Tips to Writing an Outstanding College Scholarship Essay

Many individuals cringe as they are filling out their college scholarship applications. They know that they are going to get to a point that requires them to write an essay. This is often going to be one of the most difficult aspects of the entire process. Since you will be given a particular topic it isn’t like you can use the same one for all of your applications either.

First, you need to make sure you fully understand the requirements of the essay. If you don’t follow them completely your college scholarship application can be thrown out. All of the hard work and the time you spent on it will be a waste. For example if it says your essay must be at least 800 words but not more than 2000 you need to stay within those boundaries.

The quality of the material is what you should focus on though and not the number. This means a 2000 word essay won’t hold more merit than one 800 words in length if it isn’t captivating. While you can use various methods to do your research, make sure they are all credible. You don’t want to submit any college scholarship application essay with information that isn’t accurate. You also need to make sure you don’t copy any work out there. Always submit the information in your own words.

The exception to having facts to base your information upon for an essay though is when you are asked your opinion. You may be given an article to read and then asked to submit an essay regarding your thoughts on it. Make sure you are exploring your true feelings and not just writing down what you think other people want to hear. Back up your opinions too so that it is obvious why you feel the way you do about the topic in question.

The introduction of any college scholarship essay needs to be very powerful. You may find this is the hardest part of it all to complete. You can come back to it after you have completed the essay though. It may give you a new perspective of how to bring the audience in. Remember that if you can’t capture their undivided attention from the start they won’t be motivated to even complete it.

Make sure what you right does remain parallel to the overall essay question. It can be easy to get off track. Jot down some key points that you need to cover within your essay so you don’t forget any of them. Then you need to find the right words to transition from one of them to the next. The entire essay should flow smoothly rather than being choppy and scattered. Try to include examples too where you can which will really bring your essay to life.

Your conclusion to the essay should be a recap of the question and the answers you have listed. This is a nice way to offer a short summary for the information you have included. After you have completed a rough draft, put it aside for a few days. Then you can view it again and make revisions. It can take several revisions to get the perfect college scholarship essay that you are satisfied with. Ask a few people you trust to be objective to evaluate it for you as well.

It is very important to remember what you submit as your essay part of a college scholarship application holds a great deal of weight. This is often one of the areas where a person has the chance to rise above the rest of the competition. Make sure you don’t have any spelling or grammar concerns in the essay. You also want to do your best to be creative and to keep it very interesting. If you are able to follow these guidelines there is a very good chance you will be awarded several great college scholarships.

Continuing Education: Getting an Online College Degree

With the fast pace of change in the world today, it's sometimes feasible for a person get an additional education. Formerly, this would have meant you suddenly stopping work and going off to school, but nowadays, with the prepreponderance of the Internet, it is quite possible for a person to get himself an online college degree.

Sounds a bit fishy for anyone who's had a bit of traditional schooling, but distance learning via the Internet is currently in vogue right now. Online enrollments for classes have been increasing at a rate of twenty percent a year, rivaling the one percent increase in traditional schooling methods. The spread of high-speed Internet connections has enabled a boom in people who have a spare time to learn but conflict with normal classroom schedule.

Online classes are also incredibly cheaper, cutting down such costs as room maintenance and other costs that are found in traditional teaching methods. All in all, these factors have contributed to making a boom in the online college education industry. So there's no better time to work for that degree than right now. Of course, it's not all that easy to start with. Here's a few tips on how you start off.

You'll probably start off by looking for a college system that supports the particular field that you want a degree in. To be upfront, if you're interested in a field that requires a lot of labwork, then you probably will have some difficulty. The limitations of online education are very few but sadly, practical chemistry and other fields that require hands-on work are difficult to teach online. Most fields that you will quite easily find being offered are in the humanities: law, education, history and etcetera.

You'll also be looking for a college that isn't some diploma factory and has a good reputation. Several State University systems like the University of Phoenix offer courses and are highly dependable and an online search can pull up a list of accredited colleges in an instant. One of the advantages of this is you can easily canvass prices and compare degree programs without even sending out one e-mail.

After finding a degree program that suits you, it's better to find out more about it and yourself: the first question you have to ask yourself is are you dedicated enough for this? Remember, distance learning methods like online education require your dedication to succeed, since unlike a traditional college course you learn as fast you want to and have no one pushing you to attend daily classes.

If you can't discipline yourself to go on without encouragement, then it's better not to throw your money away. It may sound easy but your enthusiasm may dry up after the tenth time you're stuck reading notes and listening to an MP3 lecture. Also, take note if you have to attend an on-campus class – some of these courses require a once-a-month face-to-face session and testing. Check the dates and see if you can fit them in your schedule.

And there you have it, the bare bones of starting to get an online college degree. If you want to improve yourself, there's not better way than this.

Common Online College Degrees Offered

In 2007, the Sloan Consortium stated that there are about 3.9 million people enrolled in different online college degrees and the figures are deemed to have increased for the last two years.  The characteristics of online college education proved to be beneficial for working, single parents and those who are disabled and not capable of moving from one place to another.

There are different types of college degrees and post-secondary education and training available.  Online colleges do not only offer bachelor’s degree, but they also offer certificate and diploma programs, associate degrees, and even ranging until Masteral’s and Doctorate degrees.

Certificate and diploma programs are often the same.  They would offer practical and theoretical knowledge about a particular area which may be valuable as an entry point for a profession.  Associate degrees, on the other hand, are undergraduate degrees which can be earned within 2 years.  Bachelors Degree offered in online colleges are no different from Bachelors Degree offered in traditional colleges.

The U.S. Department of Labor stated that 90% of the fastest-growing jobs in the country would require employees that have finished a college education. Most of the courses offered by online colleges and universities specialize in these fields.  Online courses would focus on the fields of art and design, business, computer science, culinary, education, engineering, legal, liberal arts, medical, nursing, trade and technology.

Here are some top online courses: 

• Bachelor’s Degree in English or Communication.
This course is  very flexible especially if you are unsure of your current career and thinking of changing career paths. Graduates could teach, be a writer or editor.  English and Communication graduates could also apply for secretarial positions, public relations officer and even venture into journalism and print media.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration
One of the most flexible and versatile courses.  Graduates could land jobs in the field of business, accountancy and finance,  real estate and even advertising and marketing. 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing
Medical and healthcare fields are among the most popular choices for online courses.  If planning to practice nursing, then becoming a registered or licensed is important.  Hospital and clinical work are not only the available positions for registered and nursing graduates.  They could also perform administrative tasks, educator, researcher or consultant.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Education
Another important field which could lead you teaching positions whether for public or private schools and even in colleges. 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Sciences
Employment surveys and studies show that there would be an increase in the demand for computer programmers, data management specialists and other areas related with computer and technology.

These courses are offered to undergraduates and are just sample courses.  There are a lot courses not included here like Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Criminal Law, Information Technology, Hospitality and Restaurant Management, etc.  There are a lot of course offering which could easily fit to what you are interested in. All you need to do is start inquiring about online college degrees offered in different universities and be ready for success.