The "Big Three"

Sterling Scholar is probably one of the most recognized scholarship names in the state, but very few people have actually seen a Sterling Scholar Application.  This post is going to change that--and with good reason.  I feel like every high school student would be aided to see a Sterling Scholar Application because this particular application has all the questions that every other scholarship application has.  It is THE template to track your own progress on the "Big Three" that compile 99.9% of all scholarship application questions.  The "Big Three" in this context does not refer to the 3 characters on the popular T.V. show...no, I'm talking about the "Big Three" pursuits that applications ask for.  They are:

                             1. Activities
                             2.  Leadership
                             3.  Community Service / Citizenship

That's it!  Those are the "Big Three"--and students would do well to regularly check in how well they could fill out an application where they must list and explain their involvement in all three categories.  Since Sterling Scholar has the "Big Three", it is the best one to use for tracking a student's progress on scholarship readiness.   Take a moment, and check out this passage from the Sterling Scholar Application:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First Section:  Activities

I.  Category Scholarship Activities

a.  In 20 words or less, list up to six activities, honors and awards, relating to your subject*
     1.
     2.
     3.
     4.
     5.
     6.

                 *since you compete in a specific area in Sterling Scholar, they are particularly interested
                   that you have activities IN that specific area.  If you aim to compete in Science--you
                   should have Science Activities.  The same goes for any activity.

II.  Category Scholarship Activities Description

a.  Choose one of the activities, honors or awards, from the list above.  Describe it briefly, and explain why it was meaningful to you.  What did you learn, and what did you accomplish?  (Max:  500 words)

III. Supporting Documents

a.  upload a file or document that supplements the answers given in I and II.

Next Section:  Leadership

I.   Leadership

a.  In 20 words or less, list up to six activities, honors and awards, that relate to leadership qualifications
     1.
     2.
     3.
     4.
     5.
     6.

II.  Leadership Description

a.  Choose one of the activities, honors or awards, from the list above.  Describe it briefly, and explain why it was meaningful to you.  What did you learn, and what did you accomplish?  (Max:  500 words)

III. Supporting Documents

a.  upload a file or document that supplements the answers given in I and II.

Next Section:  Community Service / Citizenship

I.  Community Service / Citizenship List

a.  List up to six activities / honors / awards of Community Service / Citizenship you are involved in
     1.
     2.
     3.
     4.
     5.
     6.

II.  Leadership Description

a.  Choose one of the activities, honors or awards, from the list above.  Describe it briefly, and explain why it was meaningful to you.  What did you learn, and what did you accomplish?  (Max:  500 words)

III.  Supporting Documents

a.  upload a file or document that supplements the answers given in I and II.

My Conclusion

Did you catch the pattern?  You need several activities in each area, and one needs to be meaningful enough that you can write about it for 500 words, including things you have learned and accomplished.  This is a good place to point out that serving for 2 hours at a Homeless Shelter is not enough!  You definitely can't fill up a good essay with that experience, and honestly, you'd be better to just leave it off the list.  And if all you have done in high school is serve for 2 hours at the Homeless Shelter, then GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER AND DO SOMETHING!  Serve!  Join a Club!  Get a Job!  Do something you can put on an application!

The pattern is a classic example of how to be competitive for scholarships, because it shows that students need both BREADTH and DEPTH!  They need breadth:  the number of activities in each section (activities, leadership, service) is six!  That means that students are committing themselves to several different activities, building breadth.  The other part, depth, comes through on the long answer.  It shows that a student was involved in something where they actually learned, helped others, and accomplished something.  That is the depth part, and it is every bit as important as the breadth--if not more important.  


Well, that's it!  Those are the "Big Three":  activities, leadership, service.  If you keep focused on the "Big Three" during high school, you'll not only be competitive for scholarships, you'll discover that high school is a great place to discover yourself!

Scholarship Search Engines

Back to the #1 question I get from students:  How do I get scholarships?!  I wrote an earlier post about How to Find and Apply for Scholarships, but this post is specific about how to use Search Engines.  So...here it is.  I'll offer some tips to organize yourself as you get started, and links to several search engines that are reputable and easy to use.

1.  Because you will receive LOADS of emails from the scholarship engines about possible scholarship matches, it might be advantageous to set up a different email for your scholarships.  However, this only works if you check the new email at least once a week.  If you're going to ignore the new email account, you might want to just use your regular account and sign up for one scholarship engine at a time.  

The point:  be honest with yourself about how well you check various email accounts, and make a plan that fits you the best.

2. Fill out your student profile as you set up each account--and be as complete as possible!  This is how you get matched with scholarships, so it's worth your time to give information about your activities, interests, and strengths.

3.  List all possible majors and degrees.  If you are undecided, then check everything that you could possibly pursue.  Want to study Engineering, but think that English is a possibility?  Check both!  Because many scholarships are geared towards students pursuing a specific field of study.

4.  Hopefully, you'll keep these scholarship engine accounts for multiple years--and if so--you should take time to update your information each year.  Hopefully, you'll have had other experiences, joined clubs, completed service projects, and had other life experiences that will match you with other scholarships.  Update!

5.  Finally--here are several scholarship search engines to check out.  

• Scholarships.com
• studentscholarshipsearch.com
• fastweb.com
• Cappex.com
• scholarships360.com
• Collegeboard.org

Good Luck!  

College Spotlight: Dixie State University

Continuing the College Spotlight Series...next up is Dixie State!  There are two things you should start out knowing about Dixie:  the location in St. George is amazing (although it might make studying difficult!), and the resilience of this University and the Community that supports it is a beautiful thing that shouldn't be underestimated.  Dixie State has grown exponentially over the last 20 years, morphing from a community college to a 4-year college, and now an official State University.  The history is rich, going back to it's founding in 1911 as the St. George Stake Academy (part of the system of academies started by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).  As public high schools were built, these academies either phased out or converted to colleges, usually community colleges.  If you'd like to know all the details of Dixie's history, check out this write-up on their website. 

So...what is Dixie State?  Why should you check it out?  Because it's the up-and-coming college in the state, adding new programs every year.  Here are some things to know about Dixie State, in no specific order:

• The Scholarship Deadline is March 1!!! (yes, you still have time)  
• Check out their Scholarship Page, which gives info. on EVERY type of scholarship
• Academic, Department, Leadership, SBO, Special Opportunities
• Honestly...one of the easiest Scholarship Pages to navigate
• Every student is automatically reviewed for Academic Scholarships (based on a student's GPA & ACT)
• If you want any other scholarship, browe through the Scholarship Page and complete the necessary applications!  
• Dixie State is an Open Enrollment School--which means that you can be accepted no matter how low your ACT and/or GPA are
• At any college or university, if your ACT and GPA are lower, you might be required to take some developmental math and english courses to show that you are ready for actual college courses
• As a "newer" 4-year university, they are still adding programs
• Adding 1-3 bachelor degrees each year.  
• Just added Exercise Science and Digital Photography
• Check out the list of degrees
• They have a Multicultural and Inclusion Center.
• Activities every Wednesday to give help
• Does a food pantry (even helps students with food)
• GREAT resource to help students
• Check out their website--and click on all the links!  Especially the Scholarships!  
• Also...they have done a DONE of research to compile a list of fantastic scholarships given by outside sources (beyond Dixie State).  Check that out!
• Freshman have a Mandatory Orientation
• Three Parts:  
• watch a video online
• Advisor reaches them either in-person or through phone
• This Advisor is your specific Advisor until you choose a Major
• Such a help to have someone who can help you from Day 1!
• Final Orientation Session on campus:  help with financial aid, registration and any other items you'll need with a first year  
• General Campus 
• Incredibly Safe:  Made the List of 50 Safest U.S. Campuses
• Great Weather September - May (Fall and Spring Semesters)
• Seriously...the lows are usually in the 40s and 50s.  By February, it's already in the mid-60s.
• Read more for prospective students here!