Cambridge Scholarship

From the publishers of our ACT Prep curriculum and books, Cambridge Educational Services, there is a $500 scholarship.  

It involves a short application of information and a VERY SHORT answer to this prompt:

Schools of higher education rely upon standardized test scores, grade point average, work experience and extra-curricular activities for admission to their programs. Explain how your experiences make you an excellent candidate for admission to the school of your choice. (maximum of 250 words)

Go to this link: Cambridge Educational Services Scholarship

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

You are applying for scholarships and get near the end of a lengthy application.  What do you see?  A place to list your recommenders.  Email your recommenders NOW so they have time to write their letters.  These are not just short form letters; it needs to be an indepth letter about your character, academic potential, community service involvement, etc.  ATTACH YOUR RESUME so your recommender has an idea of your involvement/accomplishments. You can also print out this Handy Dandy Letter of Recommendation form Request for Recommendation to give to a recommender.  

The RECOMMENDATION section is JUST as important as the essays you have toiled over.  A good rule is to have at least three recommenders lined up.  I am usually the first one for seniors because I have known you the longest and coordinate your Senior portfolios and digital files.

Mary Jo Buff   
   University of Montevallo Upward Bound 
   Academic Coordinator
   Station 6268 Montevallo, AL 
   35115
   (205) 665-6289                 Use the official office phone number
   buffmj@montevallo.edu    Use my official email rather than gmail
If you choose to use Mrs. Edwards, you should follow the guidelines she has given you (attached here) but know she wants ONE MONTH to work on your AWESOME letter, so email her immediately if you plan to use her.

Whomever you choose, make sure to send an email giving the DATE DUE, as well as what you want them to do.  You will also need your recommender's email addresses for the application, so be sure to write them down.

Finally, remind your recommenders to SAVE their letters of recommendation.  YOU WILL NEED THEM FOR OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS.

Updates on Scholarships

Good News! 

I found out today that for Smith, you DON'T have to submit your essays by December 5th!  You have until January to submit those! 

WHOO HOO! 

That means you have time...valuable time...to get that done.

Bad News!

You have to apply for three applications (documentation is due in January).  I have ideas to help you (check your email) and text.  The BIG scholarships--really the bulk of scholarships--are due between now and February, so you're going to get MOTIVATED to get these applications done. CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION AND WHAT PARTS HAVE TO BE COMPLETED.

You're not going to get a scholarship if you don't try, so get busy! 

NEED MORE SCHOLARSHIPS?

I just finished reviewing the Smith Scholars Foundation website and found this GREAT list of scholarships: 
Smith Scholarship Link for additional scholarships
This next month will be crucial as you prepare for SAEOPP and SMITH Scholarships, both due for me to review by December 1st.

The SAEOPP Application is open.  

The Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (SAEOPP) is pleased to announce their sponsorship of a Public Service Announcement (PSA) video contest. Students are challenged to produce one (1) PSA, 30 seconds in length, which explains for future TRIO students how their involvement with TRIO will affect their lives. 

TRIO participants are invited to compete for two (2) Scholarship awards of $500.00 these awards may be used to help defray postsecondary educational costs during the 2016-2017 academic year. SAEOPP wishes to assist the student that has overcome tremendous obstacles to achieve.

You must have a 3.0 GPA and a 20 ACT to apply.  

Here's the essay:  

In the space below, you must submit an essay entitled, “How my Involvement in Has Assisted Me in Preparation for College Success and Success in Life”.  (GEE!  YOU SHOULD HAVE THIS DONE FROM THE SUMMER).   Your essay must be typed, and it must be between 350-450 words. 

Write the essay and save it in your shared folder on your Google Drive.  Then, let me know and I will edit it.  

To Accomplish Great Things

Scholarships for JSU

If you are interested in Jacksonville State University, here's information on scholarships. ACT scores start at 20, so many of you would qualify (if you have a GPA of 3.0 or higher) for some of the scholarships.  JSU has a strong band program, and it is about the size of UM's campus.  It does have a football team.  I have linked the scholarship flyer here:  
JSU Scholarship Flyer