Whether you are entering into college, graduate school or a graduate program, financial aid can definitely help you save some money for other important expenses. Many people believe that it is difficult to obtain financial aid, because of the requirements or the application process. In truth, however, it is not as hard as people think it is. For this purpose, we will demystify some of the common misconceptions that people have about financial aid.
Misconception #1: Financial aid is not for everyone
Many people are discouraged from applying for financial aid because of certain circumstances. Some people rule themselves out from such aid because they believe their academic or financial status does not fit the criteria. In truth, you should try to assume that you are eligible for financial aid, regardless of circumstances or status.
Misconception #2: Good grades equal good aid
Most people think that you need to have good grades in order to be accepted for financial aid. There are numerous other factors that influence whether or not you are accepted for aid. Some of these factors include your ethnicity, your geographic origin, your major field of study and your involvement in your field.
Misconception #3: Financial aid is free
Financial aid usually comes in a combination of grants and loans. Grants are not paid back, but loans are. The fact is that loans are a form of financial aid, as well. This means that there are numerous forms of financial aid out there that you can apply for and be accepted to.
Misconception #4: It’s not too late to apply
While you are allowed to submit your applications on the last day of your deadline, this is not an advisable practice. The earlier that you send you application for financial aid, the better your chances are to be accepted into a program. This is because there are more openings available earlier on rather than later.
Misconception #5: Large amounts of scholarship dollars are unclaimed
Both the government and private sectors help in providing financial aid, but there is only a small amount of scholarship dollars that goes unclaimed. In truth, this misconception is only used to scam money from students and their parents.
Misconception #6: Scholarship services are worth paying for
There are many companies that seek to scam money from people by offering scholarship searches and scholarship grants at a cost. The truth is that many of these resources and services are available for free from colleges and government organizations.
Misconception #7: Applying for financial aid is not worth it
Some people believe that applying for financial aid is a burdensome task that takes too long to accomplish. With the technology and resources available to people these days, though, applying has never been easier. You can easily use the Internet to gather sources, information and tips on how to apply for financial aid. This will allow you to get financial aid with ease and convenience.
Photo Credit : GiselaGiardino
A “sample essay about myself” or admission essay refers to a literary piece that is written specifically to support a student’s college application. Almost every college and university today requires school applicants to submit a sample essay about myself to help college admission evaluators determine whether they are qualified for enrollment or not.
To make a sample essay about myself more interesting, students usually include anecdotes in their essays. They tell stories about their life, their love, their beliefs, their experiences, their achievements, their ideals, and their dreams. Here are some of the questions you have to ask yourself to help you decide on which part of your life should you include in your sample essay about myself:
Which graduate programs do I intend to pursue?
Law school? Medical school? MBA programs? Asking yourself about which graduate programs to pursue is very important when writing a sample essay about myself because the anecdotes you have to tell and the topics you have to discuss in a sample essay about myself must be of some relevance to the specific graduate program you are applying for. For example, inserting an anecdote about how you performed a first aid procedure when you were seven years old will be impressive for medical school evaluators but not so much for law school evaluators. You have to
What are my dreams?
Most college admission evaluators will require you to write a “sample essay about myself” on your hopes and dreams. Reflect on your life and try to recall the event in your life when you realized that you really wanted to go to medical school or to law school. It may be the time when you got a Doctor Barbie for Christmas or when you watched an Ally McBeal episode on TV. Remember that moment when the bright invisible light bulb appeared on top of your head and you said: “this is what I want to do”. After identifying that eventful day, write down the reasons why the profession appealed to you and explain your future plans. Through a sample essay about myself, show the college admission evaluator a part of you that wants to make a difference in this world.
What are my achievements?
Students have the tendency to verge on conceitedness when writing about their achievements and that is not a good thing. Many students, mostly student leaders or honor students, fail to get accepted to most Ivy League schools because their sample essay about myself are too boastful for the college admission evaluators’ taste. One way of inserting your achievements into a sample essay about myself without sounding conceited is to present them in a story-like manner. Instead of saying you got elected student body president because you’re the most popular guy in school, explain how you managed to get your fellow students’ votes. Recall the challenges and hardships you experienced during the campaign period and relate them to the reason why you deserve to get accepted in their MBA programs.
Writing a sample essay about myself is not that hard. It is actually the only component of the college admissions process that you have total control of. Writing a sample essay about myself is just like telling a story. Your story. Your sample essay about myself doesn’t need to be Pulitzer-worthy. It just have to be honest, interesting, and sincere enough to make the college admission evaluators say: “you’re in!”.
Photo Credit : tnarik
The Sample Essay about myself BLOG presents: Overcoming shyness in your application essay
Perhaps, your modest side is getting the better of you that your Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statement sounds subdued of your achievements. What you should remember, though, is that shyness has no place in a personal statement. A Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statement focuses only on you and no one else and it is your key entry into the college, law school, medical school, MBA programs or other graduate programs of your choice.
To help you in overcoming your shyness in writing a Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statement, read the following ideas and remember them:
Sample Essay About Myself Tip 1: Schools are looking for somebody unique–YOU!
The experts screening applicants have to go over hundreds of personal statements. To the experts, many of these personal statements are boring and reading them can be tedious. Because you don’t want to bore them and because you want them to recognize that you’re an asset to their school, you should surprise them with your stand-out character and capabilities.
The academicians running a college, a law school, a medical school, MBA programs and other graduate programs want students who will provide diversity in their campuses. If you’d rather sound like the rest of boring applicants, then there is no point in working hard for an exemplary Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statement. But that is the last of what you’d like to happen so, show them what you’ve got.
Sample Essay About Myself Tip 2: The activities you’ve done are far more interesting than your grades.
It’s true. The experts who will read your Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statement would rather discover the human side over the numerical side of you. After all, your transcript of records have already stated the blunt, limited-scope and inanimate numbers. What your personal statement does is to explain why those numbers were printed so.
Your unique Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statement is your chance to market who you are and how interesting your life has been. Your Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statement is also the avenue for you to tell all about how you’ve learned from the activities you were involved in.
Sample Essay About Myself Tip 3: You want to get picked.
Why else would an applicant be writing the best Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statement if not to get into the university of his or her choice? As mentioned above, there are hundreds of other personal statements and this means hundreds of other applicants. For the limited slots available in a course, you should be one of the distinguished few who will be accepted.
Writing an agreeable Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statement could be challenging. But if you can write it by highlighting your greater characteristics and without fabricating information or exaggerating, you’ll be able to get the rewards in the end. To make the task easier for you, check out sources online on how you can write a Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statement that is clear, concise and creative.
Photo Credit : blmurch
The Sample Essay About Myself blogs is a source of various personal statement examples and tips. Using the examples and tips in the Sample Essay About Myself blog can help you write kick-ass personal statements. Personal statements are one way for you to get into your dream school even if your grades may fall a bit below your expectations. Here are some more information about personal statements and how they can help you.
What are personal statements?
Personal statements are essays about applicants’ personal backgrounds. A personal statement may also be called an admission essay or application essay. This is required in applications to a college, a law school, a medical school, MBA programs and other graduate programs so that apart from grades, applicants may be assessed of their character, plans and principles in life.
What do I include in a personal statement?
The experts assessing applicants of a college, a law school, a medical school, MBA programs or other graduate programs often look for the following details in an admission essay or application essay:
- Extra-curricular activities and achievements in college
- Personal principles
- Family background
- Personal interests
- Life and career plans
How can Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statement help me?
The personal statement examples found in Sample Essay About Myself blogs are posted as guides you can follow when writing your own admission essay. If you read several personal statement examples in the Sample Essay About Myself blogs, you’ll notice that the examples are outlined, clear, straight-forward and concise. When you write your admission essay in such manner, it will be more pleasing to its readers.
You may also notice that Sample Essay About Myself personal statements are well-edited and are free of grammatical errors. A well-edited and error-free Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statements are important because they show of how you will write your academic papers. Showing readers that you can write a clean Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statement is also showing that you are more than qualified to be accepted in a university.
Sample Essay About Myself personal statements are also optimistic and are centered on the applicant. The reason why this is so is that personal statements should market the capabilities and skills of an applicant. If the experts reading the Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statements find out more about you, the experts will be able to better assess if you are compatible and interested with a specific course.
Finally, Sample Essay About Myself personal statements are written for specific courses. For example, if you’re applying to a law school, there are Sample Essay About Myself personal statements for law school. Why this is so is that different courses require different topics and themes. To write an appropriate Sample Essay About Myself-themed personal statement, you should check the instructions established for the personal statements of your chosen course.
Photo Credit : Conspirator
Your personal statement will play an important role in persuading the admissions committee to accept you into their school. In effect, your personal statement is actually a persuasive essay seeking to make the reader believe that you should be accepted into the institution/s you apply for. One of the most effective ways to persuade the reader is to find a topic or subject that is extraordinary or unique to you. Here are some rather common life experiences that you can spice up to make your personal statement more interesting and persuasive.
The ordinary life
Many people believe that they have an ordinary life. If you are one of these people, instead of trying to pinpoint extraordinary experiences in your life, you can just choose ordinary experiences and speak of them with conviction, enthusiasm and professionalism. This is a good way of making your seemingly ordinary situation have more depth and interest.
Family trips
You may feel like your family trips are quite ordinary and perhaps even rather mundane. The truth is, family trips are a good source of inspiration for personal statements. Since family trips are rather common experiences, you can try to focus on some of the values and realizations that you have come to as a result of having intimate time with your family. This can help you set up an essay that is interesting and well-integrated.
You and those around you
If you really cannot find any particular experience or topic about yourself that you would like to share in your personal statement, you could always look at those around you. You can write about any person that has helped you to change for the better (such as a counselor, mentor or relative). Focus on the attributes of these people and how they have inspired you to become a better person. Also, mention the actions that you have taken as a result of your exposure to such qualities and traits.
Looking outside of yourself
Another common life experience may be more about the situation around you than you yourself. You can make your personal statement more exciting by talking about something that you have witnessed (perhaps a person or place) that has inspired you to become a better person. These people or places do not need to have any particular connection with you, except for that short moment of inspiration that you continue to carry with you.
Transcending the ordinary
Almost every person, even those who may seem to have the most ordinary lives, have come to an important self-realization at some point in their lives. This is one of the best ways of making an ordinary situation or life experience extraordinary. Try to extract, from any of your experiences, particular insights or revelations that you have had about yourself. Try to focus on how your skills, personal qualities and personality in general have developed through this experience.
Photo Credit : Mayr
“Anything in life worth having is worth working for” was the words of wisdom of a Scottish-American businessman named Andrew Carnegie. He was right. All the things worth having in this life are those which you have to work hard for. At a young age, I was taught by my parents that I have to work hard to get what I want. I did, and now I’m doing it again.
Our family was a typical middle-class family. My parents were compassionate, hard-working individuals who dedicated themselves in providing only the best life not only for their children but also for their community. They worked double-time just to put me through college and I did not disappoint them because I finished college just on time.
I immediately landed a corporate job after graduation. It was a good job. It provided me with just the right benefits and security that I needed to support my family but it was not very fulfilling. The image of a person sitting in front of a desk all day was surely not how the 7-year-old me pictured when I was asked who I wanted to be when I grow up. Despite the stability and comfort that my job gave, I was not happy. I left my job and I began focusing on becoming the person I want myself to be.
I wanted to make myself useful to our community so I signed-up as a volunteer at our local hospital. The only duties that I performed included organizing medical records and assessing test results, but I’ve never been so satisfied in my life. I was blown away by the energy of the hospital and the satisfaction I get from making a difference in other people’s life. That’s when I knew that being a nurse practitioner is my calling.
Being a nurse is not easy. It is physically and emotionally draining as referenced by the long shifts and the ill patients. Most nurses are not also given the credit that they deserve for dedicating their lives in taking care of others. Despite all these, I’m still determined to become a nurse because of the opportunity to touch more lives. I want to offer the best possible emotional and medical care to my patients. I also believe that the role of nurses go beyond checking temperatures or changing sheets. Nurses are role models not only to their patients but also to the entire community and I will commit myself to living a healthy lifestyle to live up to the reputation.
Like most nursing graduates, I will forward to work in a large hospital after graduation. I will work very hard to learn everything I’m supposed to learn to become a reliable and competent medical practitioner. After gaining enough working experience, I’ll move on to depressed areas to provide medical services to the people with very limited opportunity for medical care. I will work not only as a nurse who will provide first aid treatment or take blood pressures but also as a teacher who will give pointers on the importance of health and medicine. I strongly believe that medical care must be given not only to those who can afford it but also to those who actually need it.
Photo Credit : Dominic’s pics
I’m one of the many people who took up a course in college that was chosen by their parents. My mother wanted me to pursue a career in medicine because it has been her dream to be a physician. Since she wasn’t able to fulfill her dream, my mother is now passing them on to me. Being a doctor will earn me respect and admiration from lots of people, but I just think that I’m not suitable for the job. I just don’t see myself making hospital rounds at 5am while asking my intern to grab me a cappuccino. Dissecting a cadaver is definitely not included on my to-do list.
Because of my mother’s insistence, I still took a science-related course when I entered college. I gave it a shot to see if I would enjoy it. I made it through graduation just fine, but I cherished the friends that I made in the university more than the lessons that my professors taught me. I believe that there are other ways to help other people without performing laparascopic surgeries or bone marrow biopsies. One of them is social work.
I became involved with social work because of my wife. When we were still dating, she introduced me to some social workers and I instantly fell in love with the work. It is really fulfilling to have a job that allows you to directly help people who are in need. I help abandoned children find foster homes, help mothers cope with teen pregnancy, and help abused women stand up to their husbands. I think I have found my purpose in helping other people improve their way of living by teaching them how to cope with problems, get along with people, and deal with relationships. Social work, for me, is far from being work. I enjoyed every minute of it.
The only frustration I have with my job is that there are some areas wherein I cannot help other people because of my lack of legal expertise. I started reading books about law and I realized that the only way to extend my services to my fellowmen is to practice law. I know for a fact that being a lawyer is not easy. I have to read hard-to-decipher law books, sort out hard-to-find case ambiguities, and take hard-to-nail bar exams. But if that girl from Legally Blonde can do it, then so can I.
If ever accepted into law school, the specialization of my choice would be family law. With a background in social work, I know how important family is to a person. I know that by specializing in family law, I will be able to help more people deal with divorce and annulments. There’s so many things I can do if I become a family lawyer. I can help divorced people gain spousal support, assist foster parents process adoption papers, or help abused children achieve justice. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to be a good lawyer. I know the hardships and challenges I have to face, but I’m prepared to fight them with patience and determination.
Photo Credit : ernstl
Your personal statement can be seen as a “sample essay about myself”. These essays serve a rather significant role in getting into graduate schools, such as law school. Many people do not realize just how important personal statements are as a part of the application package. The truth is that the sample essay about myself is essential for those who may feel the need to explain black spots in their records. Writing an effective sample essay about myself can also spell the difference between being accepted to law school or not.
The sample essay about myself gives you an opportunity to express yourself in a way that the letters and numbers on your other records cannot. When you write your sample essay about myself, you are given creative and intellectual license over how to represent yourself through an essay. While the letters and numbers on your transcripts may speak of your academic life, the sample essay about myself that you write can speak of your life experiences and how they have made you a better person.
If you feel that there are certain things in your records that need to be explained, you can use the sample essay about myself to do so. For example, if your grades suffered because you had to work while taking classes, you can express this in your sample essay about myself. Just be sure that when you speak of these experiences in your life, you also mention how you have been able to learn from them. Try to write about what you have taken from these experiences, how they have shaped you and how you can apply this growth to your future life, especially in law school.
The sample essay about myself will also help if you are on the borderline of being accepted to the law school. If the law school is on the verge of not accepting you, your sample essay about myself may be the single factor that can sway their decision. Since the sample essay about myself is a platform for revealing your personality, personal development, experiences and achievements, it is a good way of showing who you are and what you believe in.
Personal statements are an effective means of helping you get accepted into law school. More than this, however, the reflection, self-evaluation and thought that goes into creating your sample essay about myself can lead to self-realization and a sense of fulfillment. Take your time to explore yourself and express yourself in a manner indicative of who you are.
Photo Credit : john_a_ward
Many people come to a road block when trying to think of what to write about in their personal statements. Thinking of topics to write about or how to write about them is one of the most difficult parts of making a personal statement. If you are at a loss as to how to go about your personal statement, you may want to continue reading. There are numerous ways that you can spruce up your personal statements, here are some of them.
Recognize your purpose
One of the most important steps to making your personal statement more interesting and exciting is to gather information on what admissions committees look for in a personal statement. The purpose of writing a personal statement is not just to complete the requirements of the application package, but to introduce yourself to the institution at which you are applying. Since your application package will include your records and transcripts, your personal statement should seek to add meaning and richness to all of this other information. Make your personal statement more lively by using specific examples that show your development as a person.
Showing your perspective
If you are having a hard time finding an angle, example or topic to write about, you should try to think back to some of the difficult times in your life. Choose one of the situations in your life when the challenges and circumstances seemed to be stacked against you. Giving your first-person perspective on these events is a good way of sparking interest. Be sure to focus on how you overcame these difficult situations instead of focusing on the difficulty itself. Write about how the situation made you grow and mature, and how the personal qualities and development that you gained through the experience have left you ready for the next step in your life.
Looking towards the future
Another way to spice up your personal statement is to express your dedication and enthusiasm for entering this new stage of your life. The very fact that you have to write a personal statement for application means that you are entering into a new experience in your life. Speak about how you have prepared for this next step in your life and how you are dedicated to being successful. Aside from talking about your past experiences, talking about your aspirations and future plans are another way of evoking interest.
Photo Credit : Phing.
Stories are written with the intention to touch other people’s lives and make a difference in their way of living. The story that touched my life is “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom. It tells the story of a young man who continues to face the challenges of life by keeping in mind all the lessons that his teacher taught him. His teacher, Morrie, is a kind of teacher who gives lessons that go way pass books and journals. He teaches about life and how you should live it.
Like Mitch, I had a special teacher too. Her name was Ms. Parker. Ms. Parker was my high school math teacher. Unlike stereotypical math teachers, Ms. Parker was not scary at all. She was very kind to us and she taught math without making it seem like a whole different language. She explained theorems clearly and she even taught us some new solving techniques. I never taught that I would actually enjoy math. Noticing the vast improvement in my grades, Ms. Parker asked me to join the school’s math club. I was a bit hesitant at first because I was part of the basketball team and in my clique, joining an academic club meant social suicide. Ms. Parker was insistent and she told me that I really have potential. She even told me that I can be a part of the math team if I want to.
I’ve never been the “smart one” in the family. I was always “the jock”. Because of Ms. Parker, I was given the chance to break away from the stereotype that jocks care more about their games than their education. We care about our education but many people find it hard to believe because of our varsity jackets and our cheerleader girlfriends. I joined the math club anyway and I even qualified for the math team. We traveled across the state to represent the school in math contests. Even if we only a won a silver during regionals, I still feel like a winner.
The experience made me re-think my future plans. Back then, I practiced basketball every day to get myself a basketball scholarship to support me through college but now, I actually have a shot at getting a scholarship because of my grades. I learned that it takes a great teacher to help students realize their future. In my case, Ms. Parker made me realize that teaching is my calling. Being a teacher, I know, is not that easy. The role of the teacher goes beyond checking test papers and drawing Carthesian planes. A teacher is a role model. A person who teaches the things that you can’t learn from books.
My grade point average is not as impressive as the other applicants but my grades have improved greatly over the years. Grades, I believe, are not the only basis of a person’s intelligence. I think that it is more important that I learned a lot from all my lessons and that I tried to incorporate them to my life. I wish to extend my love for education to other students by teaching them not only the lessons they need to pass their exams but also those things that they need to get through life. Like Morrie, I want to touch lives. I want to make a difference in this world by helping other students live the good life.
Photo Credit : Paul worthington
