Random comic.

Your College Scholarship To-Do List Part 2: Create your [very specific] activity list.

In my last post, I talked about the importance of writing an activity list before you start looking for scholarships. To read my previous post, see it here.

Today, I'm going to run you through the basics and help you brainstorm your own activity list. So, without further ado, here you go:

How to create an activity list:

1. Separate a sheet of paper into three sections, titled: Activity, Years Participated, Specific Achievements/Contributions.  

2. List ALL the activities you’ve participated in, including those activities dating back to elementary school. Ask yourself these specific questions:

• What groups/activities/programs did I participate in when I was younger? In Junior High? In High School?

• Where have a traveled? Did I go with a group or on my own? What did I learn?

• What church or religious groups did I participate in?

• Where and when did I volunteer?

• Where have I worked?

• What do I like doing when I’m not in school?

• What are my hobbies?

• Have I or do I participate in school-sponsored athletic programs?

• Other types of athletic endeavors, not school-affiliated (things like ballet, snowboarding, etc.)

• What do I plan on majoring in? What activities relate to this?

• Have I participated in any clubs?

• Do I speak a foreign language?

• What leadership positions have I held?

• Do I spend a lot of time with my friends?

• Am I technically savvy? 

• Have I been invited to join any academic groups like NHS?

• Have I been involved in student government?

• Mock trial?

• Did I go to boys or girls state? 

• Have I had internships or have I job-shadowed?

• Does my family belong to a credit union?

• Am I involved in the military?

3. After you’ve answered the questions above, try to write down specific examples or stories you remember about your participation. By diving in depth into these areas, you’ll save yourself time later because you’ll have excellent essay writing material. In addition, look for a theme that can tie your activities together. If you notice one type of activity that keeps appearing, you might use that as your theme. If you don’t have a clear “winner,” you might consider rounding out one of your favorite activities to give it more priority. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, see my last post).

Over the course of your life you’ve participated in countless activities. It’s important to write them down (or try to remember them) because you never know which ones will lead you to scholarships.

If you’re still stuck, here’s a some examples of specific activities: boy scouts, girl scouts, YMCA, United Way, Red Cross, church groups, mission groups, boy/girl’s state, academic programs, language clubs, the places you’ve traveled, any press you received for any activity, awards of any kind, your hobbies (are you a stamp collector, video gamer, skateboarder, sewer or knitter?), outdoor sports (like skiing, snowboarding, surfing, camping, hiking, climbing, etc.), and school-sponsored sports are all examples of activities that could appear on your list.

Just remember, write down anything and everything you can think of. Don’t filter yourself because this is for your eyes only. Plus, the more you write down, the more places you’ll have to start looking for scholarships. Stay tuned for my next post, I'm going to help you find scholarships by putting your list to work.

In the meantime, happy list writing!

Your College Scholarship To-Do List Part 1: Why an activity list will help you win scholarships.

When it comes to success, everyone knows what to do: develop a goal, devise a plan, and work hard. The formula is common sense. However, most people have trouble reaching their goals. Why?

In my opinion, we get caught up in the details, especially in the planning stage. We know we have to create a plan, but we spend hours deciding on the steps to take. We don’t know how to do something at some stage in the process so we put it off. We don’t know where to start, so we never start. We put off action by substituting it with planning. Unfortunately, when it comes to paying for college and winning scholarships, you don’t have time to plan: you need to take action. 

Why? 

If you don’t take action, you’ll miss opportunities. You’ll miss deadlines. You’ll lose money.

So, to help you take action (and help you win money for college) I’m providing you with the initial plan to jump start your scholarship search. These suggestions and information will come through many blog posts, so stay tuned. More importanty, ENJOY and USE THIS LIST. Take action now. You’ll thank me later. 

Step 1, Part A: Make a [very specific] activity list.

Before you get ahead of yourself, I think it’s essential to get reflective first. You need to take stock of what you’ve done, what you find interesting, and what you want to do with your future. Once you create a list of all the various “things” that make up who you are, it becomes easier to identify what scholarships you qualify for, and helps you develop a search strategy. I’ll explain.

It’s important to create an activity list for three reasons:

1. Creating a very specific activity list will help you “know thyself.” 

By listing your activities, you’ll know exactly which scholarships you qualify for and which ones you don’t. You will save time because you’ll only apply to awards that you can win. (Most people are tossed out of applicant piles because they don’t meet the requirements of the scholarship donors.)

2. You’ll create your own, specific scholarship search methodology. 

When you know your interests (past, current, and future) and your activities (past, current, and future), you can run a very specific scholarship search that again saves you time and energy. Instead of visiting Google and typing in “scholarships,” you’ll be able to seek out specific organizations that give you awards for participation in their activities. For example, if you enjoy photography, you might search “photography + scholarships.” Or, you might find a national association of photography. Usually these organizations give scholarships. Simply Google “national photography association.” In your specific case, “national (your activity here) association.” By using this type of search, you will find more qualified scholarship opportunities.

3. By listing your activities, you can develop an application theme that helps you stand out to scholarship judges. 

     Most people, when they apply for awards, simply list all the activities they’ve ever participated in. Unfortunately, most applicants have similar activity lists: student counsel, NHS, sports, language clubs, and youth groups seem to appear on everyone’s application. If you list these same activities, how will you stand out? By creating a very specific activity list before you start applying for scholarships, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to study your list, go over your activities and see what ties them together. You can give yourself a leg up on your competition by developing a theme for your activity list. 

     Let’s revisit the photography example. Say you have a deep interest in photography, and participate in the “normal suspects” list of activities. Perhaps you can capitalize on your interest in photography by having it become your theme. You start taking photos of student counsel activities, you volunteer to take pictures of premature babies at the local hospital, you submit photos from your sports activities to the high school newspaper and yearbook. Thus, when it comes time to list your activities for a scholarship, all of the “normal” activities become highlighted and interconnected with your love of photography. You prioritize your activity list to emphasize your photography abilities (typically, activities are listed chronologically. Instead, with the “theme approach,” activities are prioritized. In our case, activities with photography are listed first, followed by others). The result? Instead of being “Joe or Jane Doe,” you become “Fred or Fanny the Photographer.” Your theme helps you stand out from other applicants. 

Now that you understand how a specific activity list can help you, you need to create one. Stay tuned for my next post, I'll help you brainstorm and create an awesome activity list.

Social Networking Sites: A Word of Caution

One of the best ways to stay in touch with your friends and family is typically through social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook. Unfortunately, these sites are often one of the easiest ways to get in trouble and lose chances of gaining admission into your first choice school or winning scholarships. Why?  More and more, admissions and scholarship committees are checking you out on the internet--they want to make sure they are making a good decision. Furthermore, if you get suspended because of something you post to your MySpace page, you hurt your academic record, and the chances for a successful application process.  

When posting online, keep in mind:

• Your profile will be read by admissions and scholarship committees, whether you like it or not. Is there anything on there you don't want them to see?  
• Although you're online, you're actions still have consequences. For example, a YouTube video of some girls bullying a classmate made headline news this week--those girls are facing jail time. No joke. Certainly you don't want to add "jail time" to your activity list!
• Think before you post. You want to put your best foot forward: if you are not sure whether or not you should post something, just leave it out.  

Here's what not to do:

Another bad example of MySpace use: