Apricot Jam + Scholarships

Have you ever seen a picture like this?

Or maybe this?

Super cute, right?  The jam looks amazing--the jars look like they belong on a boutique shelf--and the whole image conjures up images of homemade bread slathered with apricot goodness.  Yum.

Well, until today, I have never, never made jam.  I have, frankly, been intimidated by the whole process.  Make jam?!  No, thank you, I'll buy the store stuff.  I have tasted homemade jam though, which is why when my mom loaded me up a few days ago with shoe boxes full of apricots from her tree, I started to scan the internet for a good jam recipe.  As time went on, I became more overwhelmed and confused by all the differing opinions of what made a 'good' jam.  But still, those apricots kept ripening.  Finally, I went to the grocery store and bought a crazy amount of sugar, and a couple boxes of "Sure Jell" which seemed the basic way to guarantee good jam, according to countless recipes and opinions of jam-making experts.

And so it began.  I pitted apricots and put them in my giant Ninja and pureed them.  Oops!  Only after I read the recipe again did I realize I should have chopped them.  Well, there you go.  I had about 5 cups of pureed apricots which all the articles said wouldn't make a good jam.  But I had enough Sure Jell and sugar to make multiple batches so I blazed on.  Honestly, I couldn't make sense of the directions, and felt confused throughout the process.  I made one batch of "pureed apricot jam", and one batch of "normal apricot jam", and it was so simple when I was making my second batch!  I couldn't believe that I had been confused by the instructions the first time around--this was simple!    Here's the result:

Yep--I put them in little tupperwares and old gelato containers.  And I agree, it's not the best presentation.  I'm proud of them because they are the first time I've ever made jam, but it wouldn't compare to the other jams in adorable little jars.  Obviously, I didn't spend much time thinking about the presentation of the jam--and though the jam inside is great, the presentation wouldn't necessarily "sell" my jam.  Does my jam taste good?  Yes-good enough that one jar may never make it to the freezer, I'm simply eating toast and jam by the hour.  But to any other person--it's the packaging that usually determines whether they'll buy or not.  To another person--the pureed jam doesn't really meet the expectation of what an apricot jam should be.

Now--why in the world am I posting this on my college blog?  Because most students have one common question about scholarships:  when should they apply for scholarships?  And my answer usually shocks them:  Now.  I don't care if you are in 8th grade--begin now.  If you are in 11th grade--begin now.  If you are in 12th grade--you should have started.

Why?  Because the more you apply for scholarships, the more you learn.  Your first scholarship application will be confusing and frustrating, and you'll probably do some of the things wrong.  You'll figure out things that will make the process easier, and you'll also figure out things that are weak in your experience--so you'll fix them before you apply for another one.  It's just like my apricot jam--the difference between making my first and second batch was night and day. I felt flustered for the first batch, and totally in control for the second batch.   I'm guessing that as I continue, it will just get better:  I might actually have a product worth gifting by the 10th batch.  You'll probably feel the same--flustered with the first scholarship, and more in control for the second and subsequent scholarship applications.  And there is absolutely no way to jump past this hoop--you just have to say, "It's my first time--I'll learn what I can, and I'm going to finish...and then I'm going to do it again."

You are not going to win every scholarship, but you should be applying for scholarships.  There are things that I can tell you and explain to you and help you try to understand about scholarships--but until you actually complete a scholarship application, it will all sound like "Blah, blah, blah..."  Once you've completed the application, it will be less of "Mrs. Krim says I have to do this..." to "I know that I want to focus on this for my application."  It's the switch from feeling that you have to do something to wanting to do something.  And that's why I suggest that students begin to apply as early as possible, and to keep on applying.  That's the only way the applications get better.

You'll learn how to package your application so that it looks appealing:  it will be the equivalent of those pictures of boutique-level apricot jams...NOT the recycled gelato containers (as clumsily cute as they are).  You'll figure out that there are certain patterns to most scholarship applications, and that certain essay questions repeat on multiple applications.  You'll get better and better at this, and your chances of winning will increase.  That's the point, right?  To win money!  So, if you actually want to win money, you've got to put in some practice on the real thing.

Be proud of yourself when you finish the first application--even if it's not perfect or you don't win.  Even if it's the equivalent of my pureed-jam in a gelato container.  You'll learn valuable lessons that you can put towards your next application, and the better your applications become, the higher chances you have of winning.

So, get out there and apply!  Be willing to take some feelings of frustration as part of the learning experience and road to winning.  Let me know by email which scholarships you're applying for and how I can help :  krim.scholarship@gmail.com