How do students find scholarships? What are some keys to qualifying for them? The following are some tips you can give your students to help them locate and take advantage of scholarship dollars.

Don’t rule yourself out. Scholarships are not limited to class valedictorians and star athletes. They’re awarded based on any number of factors—from career goals to exceptional writing skills displayed in an essay contest.

Apply for as many awards as you qualify for. Even small awards can be helpful in covering costs such as books and other expenses, and, taken together, they can really add up.

Understand the conditions of the award. You may be required to maintain a specific grade point average or even play in an orchestra to qualify.

Proofread: Review everything before you send it. Having a typo on your application may limit your chances of being considered for a scholarship.

Enlist support: Supplement your application with personal letters of recommendation.

Pay attention to deadlines. Miss a deadline and you’ll likely miss out on scholarship money. You may even want to try to submit your application early to stand out from the crowd.

Follow up. Confirm that the organization sponsoring the scholarship received your application.

Send a thank-you note after you receive a scholarship. This small courtesy often has a disproportionately big effect.

Make use of free scholarship directories. Never pay for scholarship information. SallieMae.com and Fastweb.com are two reliable sources of free scholarship information.

More information about scholarships is available at Salliemae.com/scholarships and Thesalliemaefund.org/scholarships.

Sallie Mae and Champions for Higher Education are registered service marks of Sallie Mae, Inc. The Sallie Mae Fund is a registered service mark of the Sallie Mae Fund. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Sallie Mae, Inc., are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. Copyright 2008 by Sallie Mae, Inc. All rights reserved. 11/08.

Presidential Swag

By Unique Jones and R. Nasom
Contributing Editors
EDU, Inc. Black College Source Magazine

Swag has become the definition of one’s lifestyle or street anthem.  Simply put – the way you conduct yourself or the way you define yourself as an individual. 

Sometimes I sit back and observe what exactly people define as their “swag.” Is your swag defined by your whip, your sag, a Gucci bag, a Jacob watch, or by the number of males or females that are attracted to you?

However you define your swag, I ask you to consider this. The epitome of swag is the Presidential and First Lady swag of Barack and Michele Obama.  President Obama stands strong, confident in his wisdom, and prepared to run a nation. Michelle Obama is a beautiful well educated woman – the personification of grace, class and elegance. Both loving parents to their two daughters Malia and Sasha. 

The Obama’s unassuming, powerful, and unmistakable swag is one perhaps we all should aspire to achieve.

Please comment on this article and tell us what defines your swag?

It’s near the end of your senior year. Congratulations will soon be in order as you will be a member of the graduating class of 2009. I know the last thing on your mind is going to class, state tests, college applications, test scores, and all the things that comes along with being a senior. You are definitely deep into senioritis. Instead, you would rather think about prom, senior trips, parties and all the fun and exciting things that come along with being a senior.

Soon the Grammy style night of prom, full of fashion, lights and cameras will pass. That senior trip with friends will be over. Before you know it, you will look to your right and left at the friends that you have been with since freshman year, turning your tassel and walking across the stage at graduation. You will be the star in your family and friends eyes. You will attend the end of the year graduation parties, reminisce about the good times and say to yourself “Wooow, I am so glad high school is over.”

Wake up Class of 2009!  Somewhere you got lost in the glitz and glamour of your senior year and forgot about life after high school. Your “high school” friend’s conversations have now shifted to dorm life, moving to another city, and experiencing college life. They transitioned into “college students” while you didn’t.  Now you are in panic mode and completely stressed out because the big question is “What do I do now?”

Some will go off to college and begin their future careers, some will go to a vocational or technical college, and some will get a job and work. It is your decision! The point is…have a plan.

Plan what you want to do with your life and where you see yourself in the next five years before it is too late. If you want to go to college, it is not too late to fill out those college applications. If you have not taken the SAT or ACT tests, sure you may have to pay a late fee, but in the end it is still worth it. For those of you that may have missed the deadline for the college you are most interested in attending, or you may not be eligible for admissions, do not give up.

If you miss the deadline, you can always start in the Spring. If you do not meet the admissions requirements and you are adamant about getting into that specific school, work on getting your grades up at a community college and transferring into your dream college another semester. At least you have now earned some college credits. No matter what, as long as you have a plan, you are still on the road to success. Stay positive and Congratulations Class of 2009!

Please tell us about your experiences and what you have done to prepare yourself for life after graduation.

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2009! What do you do now?

G.A.M.E. Event at the Wachovia Center.

Sponsored in Philadelphia and 10 other cities by Atlanta-based EDU Inc., GAME has the potential to send 10,000 black males to college in the fall, says EDU president Robert Mason. The program targets young men who may have less-than-stellar grades or SAT scores and are on the fence about college. They will get encouragement from mentors – black men from the community. Mason launched the program last year with the Atlanta Hawks. He pointed out that nationally 12 percent of black males, ages 16 to 24, were dropouts, compared with 6 percent for white males. The high school dropout rate for black males was 53 percent in Philadelphia in 2005. “It was obvious that something had to be done,” said Mason. The program is already getting results, he said. At least 90 percent of the young men who attended the GAME event in Atlanta were accepted to colleges. Naran Butler-Houck, a social worker at Franklin High, says he’s recruiting young men for GAME “to heighten their expectation” of going to college. Dante Morgan, a Franklin senior, says he wants to go to college to show “black males are more than gangsters or rappers.” Before today’s game between the 76ers and Seattle SuperSonics, GAME participants will hear presentations from community leaders and meet their mentors. One student will be awarded a $500 scholarship from Sallie Mae. The program may expand next year to include sophomores and juniors. Plans are to also target Latino students. This worthwhile effort deserves great support.