return for the education.

Scholarships For Expecting Mothers

Mothers who are expecting a child might not be thinking about going to school right now, but some time in the future in might be on the horizon.
However even if you are pregnant you can certainly still study - online education makes it easy.

But how will you pay for it?

Even studying via online college is expensive; in fact it generally costs about the same as going to the campus. Generally the only option for people in your situation is to get scholarships for expecting mothers.

What is a College Scholarship?
It is simply a grant of money that is given to a prospective student. Some colleges give out scholarships to students of their campus, whilst other scholarships are given to anyone for use at any institution.

The greatest benefit of this type of educational aid is that you don't have to repay it - ever. Student loans are often the first choice for people who can't afford to pay for college with cash, but unfortunately this results in a great amount of debt and stress - something an expectant mother certainly does not need.

Types of Scholarships
There are several different types of scholarships. The main ones are:

- Academic
- Needs-based
- Minority

Academic scholarships are given to students who have previously excelled in a particular field.

Needs based scholarships are given to students who are on a low income and who have not earned the aid through merit or performance.

Minority scholarships are given to groups such as moms like yourself, as well as military personnel, certain cultural, religious or ethnic groups, disabled groups and so on.

Scholarships for expecting mothers are simply the best way to get your foot in the educational door without paying for it yourself and you should endeavor to apply for as many scholarships as you can in order to increase your chance of getting one.

Professional Nurse Needs Professional Resume

The field of nursing needs special abilities, skills, and expertise to be successful. Therefore, it is very important that your nursing resume emphasize the profundity of the acquaintance, experience, and knowledge. Professional nurses provide a resume that obviously describe the kind of person you are, as well as giving the details of your skills and experience. Even as your work experience segment characterize the degree of skill and knowledge that you have, it is vital that you make a notion of your individuality and your aptitude to feel empathy with the people like the patients, families, and colleagues.

When you right your summary of qualifications in your resume, you must present your significance intention, which is a simple statement of why you should go for the interview. Remember, you are selling yourself to your prospective employer. You must be clear and concise with every details of you qualification summary.

The education section is also a good way to impress hiring personnel. You should list all the pertinent education, trainings, and licensure you have. Awards such as academic honors, scholarships, certifications, and extracurricular activities are also helpful. Simple tips especially for fresh graduates situate the education section before the experience part.

Your nurse resume must illustrate your duties as a nurse. Include also your achievements, because it shows how far you can do further than your responsibilities in assisting your employer. State that you can improve your workflow, can establish enhanced patient contentment, able to save time and money, able to generate revenue, can manage or handle levels of inventory, can train other employees, and can make a good and positive relationships to everyone.

Remember that being a nurse is all about you. It also depicts the things you can do as a professional nurse. Hence, your resume must show your capability to carry out your duties and responsibilities at the utmost level, and you must have a perceptive that is significant to patients and their families.

Top 10 Health Care Scholarships and Grants

The following top 10 health care scholarships and grants are available for many different aspiring health care professionals, particularly nurses, who need a little financial assistance so they can obtain their degrees and make their contribution to our society:

Minority Nurse Scholarship Program: Minority nursing students working towards a Bachelor of Science in Nursing can qualify for $1,000 and $500 awards from this program.
Mount Sinai Hospital's BSN Student Scholarship/Work Repayment Program: Nursing students in their senior year can qualify for $3,000 per semester if they commit to work at The Mount Sinai Hospital as a Registered Nurse.
National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program: Family nurse practitioner students, physician assistant students and medical students can receive up to four years of tuition, fees and expenses, as well as a monthly stipend, if they agree to serve in an area with a health professional shortage.
National Nursing Education Initiative: This is a VA scholarship for diploma registered nurses and associate degree nurses who are working towards their BSNs.
NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program: Students from disadvantaged environments can receive up to $20,000 per academic year in exchange for 10 weeks of work at the NIH for every year in school and at least a year after graduation for every year the scholarship was received.
Nurse Options Registered Nurse Academic Scholarships: These funds are granted to registered nurse students based on GPA, community service, leadership and extracurricular activities.
Occupational/Physical Therapy Scholarship (DAR): This is a $500 scholarship from the Daughters of the American Revolution for occupational or physical therapy students.
Oncology Nursing Foundation Scholarships: Current Registered Nurse license holders can receive bachelor's scholarships of $2,000.
Registered Nurse Education Scholarships: Associate and baccalaureate degree nursing students that receive this award are granted $10,000 over two years.
The Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions Scholarship of Excellence Award: This is a scholarship program for allied health students in its member schools who are achieving academically and displaying clear potential to assume future leadership roles.

All the top 10 health care scholarships and grants are helping more students get educations in this important field.

Learn The Fundamentals of Getting College Scholarships and Student Grants

College scholarships have been going through a lot of changes lately - and this affects many looking to pay their way with one or more. Scholarships that existed a year ago may not exist today, and many that did not exist a year ago are ready to take scholarship applicants. Things have really changed. The overall result, though, is that if you are serious about getting award(s), it will take you longer than it did last year to find them. Here are some tips how you can still get the money you need.

QUALIFY YOURSELF FOR COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS

Because awards are not as plentiful as they were in the past, it may be a good idea to try and qualify in more than one area. For instance, if you are looking for an athletic scholarship, you may also try and qualify for another kind as well. One reason is that the competition is now tougher because there will be fewer options - but even more applicants. This means you have got to be even better than before.

One the other hand, being qualified in another area (career field) will give you something to fall back on - even after you are finished with a sports career, or if you are not successful. It will also make it easier to win a scholarship.

START YOUR SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH EARLY

When you start searching for possible awards that are available, you should stay away from agencies that want you to pay for the service. Most of them are scams, and you will lose out in the long run. Do not fall victim by believing their claims. You should not have to pay for the service, especially when all scholarships can be found online.

You should start searching for options in either the first or second year of high school. This will help to make sure that you know what the requirements are and will give you sufficient time to become well-qualified.

Getting the college financial aid you need through a scholarship - whether it is an academic scholarship, for sports, education, or a minority specific grant - will all require that you apply as early as possible. In some cases, the scholarship board will follow a policy of first-come, first served.

Probably the best way to get started is by applying locally. This type of program will have the smallest number of applicants and it will give you a better chance of winning one.

APPLY FOR ALL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WHICH YOU QUALIFY

When you start applying for money, you do not want to think small. Instead, you want to apply for as much college funding through scholarships as possible.

College grants and scholarships will give you free money for your college education. Remember that anything that you have to get in the way of college loans means you will be paying interest and could leave you with a debt for many years to come. The ideal situation that you want to strive for is to end up with zero debt when you graduate.

It will take some effort to find all the options that you might qualify for. Realize that there are a lot more types of free money than simply academic and sports scholarships. There are also:

- Awards specific to certain career fields
- Programs for the major being pursued
- Unique scholarships (left-handers, being tall, 4-F, hobbies, etc.)
- Grants just for high schoolers
- Graduate scholarships
- ...and many more.

BE READY TO APPLY FOR COLLEGE LOANS

Just in case you are not able to get all the free money that you would like to get, you need to have the right forms already submitted for your college loans. This will require that you fill out the FAFSA forms, which are necessary for you to get any government funding for college.

Are You Looking For A College Scholarship?

If you are trying to put together a funding package for college then a college scholarship should be top of your list since this is money which you do not have to repay.

Scholarships come in all shapes and sizes and are not simply for academic high-flyers or students with exceptional sporting talents, but are available to just about everyone in any circumstances from children from specific geographic locations to the children of local widows. The big problem with scholarships is simply finding them.

Now it is true that the majority of scholarships are aimed at academic high-flyers with good grades but this is often simply the starting point for selection and, in order to beat others competing for these scholarships with similar grade point averages and SAT scores, you will often need to produce something else to set yourself apart such as an award or achievement or a record of community service.

At this point it is therefore often a good idea to talk to your school counselor who should be able to point you in the right direction. However, do not simply take his or her word for it and, armed with the basic information which they provide, hop onto your computer and search around yourself for the latest up-to-date information.

Two excellent places to start your search are CollegeAid.com and FastWeb.com both of which will provide you with long lists of scholarship programs, together with the amount of each award and brief details of each scheme including the application requirements. You will find that you can narrow your search quite quickly here and reduce your list to manageable proportions as, while some schemes will simply require you to be a US citizen or to have (or be about to obtain) a high school diploma, others will have much more specific and narrower requirements.

You will find some amazing categories of scholarships including those for male students who are residents of western Pennsylvania, students on active military duty in the pay grades of E-4 through E-6 who are studying in an information technology related specialty and the children of an eligible Alabama veterans who are attending college in Alabama. In short, there are scholarships available for a very wide variety of different applicants.

Some scholarships will simply require you to meet particular criteria while others will require you to compete for the scholarship, for example by writing an essay of anywhere between 250 and 5,000 words detailing your personal achievements and outlining why the grantors should award you a scholarship.

One important point to note is that while all scholarships are free in the sense that they do not need to be repaid, some are taxable. The general rule is that a scholarship will not be taxable as long as you are a candidate for a degree at a recognized educational institution and all monies received are used to pay for tuition and other fees directly associated with your enrollment as a student, including payment for such things as books, supplies and other equipment required by your course.

So, whatever your circumstances, there is a good chance that you may be eligible for scholarship funding and the only way to find out is to do your research and ask around.

Bachelor's Degree in Child Education

A bachelor's degree is an academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those students who complete the undergraduate curriculum. Study courses for these degrees are usually for four years. However, their duration might differ at times, depending upon the university and the courses applied for.

The main aim of the bachelor's degree in child education is to provide the student with ample knowledge that will help in improving his/her skills, while handling children whom they teach. It is considered mandatory by most of the elementary and senior secondary schools throughout the world. This program ensures better understanding of the child's psychology by the teacher.

The Bachelor of Arts degree program in early childhood education is a major part of the degree in child education. It focuses mainly on comprehensive care and education of children from birth up to the age of 8. It also involves professional interaction with their families. This education forms the academic framework, which developmentally guides certain appropriate practices in early childhood settings. Emphasis is laid on responding to the developmental and cultural uniqueness of each child. Students in the program often learn to design, implement, and evaluate curricular activities and learning environments. Each student is required to complete student teaching experience in Preprimary and primary settings.

This degree helps students to prepare for careers in teaching in public and private schools. It enables them to fulfill teacher certification and various other professional requirements in the field of early childhood education. It also provides an opportunity for students to advance on a professional career of early childhood education.

The objective of the degree is to make sure that the students become familiar with the science of education and its various methods for the acquisition of knowledge. It is imperative for them to know the philosophical, societal and psychological bases for pedagogical action and the implementation of practical education and teaching, and work for better and improved communication and co-operation skills.

Getting an Athletic Scholarship - How to Improve Your Chances For College Funding

The cost of college is higher now more than ever. When students seek out ways to pay for college, they almost always will try for a scholarship. With the large variety of scholarships available, individuals will seek ways to get an advantage over others, and a high school athlete is no exception. College athletic scholarships can be hard to find and even harder to get. Only certain schools offer athletic scholarships, but there are some ways you can boost yourself above the rest.

The number of athletic scholarships is limited and very competitive. Usually the athletic scholarships will only cover a portion of tuition, so be sure to look for other ways to supplement your tuition. Some of these schools include: Briar Cliff University in Iowa, Michigan State, Wingate University in North Carolina, Talladega College and Holy Names University in California, Baker University in Kansas and Morningside College in Iowa. These are just a few, but the list is not overwhelming. So how do you set yourself apart from everyone else?

How do you get these college sports scholarships? You will need to put together a portfolio of not only athletic achievement but also academic achievement. Start by gathering all the newspaper articles that you are featured in. Did you do an interview after a championship game? Got an article from when you broke a record? Pick out the best articles that highlight your athletic ability. Then make a good copy of each article. It doesn't have to be photo quality, but if it's smudged and illegible it won't impress anyone. Get a letter of recommendation from your coach and one of your teachers, principle, or mentor. It may also help to make a video. You can highlight yourself both on and off the field or court. If you participate in any community service, show a scene of you helping out. Add in some shots of you playing and a short blurb about yourself. You want to show case your talents without losing the viewers interest. So keep it short; you will only need about 5-10 minutes. Add a cover letter detailing why you want to play for that school and even why you feel you deserve the scholarship. When your portfolio is complete, send it to the coach at the school you are interested in attending. This one package can make all the difference between getting noticed and getting passed by.

In addition to schools offering scholarships, there are other athletic scholarships available. For instance, the SAMMY 2010 awards $7500 for athletes to attend school. SAMMY stands for Scholar Athletic Milk Mustache of the Year. So not only do you get the money, but you also get to do a milk mustache commercial. This scholarship is awarded to twenty-five students who excel in academics, sports, and community service.

There are many scholarships available to help pay for school. While college athletic scholarships may be hard to find they are out there. Look at the school you are interested in and see if they offer a scholarship. Then try to supplement with the other programs that are out there. Who knows, maybe you'll be in the next milk mustache commercial.

College Funding Solutions - Learn Ways to Pay For School

Being unable to afford expensive college education, many students discontinue their education after schooling. Some parents mortgage their houses to pay for their child's tuition fees. If you are among those people, here is a small list of college funding solutions.

Family resources: Very few parents are fortunate enough to pay for their child's college education without incurring any debt. Even if your parents cannot pay for your education, their assets can help you qualify for a student loan. While calculating the assets, include both countable, as well as uncountable assets.

Help through government: Every government aims at creating a well educated nation. For this, they allot a certain degree of funding to support students who cannot afford high college fees for various reasons. Students with a poor financial background, or good academic record, or those who excel in athletics can qualify for government aid. However, it is essential to submit an application form stating why you qualify for government aid. The department of education will review all the applications, and selects eligible candidates and sends them a student aid report.

Grants or loans from private organizations:
One last option to students to get money is by obtaining scholarships through private organizations which offer scholarships on grounds of ethnicity, religion and achievements made by the students. Information about these scholarships can be obtained through the internet, high school counselors and college financial aid offices.

There are many college funding solutions available to those who qualify. Be sure to apply for every opportunity you can find today!

Free Military Scholarships - Military Scholarships For College or Advanced Training Available

There are many options available to you when it comes to pursuing a college degree or any other form of advanced training. Or perhaps all you want is complete a certification in web design or a diploma in some technical discipline. You have the option to apply for a student loan, you could apply for a credit card and pay some of the education costs with it, borrow from a family member or apply for a scholarship, which is highly recommended because this is basically free money for your studies.

If you chose to go for a scholarship, you can try to get one based on your academic merit or achievement in a particular field, like sports or the arts. But there are other programs available that offer free money for your education, like the $10,000 Free Military Scholarship. This money is given away each month via a monthly drawing. All you need to do to participate is register your information on the web and then confirm the email that you will receive after you register.

This program is designed for those enlisted in the armed forces, people retired retired from their military duty but even civilians can apply to receive this aid. One of the great benefits of applying for a scholarship and winning it is that this is free money. You will not be required to pay it back, as opposed to a student loan that will require you pay it in full including interests as soon as you graduate.

Why Disabled Clients Should Worry About "Independent" (Insurance) Medical Exams (IME's)

If you become disabled, one of the things the insurance carrier may demand is that you submit to an "Independent" Medical Exam, or IME. Most people assume that this examination is impartial because the word "independent" is used in the title. However, that could not be further from the truth. In fact, it would be a lot more accurate to call the exam an Insurance Medical Exam because it is done by, for, and to benefit the insurance company. Unfortunately, insurance carriers are not looking for an independent evaluation.

If you are disabled and told by your insurance carrier to go for an IME, you should worry because most IME's are conducted by a doctor or other medical professional who depends upon IME's for a significant amount of their income. The IME doctor knows that the insurance carrier has no real interest in finding you disabled. Unlike most people, the IME doctor knows that the goal of most insurance carriers is to find reasons to deny, deny, deny your claim - even though you may have paid them hefty premiums through the years, and even though you may have become disabled and are unable to perform your job. Most insurance carriers are in business to make money, NOT to protect their customers and make good on disability claims. And, denying claims allows the insurance companies to make more money.

THE IME DOCTOR'S VESTED INTEREST

Most medical professionals who perform IME's for insurance carriers usually do so on a regular basis either in a direct relationship with the insurance carrier or with a third-party IME service. This gives them a vested interest in finding disabled claimants healthy and able-bodied - they consider it job security. These medical professionals seek to tell the insurance carriers (their customers) what the insurance carriers want to hear, i.e., that the patient is medically fine and not entitled to disability benefits. They know that if they perform an independent examination and find the claimant to be disabled it will lead to less repeat business from the insurance carrier or carriers. In the end, the IME doctor chooses to keep his or her customer happy by giving them what they want - a medical report which supports denying the claim.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT DURING AN IME

Given the IME doctor's biased agenda, it is not surprising that most of these exams are not medically very sound. It usually starts with a record review. Before you have even met the IME doctor, the insurance company has already combed through your medical records, typically cherry-picking which records to provide to the IME doctor for review. The records are frequently taken out of context to make it seem as if the claimant's medical condition isn't too bad, or that the medical evidence is contradictory or ambiguous. As a result, even if the IME doctor may be inclined towards impartiality, he or she is only provided with carefully controlled information.

Another fairly common practice among some IME doctors is to look for "holes" in your medical record. Something as simple as an accidental omission on the part of your treating physician can result in an IME doctor deciding that your medical report does not support your disability claim.

The carrier then provides the IME doctor with specific written "questions" for him or her to "answer." Even if the IME doctor didn't know what the carrier was looking for, these questions provide the guidance he or she needs to come up with the report the carrier wants.

When the exam finally occurs, it usually is quite superficial. Most IME's only last a few minutes - which is surprising given the length of the IME doctor's report and the extensive list of clinical testing the doctor supposedly performs. Straight leg raising, Tinel's sign... the IME report may contain a litany of physical exam tests which a layperson has never heard of and so has no idea whether they were performed or not. If you're scheduled for an IME, do not expect to receive a thorough exam. One can ask the question: so how can a superficial "Independent" Medical Exam determine whether or not a claimant is disabled? In my opinion, it can't.

Many IME reports are provided to the insurance company or scheduling company in draft form for their review. It is not uncommon for the IME doctor to change the report to cater to the request of the insurance company or its agent because they understand that the insurance carriers are looking for reasons to deny claims. In fact, even after the final report has been provided to the insurance company, the IME doctors will often provide the carrier with an "addendum" to address any additional concern the insurance company may have.

OTHER POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH IME's

Added to this already unfair system is the fact that many of these IME professionals often have their own preconceptions and biases about the medical conditions that claimants may have. Many IME doctors will dismiss - outright - debilitating illnesses and conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia because these conditions are not easily detectible through CT-scans, MRI's or other diagnostic testing. This is not surprising considering that most IME doctors perform a lot of IME's. Unlike a treating physician (your doctor) who tends to examine and treat a patient over an extended period of time, an IME doctor essentially sees a "snap shot" of the claimant's medical condition. The most an IME doctor can do is comment on the claimant's condition on that one occasion he or she performs the examination. Unfortunately, many medical conditions can only be observed and diagnosed over long periods of time, over numerous clinical visits tracking the patient's complaints, symptoms and clinical test results. Given their limited clinical interaction with the claimant and their general bias, it comes as no surprise that most IME doctors tend not to believe claimants and disregard or ignore claimants' self-reported symptoms such as dizziness, headaches and numbness. In general, IME medical professionals are not working for you, and you have every right to distrust their diagnosis and/or prognosis. In most instances, they are working against you.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT THIS?

You cannot refuse to go to an IME. If you do, there is a high probability that the insurance carrier will deny your claim or cancel your benefits. However, you can be prepared by retaining an attorney knowledgeable in disability law at the outset. Our firm, for example, counsels our clients before they go to their IME's. And, we send a registered nurse from our staff with them to examinations. That serves two purposes: 1) it tends to relax our clients, and, 2) it sends a message to the "independent" medical professional performing the exam that the client's law firm is paying attention. In addition, our registered nurse is a seasoned medical professional who will observe and understand what goes on and what is said during the IME, then provide our firm's attorneys with a comprehensive report. She also will know whether or not the IME doctor performed the clinical tests he or she claimed to have performed.

College Students With Learning Disabilities - How Much Academic Support is Needed?

Students with learning differences who receive academic support in high school are going to need it in college. That support varies from student to student, just as students' disabilities vary. Each student presents a unique set of challenges. Some students are twice exceptional, meaning gifted and learning-disabled. Students with disabilities can run the gamut from gifted students juggling Advanced Placement courses to students who haven't mastered basic math or the ability to write a coherent paragraph. Those who have been in special education classes for most of their school careers are going to require the most support. My rule of thumb is to take the amount of support your teen is presently receiving in high school and double it, at least for the first several semesters of college.

If you set students up to succeed from day one, the results yield happier, more confident individuals who begin to believe they can "conquer" college. This occurs only when students have sufficient support to get them over the inevitable "rough" spots. This support includes not only specialized tutoring, but affirmations as well. Old scripts take over our students' heads when they hit a roadblock. A good support program provides people to whom students can turn when they experience disappointment or need encouragement in the form of a "pep talk". Success is contagious. Once students realize they can do college work, even with help, they become more enthused about continuing. Through support, they gradually become "meta-cognitive" or aware of their particular learning style; the result is self-confidence. Only then, and with the approval of disability services, should these students attempt to slowly wean themselves from support.

Conversely, students who "go it alone", foregoing any form of assistance, are usually the ones who become overwhelmed and incapable of coping with college's unique demands. Unlike the students above, this group experiences diminished confidence and is reticent to continue. After all, they're not stupid - how many times would you place your hand on a hot stove?

In short, if students with disabilities attend college with inadequate support, they will find themselves in a continuous state of frustration. Despite their determination, they are unlikely to succeed. Consider college success to be a formula: PERSISTENCE + ADEQUATE SUPPORT = GRADUATION!

Top Ten Tips to Avoid Scholarship Scams

Both government as well as private organizations offer a number of scholarship schemes to students enabling them to meet the rising cost of their education. These scholarships are based on academic performance, unique qualities and talents of students in fields such as sports, arts, literature and entertainment. Taking advantage of the students' interest in obtaining a scholarship, various false schemes are being offered to make money and make students a victim of scholarship scams. The following tips help students to be aware of such scholarship scams.

o Where you are required to pay money of any sort towards application fee, loan fee or any other fee it is a scam.

o If any scheme sounds to be too good then beware, it could be a scam. Certain sites offer guaranteed award/ scholarship, which are not true.

o You can spend time, but think before spending money. The maximum you spend will be for postage.

o Every scholarship has certain criteria to be fulfilled. Hence no body will offer you a scholarship for merely existing

o Few ads talk about huge amounts of scholarship funds being unused and thereby assure you of a minimum amount. Kindly be alert it is a scam. Scholarships are highly competitive, hence there is no question of any money being unused.

o Do not believe announcements which say that they apply scholarship on your behalf. You need to apply to get a scholarship.

o Scholarship matching service providers do not have any control on the decision of sponsors regarding granting of a scholarship. Any such claim is a scam

o Overhyped success rates of providing scholarships are probably not true.

o Unusual request for personal information then beware it could be scam

o Factors such as no telephone number, mail box for a return address, time pressure, typing and spelling mistakes in application forms, a Florida or a California address, disguised advertising, newly formed company generally result in being a scam.

Tips For Writing a University Petition Letter

In a university setting, writing a petition letter is a very common occurrence. This is because in the academic world there are many exemptions for students and professors, but in order to get this exemption, one has to write a letter of petition to the appropriate department or person.

That is not to say that every petition letter gains approval but it does go a long way towards getting your position known and heard. Before you write such a letter find out the name of the person to whom it should be addressed. Even if you send the letter to the correct department, it may not be forwarded to the proper person.

For the most part all applications submitted to graduate schools in universities across the country must be accompanied by a petition letter. In this letter you provide a brief summary of the documentation you have included in your application and express your reasons for applying to this graduate program.

The usual requirement for admission to graduate school is a GPA of 3.0. Students will a lower grade point average can still gain admission if they address the issue in their letter explaining the reasons why they should be admitted and if there are any extenuating circumstances that could account for the lower than acceptable grades.

Even within a department, you may need to make a petition for different reasons. If you transfer from another university, for example, and you have already completed the work for a specific course under a different name at the former university, you may have to write a letter requesting that you be exempted from this course for your current program of studies.

In this letter you should make specific references to the topics studied and the types of assignments you completed along with documentation attesting to this from the previous university. This does not mean that gaining exemption will give you one less course to complete, but you should ask for recommendations of another course that could fulfill this requirement.

Both students and professors must adhere to deadlines in university because of the nature of the semester teaching schedule. There are times during the year when students are unable to meet deadlines for assignments or for being able to meet the testing schedule.

Sometimes waiving the deadline is a simple matter of discussing the situation with the professor, but other situations may require a petition letter to the Registrar's Office or the Dean of a department. This usually refers to not being able to meet application deadlines. Such petitions usually do not meet with approval unless the circumstances are really exceptional and warrant an extension of the deadline.

Students who do not agree with the grades they receive in a course can also petition the department to reread the exam. Other examples include asking for permission to withdraw from a course without academic prejudice or to obtain a refund of the tuition paid. Most universities require specific details to be included in the petition format, which include:

o student's full name and address

o student's university number

o student email address and telephone numbers

o a clear statement of the action requested in the petition

o a description of the conditions that warrant this action

o a statement of why university policy should not be followed in this case

Without inclusion of this information, the petition will not be recognized and therefore will not result in any action being taken.