ScholarPrep Nation

How to Save and Display Your Awards and Honors

May 21, 2017 by ScholarPrep Nation

Awards and honors are an important part of applying to colleges and for scholarships. Have you been keeping the certificates, medals, trophies that represent your awards and honors? Do you have pictures of yourself at academic competitions? All of those can come in handy during your application process. So, how do you save, store, and display them? There are several methods that will help get you organized during high school and then as you are navigating the application process.

Save

It is imperative you save all academic certificates you receive. Does your school give out course awards? Honor roll certificates? Character certificates? Have you received certificates for volunteering? Make sure you save them!

Saving the certificates will assist you when it’s time to fill out college and scholarship applications and create your resume. There won’t be any wondering about what awards you won because they will be at your fingertips! Staying organized is key!

Store

There are several methods for properly storing your certificates and awards. Choose the method that works best for you. Each person has their own way of staying organized and keeping records. Determine what works best for your family and when the time comes to fill out applications and resumes you won’t have any issues!

Box or file folder
- Use a file folder or storage container for each grade throughout high school and store all certificates in the selected file folder.
- If you don’t want to display your trophies, ribbons and/or medals, add them to the box. You can also list them and put the information in the file folders along with your certificates.
ScholarPrep Organizer
- In your ScholarPrep Organizer there is a folder in the Honors and Awards section for you to store your certificates so they are not damaged.
- You will also use this section to keep a list of awards by school year.
Scan and save on computer
- Scanning awards and saving them on a computer is a great method in the age of technology. Always backup your information. You never know when your computer will fail you and everything could be lost.
- Methods:
  - Computer folder
  - Google Drive or DropBox
    - Free storage with an account.
    - They can be accessed from anywhere you have Internet capabilities.
    - They will not be lost if your computer crashes.
    - Easily accessible when filling out applications and resumes.
  - USB
    - Backup your information to a USB and store in a safe and secure spot.
    - Only use this USB for college prep materials and information such as awards, resumes, etc.
Take pictures
- Do you have artwork, a science fair project, or something else you won an award for or other academic achievements that are hard to store in a box? Take a picture and save it to your computer, online drive and/or USB drive.

BONUS TIP: Save pictures of you in action. Did you win a debate competition or a science fair competition? Display pictures of you earning your award. Be proud of your accomplishments!

Display

We are in the technology age where everyone looks online to learn about others. Leave a positive digital footprint and create an online resume. With an online resume, you can display your awards and photographs.

Create an e-portfolio or online resume using PortfolioGen, Wix, or OPResume. They all have free options and give you a link to share your information. Not only will you look more professional, this is also an easy way to store and display your awards and other valuable information.

You will need the information about your awards and honors for your applications and a resume. Don’t let disorganization be a reason you miss deadlines for college and scholarship applications. Figure out a system that works for you and get organized today!

How to Create Your Honors and Awards List for Applications

May 7, 2017 by ScholarPrep Nation

It’s time for you to start thinking about listing awards, honors, and activities for your college and scholarship applications. There are five blanks for academic awards on the common application. Where do you start? What do you include? This shouldn’t be difficult if you’ve been keeping your awards and honors organized in your ScholarPrep Organizer, saved in folders, or saved on your computer.

Academic Awards and Honors

Academic awards and honors should be the only items listed under the Awards section on your Common Application. This section may not be lengthy if your school does not offer many awards, and that’s okay.

Examples of academic awards include, but are not limited to:

AP Scholar
Any “honor society” such as, International Thespian Society, National Honor Society, etc.
Honor Roll
National Language Exam Recognition
National Merit Award
President’s Award
School subject-based award
Subject-specific exams (i.e. National Spanish Exam; Science Olympiad)
Winner of a science fair or academic competition

Making the List: Title, Ranking, & Description

Title

Know the correct title of the award you are listing. Look at the certificate, medal, trophy or other item to ensure it’s correct.

Rank

List the most significant based on the level of recognition first. The highest level of recognition is where you should begin: international, to national, to state, to community to school. For example, if you placed 1st in district but 2nd in state in a debate competition, you would list the 2nd place first since it was at a higher level.

Next, determine the selectivity for the award. Being an “honor roll” student is not a very selective award as it is very common, especially since so many students are working to get into their college or university of choice. This would be near the bottom of the list based on selectivity. So, if you are a National Merit award winner that would be placed above honor roll student–if you choose to list honor roll student in one of the slots provided for awards.

Description

The description of the award should be short and specific. Think Twitter..140 characters or less, but use proper spelling and grammar with no hashtags. Focus your keywords on the selectivity of the award. Do not use unnecessary information. Choose impactful verbs demonstrating selectivity to begin the description: “Awarded…”, “Achieved recognition for…”, “Recognized as…”, etc.

Examples include

Selected as one of five recipients of 500 applicants.
Awarded second place in a state competition with over 1,000 participants.

Non-Academic Awards and Honors

Many students earn awards or honors not related to academics. The non-academic awards and honors from athletic events, extracurricular activities, volunteering or from the community should be listed in the Activities section, not awards and honors. For example, if you were captain of the football team, you would include it under football. If you won 2nd place at state in track and field for long jump, you would list that under track & field.

When you list activities and non-academic honors, rank them with the most impressive first. For example, if you were a member of FBLA but did not hold any leadership positions it would be listed closer to the bottom following activities with honors/awards.

Outside of the Box Honors and Awards

Are you from a small school that doesn’t offer a lot of academic awards? Or, do you want to add more academic awards? Look online to sign up for academic competitions.

Academic Competitions

A good place to look is The Center for Future Global Leaders (CFGL). CFGL is a non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating the youth of today into tomorrow’s leaders through educational attainment and character development and sponsors a triad of academic competitions, known as IAC, that seek to recognize outstanding achievement in essay writing, mathematical problem-solving, and a mastery of English vocabulary. The IAC has over 6,000 participants each year from the USA, Canada and South Korea; it recognizes winners at the divisional, regional, national, and international levels.

Academic Clubs

You can also join subject-based clubs that compete, especially if there is one in your future career department. For example, if you are a business, marketing, or finance major you should join FBLA, BPA or DECA and compete in any competitions to gain experience and possibly awards.

Academic awards and honors should be a focus of yours once you enter high school. The more elite university you wish to attend, the more prestigious awards you will need to list. Start thinking about your future and what you need for applications, join the clubs you need to in order to compete, sign up online for competitions, and make sure you stand out from the crowd!

College Planning Begins the Summer After 8th Grade Graduation

May 3, 2017 by ScholarPrep Nation

Did you know that high school officially begins as soon as a student graduates from 8th grade? Anything they do after that day can be included on their high school resume for college and scholarship applications. Therefore, the summer before freshman year is the perfect time to start planning for college, even if it seems so far away.

Avoid these obstacles…

Flash forward to senior year… Imagine sitting down with your student to help them fill out a scholarship application. Have either of you ever seen an application before? Chances are, if you’re like many families, this is the first time you’ve seen one, and it’s time to fill it out.

Obstacle 1

Did you know that there would be an entire section for leadership? How about community involvement? One of the major obstacles that students face when applying to college is knowing what information they need to be tracking. If you figure this out senior year, it will be too late to create a competitive application.

Obstacle 2

The other obstacle that many students face is trying to remember all of the details of their high school activities and achievements. Do you remember all of the times you volunteered? What about the specific dates and number of hours? By starting the planning process early, students can set goals and track and organize their information over four years.

There is no way to know in high school what the perfect choices are to prepare for college, as students frequently change their minds. However, we do not want students to reach their senior year and realize they should have taken the ACT test one more time, or that a scholarship they need is going to someone with more volunteer hours.

The only way to ensure that students don’t miss out on opportunities or scholarships is through proper planning and organization, and this should start the summer after 8th grade graduation.

So how do you prepare?

Setting up an organizational and tracking system is the first step. Getting organized will ensure a student’s college or scholarship applications are complete. This step will ensure that nothing is forgotten or missed. The best way to do this is with a physical organizer.

Use a paper planner

Even though we live in a digital world, the most effective way to keep a commitment to planning is to have that physical component. Applications will require physical copies of letters of recommendation, resumes, cover letters, and other application documents. On top of that, research shows that writing down your commitments and goals by hand will help you accomplish them.

This is where our ScholarPrep Organizer comes in handy. We’ve designed the perfect, organizational system to walk you through the planning process, step-by-step. This isn’t just another book you have to read. Your Organizer will guide you throughout high school. The system is already set up, just plug in your information and track your progress.

The Organizer covers every section that a student will encounter on a college or scholarship application:

Academics and Testing
Extracurricular Activities
Community Involvement
Leadership Experience
Honors and Awards
Work Experience
Resumes
Essays
Personal Statements
Letters of Recommendation

What’s inside an Organizer?

For each of these sections, your ScholarPrep Organizer gives you tips to keep you on track and ensure your applications will be complete. Most sections of the organizer also contain a handy storage pocket for easy access to important documents. Saving hardcopies of test scores, letters of recommendation, or community service verification letters will save you time when you need them for your applications.

Tracking all of your information from four years of high school will be less overwhelming if done a little bit each month rather than right before applications are due. Each section of your Organizer includes tracking pages where you can organize and record every detail of your high school experience.

What’s the next step?

Start tracking all of your activities and achievements in these categories. Also, keep in mind that some applications will allow for attachments. A copy of a newspaper article about an extracurricular activity or community service project is a nice addition to any application.

Now is the time to start preparing for college and scholarship applications.

Order Your Organizer Today

This is the best investment you can make for peace of mind that your child will be prepared when they sit down to fill out applications.

How to Afford College when the FAFSA Doesn’t Foot the Bill

September 8, 2016 by ScholarPrep Nation Leave a Comment

This is a guest blog post written by our friends at Student Caffé, a free, inclusive resource for current and prospective college students. They offer in-depth articles on becoming a competitive college applicant, discovering four-year schools or less traditional alternatives, preparing a college application, and finding and applying for financial aid. Student Caffé is motivated by a firm belief that higher education should be accessible to anyone in the United States who wants to learn, regardless of age, gender, sexuality, race, religion, income bracket, immigration status, military service, disability, etc. We encourage you to learn more about Student Caffé and check out the original post!

So you received a couple of acceptance letters and with them, some less-than-ideal financial aid offers. Maybe one school gave you a lot more money than the other, but the school that is shortchanging you is your top choice. Without more money, going to your dream college might not be a possibility. The good news is this: You’re not out of options yet.

There are two types of appeals that you can make to a college. It’s important to use the word “appeal,” not “negotiation,” because financial aid officers aren’t in the business of negotiating. It sounds cheap, almost as if you were bargaining for a bag of spices or goods at an art fair. Financial aid and admissions officers can, however, be in the business of reading appeals. Isn’t that really what a college application is, when you think about it?

Change in circumstance appeals

A change in circumstance appeal may help you explain any drastic financial situation that has affected your family since your FAFSA was first submitted. It could include anything from a parent losing his or her job to a family member getting sick and having to deal with high health care bills. If your town experienced a natural disaster and your family lost everything, you are a good candidate for a change in circumstance appeal.

This type of appeal is also known as professional judgement. In fact, Congress has given college financial aid offices the right to reevaluate student awards in extreme cases. As a result, the decision of your school’s financial aid office is final. If you receive a no, you cannot appeal to anyone else. Be polite and do not try to gain the sympathy vote. Though a financial aid officer may be sympathetic to your situation, putting on airs and exaggerating will not get you anywhere.

If you have experienced a change in circumstance and would like to request a professional judgement, contact the financial aid office. Have the following ready:

A written appeal detailing the change in circumstance
Details on how much the financial situation has changed
Projected costs (if the circumstance is ongoing)
Documents proving the situation

Typically, change in circumstance appeals are more successful than matching appeals, which you can read about below. Ron Lieber wrote in a 2014 New York Times article that Occidental College approved one-third of appeals and Cornell University approved about half. Those statistics aren’t too bad, and if you meet the criteria for the appeal, you may be given enough money to make college possible.

Matching appeals

Matching appeals go like this. A student receives two financial aid offers. One of them is better than the other one. The student then shows the better offer to the college that didn’t award him or her with as much money in the hopes that it will raise its award to match the better offer. It’s easier to make a matching appeal than a change of circumstance appeal, but be prepared for a no. This type of appeal isn’t typically very successful.

The process is easy. You bring your financial aid award letter from a competing institution to the attention of financial aid officers and ask them if there is anything they can do for you. They may not help you, in which case you need to reevaluate your finances, check for any other sources of aid, and possibly take the school off your list. However, in some cases, they may agree to increase your financial aid award.

The amount of increase can depend on many factors: whether the competing offer was for need- or merit-based aid, the caliber of the competing institution, and the cost of attendance at each school. Ivy League schools typically match offers from other Ivies. The decision to grant a matching appeal, however, is up to each institution. There is no law or act of Congress that forces a school to do it. Still, it’s better to test your luck and be pleasantly surprised than not try at all.

What if there still isn’t enough money?

This is not a fun situation to be in, but it does happen. If you haven’t had any luck with appeals, you can try a couple more things before giving up. Calculate how much money you will need to make college possible, then consider the following options:

If you haven’t qualified for work-study, ask the financial aid or campus employment office if there are still any on-campus jobs available for students.
Check out the town to see if any local businesses are hiring college students for part-time work.
Recheck local, state, and country-wide scholarship postings. New scholarships are created all the time, and you never know what you might’ve missed the first time around. Apply for anything and everything.
Depending on how much money you need, you could consider crowdfunding.

Funding your education is tough, especially with tuition rates that seem to keep climbing. Keep your chin up and be persistent. Your perseverance just might pay off.