SayCampusLife

The regular season for men’s college basketball is nearly two-thirds complete, with schools now playing the second half of their conference season. This time next month we will be in the midst of March Madness with Selection Sunday announcing the 65 teams who made the tournament, with the first game played two days later.

Oddly, the defending national champion UNC Tarheels look like that they will sit this one out unless they manage to win the conference tournament, thereby receiving an automatic bid. But at 13-10, that isn’t a likely scenario with the more realistic picture having the Tarheels play in the NIT.

But the Tarheels are not the only surprise team of 2010. There are at least four more teams who have raised eyebrows at some point this season with some not on everyone’s radar, at least just yet:

Pitt Panthers – Being 17-6 and ranked #21 isn’t a bad place to be, but when the expectations for your team were so much higher, the Panthers seem to be a disappointment. At 7-4 in the Big East, Pitt lost a pair of games in recent weeks that they should have won against Seton Hall and South Florida. Still, don’t count Pitt out just yet: they’ll make the NCAA and they could go deep. A close second Big East surprise is the Uconn Huskies who, like UNC, will probably not make the tournament.

Charlotte 49ers – The Dayton Flyers were expected to waltz through the Atlantic 10 this year as Xavier, Rhode Island, Temple and St. Joe’s lost their most talented players to the NBA last season. But Dayton is 5-3 and in sixth place in the conference with Charlotte leading all-comers at 8-1. Forward Shamari Spears and guard Derrio Green are leading the 49ers effort this season, combining for 31 points per game. Tomorrow night’s game at Dayton is a must win for the Flyers.

Cornell Big Red – The Ivy League will likely never field a national champion, but they usually can be counted on for fielding a team with the potential to slay a giant. Princeton and Pennsylvania once had a lockhold on the conference for smart people, but Cornell is 6-0 and will most likely win the conference if they knock down challenges from Princeton and Harvard. The Big Red’s open seasoning victory at Alabama and five point loss to #1 Kansas has put Cornell on the NCAA conference map.

Lafayette Leopards – Not exactly a power conference but one where the tournament winner receives an automatic bid, the Patriot League has its own surprise in the form of Lafayette. Everyone had the Leopards finishing dead last, but they started out their conference season on top of the league. Now 5-3, Lafeyette is one game behind Lehigh, but within striking distance of the top. At 14-9 overall, the Pennsylvania school may be a surprise entry in the Field of 65 come March 14.

West Coast

I realize that this list is skewed toward eastern teams, but I think that may be due mostly to the strength of the east versus the west. Indeed, when a power conference such as the PAC 10 cannot place a single team in the Top 25, then you know that a shift has taken place. Gonzaga, New Mexico, Brigham Young, and UNLV are the top teams of the west, but the dearth of a dominating team from that area of the country is simply stunning.

Tags: Charlotte 49ers, Cornell Big Red, Lafayette Leopards, Pac 10, Pitt Panthers, UConn Huskies, UNC Tarheels

As you prepare to head off to college you may benefit academically and financially by participating in a contest. Private organizations will often run such contests as a way to encourage students to pursue a certain area of study or help them become good citizens.

Generous financial awards can be put to personal use or set aside for college. Importantly, winning an essay, photography, or poetry contest can be worth including on your college application, perhaps proving to be the deciding factor when the review committee considers your own.

We located seven contests worth exploring; please the respective websites for more information. To our knowledge none of the ones we have listed require an entry fee. Some contests recently ended, therefore bookmark their website and be prepared to enter later this year.

The Ayn Rand Institute

Essays based on themes articulated by authoress Ayn Rand as outlines in her novelette, Anthem, and her novel, Fountainhead, are offered to students of high school age. Top prizes are $2000 and $10,000 respectively with numerous runner-up awards granted. Details: http://www.aynrand.org/contests/

The Christophers

High school students with a flair for the artistic can enter the annual poster contest sponsored by The Christophers. Your poster must be based on a theme such as “One Person Can Make a Difference.” Details: http://www.christophers.org/Page.aspx?pid=274

John F. Kennedy Library Foundation

The library named for our 35th president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, runs an annual Profiles in Courage essay contest for high school students in grades nine through twelve. The winner receives a $5000 cash award plus $5000 deposited to a college savings plan account. Details: http://www.jfklibrary.org

First Freedom Center

Students are asked to write an essay based on a theme supporting religious freedom. The first place winner is awarded a $3000 cash award with second ($1500) and third place ($750) awards also given. Details: http://www.firstfreedom.org/education/students.html

AFSA National High School Essay Contest

The American Foreign Service Association invites high school students to enter write an essay based on foreign relations and foreign policy. In 2010 the theme was “Challenges Facing the American Foreign Service in the 21st Century.” The essay winner takes home a $2500 cash prize. Details: http://www.afsa.org/essaycontest/

The Bill of Rights Institute

The “Being an American” essay contest is open to students and teachers with the first place winner taking home a $5000 cash prize. The top 27 winners also receive an all expense paid trip to Washington, DC. Details: http://www.beinganamerican.org/about_the_contest/prizes.html

Keep the Drive Journalism Awards

Texting and driving do not mix and has been proven to be the number one killer of children. Both a print and broadcast category are offered with students invited to submit articles they’ve printed in high school newspapers or broadcast segments disseminated through in-school announcements. Grand prize is $3000 with second through fifth place winners receiving awards ranging from $2000 to $500. Details: http://www.keepthedrive.com

Photo Credit: Zsuzsanna Kilian

Tags: American Foreign Service Association, Ayn Rand, Bill of Rights, essay contests, First Freedom Center, John F. Kennedy, Keep the Drive Journalism, The Christophers, Zsuzsanna Kilian

 

College Planning Tip for the Week of:

Sunday February 08, 2010

Have You Planned Your Move to College? Imagine moving into your own home (which is what you will do when you go to college). Think about what you might need for the: bedroom kitchen study area parking lot closet etc. download this FREE moving-to-college checklist also reference our college moving center: click here   Attention Students: start saving with this cost advantage program: Cardholders save up to 50% OFF at more than 20,000 discount locations across the country. www.studentadvantage.com review how to best to manage your student funds: using pre-paid credit to manage spend and avoid debt using pre-paid credit cards to manage student funds

What’s It Like Living at College? Get the real scoop on college living with these topics such as: dorm life roommates lifestyle academics health and fitness and more

More information available: view our complete college planning calendar for January

 

 

Tags: college guide, college planning tasks, college planning tips, weekly college tip

On Thursday, SayCampusLife published information about five college scholarships that are on our radar for the month of February 2010. One of the five has a pending deadline with the other four needing to be met over the coming weeks or months.

Scholarship Refresher

Though we post information from time to time about particular scholarships, it may be good to offer a refresher explaining why college scholarships can spell the difference between affording college, taking on too much debt, or not pursuing a degree in the first place. To that end we will address some of the finer points in order to clear up some misconceptions and help you focus on what really matters:

1. My student does not have to pay the money back. That’s right, college scholarships amount to free money, which means that those funds will offset at least a portion of your college tuition and related expenses. There may be some strings attached, such as maintaining a certain grade point average for multiyear awards, but once the money has been awarded your college costs are reduced by that amount.

2. Scholarships are offered only during certain months of the year. That is partially true. From late fall through winter, many of the scholarships to be awarded for the upcoming academic year require that your application be in sometime between November and the end of March. But there are many other scholarships with later deadlines. Always take note of the filing deadline when applying.

3. I am limited by the number of scholarships I can select. No, that is not correct. You can apply for as many you can handle. But with a caveat: when applying you will need to include an essay, recommendations, and other paperwork. Filling out just one application can require a lot of your time, therefore concentrate on doing a few applications well instead of numerous ones mediocrely.

4. Some scholarships come with many restrictions. That is true. If you read the application requirements—something you absolutely must do—you may discover that you do not qualify. A number of restrictions can be in place including: area of study, grade point average, ethnicity (yes, this is legal), gender, place of residence, you name it. These restrictions are meant to limit who can apply as well as call out certain kinds of candidates the scholarship committee wants to review.

5. Multiyear scholarships are common. Not really. Many scholarships are awarded for more than one academic year, but you are likely to find far more scholarships that are not. One note: scholarships for multiple academic years often are contingent on academic performance. This means that your student will have to show proof of grades each year in order to qualify for the next year.

6. I always hear back from the scholarship committee. Well, usually. However, if there are thousands of applicants you may not get a letter. Instead, you may receive an email notification saying that you were turned down. Check your spam folder just in case. If you are approved, you may discover you have won through a phone call, email message, or a letter to your home. Sometimes people mess up; you may discover that you are a winner when that information is published in the paper or online.

7. My college cannot help me with scholarships. False. In fact, many scholarships are offered only to students at a particular school by alumni and other supporters. Contact your school’s financial aid department to find out how to apply. You may have already received those details along with your financial award letter.

Your Comments

We hope that these seven tips or points cleared up some misconceptions about college scholarships. If you have questions, feel free to ask them by filling out the comment section related to this article. Lastly, please visit our dedicated college scholarship page to begin your search for financial assistance.

Resources

Federal Trade Commission: Scholarship Scams

The University of New Mexico: Scholarship Application Tips

Tags: application, college scholarship, deadline, free money, scholarship committee, student aid