Laurie Said:

Can someone check my practice SAT Essay?

We Answered:

your essay is pretty good. I'd say you get a score around 10-12 out of 12.

Douglas Said:

Should I mention that I dropped out of high school on a college or scholarship essay?

We Answered:

I think that you should mention it, and that if it's done in the right way it can actually come across as very positive! My girlfriend actually stopped going to school at 14, in that her mom was very religious so she wanted to home school her, but then had to start working full time and enrolled her in some home school correspondence class. Essentially my gf was at the age where without parental supervision she didn't do anything, messed around on the computer for 4 years, and when she was 18 got her GED. Well, she went straight into the work force and ended up getting a very good job at Hewlett Packard for someone with little formal education, but at 26 decided she wanted to go back to school to get her bachelors. So in her admissions essay she mentioned that while she was one of the few people that was able to become fairly successful with very little formal schooling, she knew that all her experience could only take her so far and then played up all the positive things she'd achieved once leaving school and having been in the workforce for so long. She slipped in one of her business cards and got admitted on the spot. The truth is A LOT of schools nowadays are playing up the " mature student" going back to school market and there is definitely a lot of opportunities for slightly older prospective students to get admitted if they can write a good essay. So as long as you explain well what you've learned in the " school of life" I think it can be a good touch. Good luck!

Debbie Said:

How do I find legitimate Scholarships?

We Answered:

Federal grants aside (which are based on financial need), the only legitimate scholarships I know of are handed out directly from the colleges/universities. You have a MUCH better chance at one of those than any of the ones you come across online, especially considering that those online ones, whether legitimate or not, have another million students beside you vying for the same scholarship.

My suggestion would be to first fill out a FAFSA form (fafsa.ed.gov) since this is the required form in order for you to be eligible to Pell Grant money (as well as federal student loans). If you're planning on attending college next fall, you can fill out this form starting January 2009.

Then I would check into the schools you are considering, and get a hold of their financial aid offices. They will be able to tell you what school scholarships/grants they offer to future students. The scholarship deadlines are usually November/December of the year before you intend to enroll, so the sooner the better.

Good luck!

Sonia Said:

Is there scholarships that don't need an essay or a high GPA?

We Answered:

student loans
www.fafsa.ed.gov

Sean Said:

What are some essay scholarships that are targeted around green environments?

We Answered:

http://www.eli.org/writing_contest.cfm
http://www.abg.org/essay_competitions.as…
http://www.abanet.org/irr/committees/env…

Stephen Said:

Essay contest for high-school student entering college?

We Answered:

Many essay contests will be found below./