Education Articles from College Matching Service

Twitter Education – Twitter as an Educational Resource

College Matching Service (CMS) has been exploring the education value of Twitter. We found a couple interesting resources while researching education on Twitter, or Twitter Education.

Twitter has what is referred to as a “firehose” of information. With hundreds of thousands of people sending status updates every hour, there is a large amount of data on Twitter that is of value.

To find the education data, you have to perform the proper searches. Once you do so, you can find Twitter users that you wish to follow, or you can save the Twitter search that produces the most accurate results.

Finding Scholarships on Twitter

Recently CMS has been exploring scholarships online. We’ve found that there are very few valuable scholarship resources that are easy to find. The more precise your scholarship search the more fragmented the results become. For example, if you’re looking for classical music scholarships in Colorado, it is going to be very difficult to find something that you qualify for.

What we decided to do was develop a scholarship tool that would help users by limiting their choices. For example, if you’re looking for classical music scholarships, we allow you to select music scholarships. What people don’t often realize is that most music scholarships offered will also include classical music under the umbrella of acceptable programs. Therefore, by directing our users with the scholarship tool, we often achieve a higher success rate in getting scholarships for our visitors.

Of course we provide this tool free of charge. Our goal is to bring thousands of scholarships into one tool that will allow visitors to quickly and easily find a scholarship and apply for it.

Mashing up content for Twitter.

We’ve been coordinating our efforts for scholarships through our Twitter account ScholarshipsUSA. Through unique tools we have developed especially for scholarships on Twitter, we have been posting scholarships on a daily basis to our Twitter account. Everytime we post a scholarship to our website, it gets posted to our Twitter account.

We have also tagged this posting with the hashtag “#scholarship” which will allow people to find it with a scholarship search on Twitter.

Which brings me to my first recommended resource, performing a search for #scholarship on Twitter.

Let me be the first to warn you that you may find results where people are simply promoting their “product” and are not interested in helping you find scholarships. If you have ever heard the term bait & switch, that is a lot of what you will find on Twitter.

So how do I know what is valuable and what isn’t on Twitter?

Usually it doesn’t hurt to checkout anything on Twitter, but for the sake of saving time, here are a few tips to look for:

• If someone is linking to their root website domain, such as http://MyWebsite.com, they are probably just trying to drive traffic to their website, and not provide value to you.
• Look for a shortened link in the Tweet. If there is no link, chances are it is not a valuable resource for you. (bit.ly, 9mp.com, tinyurl.com)
• Beware of results where the same user posts 8-10 times in a row. This could be spam.
• If they don’t have a custom profile image on Twitter, chances are they are spammers.
• Look for something related in their Twitter username, such as education, edu, scholarships, etc.

Keep these things in mind when searching Twitter for valuable resources.

How do I search Twitter for valuable resources?

Keep in mind there are two ways to search on Twitter. Checkout this article by Joshua Odmark that explains keywords on Twitter. Essentially this article states there are two ways to search on Twitter. As a hashtag and without.

e.g. #education AND education

As you can see, one has a “#” preceding it, and one does not. Hashtag searches always contain no spaces. For example, “#EducationScholarships” as compared to “Education Scholarships”. The hashtag version of the search will return far more specific results, and thus far less results. Most of the time when I am researching education on Twitter I search for both of them and compare the results.

Stick to generalized searches on Twitter. Unfortunately Twitter has not perfected the search results just yet. They are working on it though, because they keep hiring Google employees to help them in their real-time search.

Speaking of real-time search, that is EXACTLY what Twitter is. Which means, when you perform the search is absolutely critical if it is a broad search term. For example, a search for “education” returns results minute by minute. A search for “#education” returns results hour by hour.

That means that when you perform the “education” search is critically important. Which also means that to research Twitter properly, you must perform general searches at multiple times throghout the day

I have found it best to search during peak times, such as about 8:40AM and 9:00PM.

Valuable Twitter Education Resources

Twitter

• College Matching Service
• ScholarshipsUSA
• OnlineCollegeUS
• FafsaHelp
• EducationWeek
• Education_com
• Education

Other Resources

• WeFollow.com Scholarships
• WeFollow.com Education
• Edmodo
• More Edmodo

If you are planning to opt for a tuition assistance program, it would be good if you are fully aware of the various aspects associated with these programs. These are:-

• Employer pays directly: Your employer will pay for your educational program at the beginning of the course; as such you do not have to spend any amount personally.
• Employer reimburses after completion of the course: The employer pays after the completion of the whole educational program or after completion of every semester. In this type the employee may have to pay from his own pocket initially.
• Educational materials and tools: Employers may pay for various study materials and tools like textbooks, computing equipment and other supplies. The payment may be made upfront or reimbursed at the discretion of the employer.
• Travel Assistance: The employer pays for any expenditure on travel related to education or professional development like attending conventions/ conventions or courses at institutions which are located at a distance.
• Leave: The employer may provide tuition assistance on the condition that the employee has to attend office regularly but there may be employers who allow their employees to take leave for the duration of the educational program and do deduct it from their dedicated personal holidays as well.
• Training on the Job: Many employers have developed detailed training programs which are as good as conventional educational training programs. In these programs employees get trained while working on their jobs. Several employers also tie up with local community colleges which award credits to the employees who complete the training programs.
• Tuition Assistance for spouses and dependents: There are companies which also provide tuition assistance to the spouses or other dependents of their employees.
• Savings Program for College: Some companies offer a savings program for education of their employees. In such programs the employee would be making regular contributions and these contributions would be matched by the employer.

Though education should is the fundamental right of every human being, it has unfortunately become prohibitively expensive. The rising cost of tuition fees, prices of books and other study materials, hostel and other living expenses, has made it very difficult for students to carry on with higher studies. Many intelligent students, with bright futures leave studies because they are unable to arrange for the required finances. This is extremely sad and should never happen with anyone who aspires to have a good education.

A student who is not being able to pay for his college or university expenses, should consider taking a student loan, instead of taking the drastic step of giving up studies. Students’ loans have a lot of benefits. They cover students’ expenses for the following things:

• Tuition fees
• Cost of study materials/books
• Living expenses

Students can ask for the amount they would need to fund their years in college/university. The government stands as a guarantee for the student loans, so the credit ratings of the applicants are usually not checked.

However students, who are planning to take loans, should keep the following things in mind:

• They should be careful while managing their personal finances. They should calculate the right amount needed by them, so that they do not end up borrowing more than they need. This would unnecessarily increase the burden on them while paying back.
• They should spend the loan amount carefully, so that it serves the need it has been taken for. Quite often students spend the loan money, in things other than studies and later on land in a soup. Students should ensure that they do not land in such a position
• The students should start paying of the loan as soon as they can afford, so that they do not end up paying an unnecessary amount of interest.

People who are working and would like to further their education, but cannot afford to pay the cost of tuition and other charges, often look towards educational loans for assistance. But educational loans come with the obligation of paying back. And the payback includes the principal amount plus the accumulated interest.

Though student loans are extremely helpful to most people, the folks who are already employed have another handsome option in their hand that is, getting the desired degree without spending anything at all! Now how is that possible? It sounds too good to be true…these are some of the questions that must be coming to your mind right now. But then you have to believe that it is true, there are conditions involved, but none so tough that you will not be able to fulfill. What is being referred to here is known as tuition assistance program. According to this program the employers reimburse the expenses that the employee incurred for taking a degree, while working for them. Now why would any employer do such a thing? Unless he or she is s great charitable soul…the reality is that the employers needn’t be a charitable soul to do this. They can profit from funding their employees’ education.

Now if the company you work for, already has a tuition reimbursement program in place, then your task has been made much easier. You only have to get in touch with the people concerned with executing the program and get to know how you could take advantage of the program. But if your company does not have any such program, then you can talk to your employer and convince him/her by telling how it would benefit the company. You can take the following things in to account:-

· You will be able to take up more important/challenging responsibilities.

· The education would update your knowledge and skills, which would enhance your productivity.

· You will be able to bring in new ideas.

· You will be trained with new skills that will help you take up additional work.

There are several sources that awards scholarship money to students every year. You can find these opportunities if you have good understanding of different types of scholarships in detail. Wading through numerous resources may appear a frightening task; however, if you are serious about discovering legal ways by which you can fund your university education, the job of learning about different opportunities are highly essential. Let us now discuss few popular scholarships that will help you to distinguish and choose the right scholarship for you.

College Scholarships

Some colleges and universities offer financial awards for specific university. If you have decided which college to attend, it might be to your profit to look for schools that award school-specific scholarships. Every college does not award school-specific scholarships, but it is a better to do some research in advance so that you do not end up with disappointment.

Athletic Scholarships

Athletic scholarships are less popular compared to other monetary awards; however, that does not make them less viable. Students who do not excel academically, but are amazing in athletics, can fund their university or college education with athletic scholarship alone. However, these days, athletic scholarships are highly competitive. Students who excel athletically must find out schools that award athletic scholarships to talented athletes.

Academic Scholarships

These awards are college-specific and are given to brilliant scholars who stand out academically. These are basically merit-based scholarships and are quite competitive. Although, you might have to submit separate applications for these scholarships, they are often included with financial aid package provided by the school.

There are several ways to cover the cost of university education, and numerous scholarship opportunities are waiting for you. You must devote little effort and time to find out the right scholarship opportunities for which you are eligible. If you are serious about continuing your education and want to cover the cost yourself, scholarships are the best way to start with.

A scholarship application plays a major role in funding your education. A well written application can make the process very simple and fast for you. It’s just like writing an essay for any high school or college class. The ideas that you put into must be well thought out. Your application should be free errors (grammatical and spelling). It should also address the topic in depth. A person applying for a scholarship should always bear in mind that there are billions of dollars worth of scholarships available every year, therefore the competition is tough. Your application must stand out above the rest to make you seem that most eligible candidate for the scholarship. Here are the steps that you can follow to make writing a scholarship application a very simple task:

• Craft a perfect outline: Before you can start writing, you must brainstorm and create an outline for your application to follow. The simplest method is to write down the main topics in a paper. Jot down as many supporting details as possible. After that, organize your topic and details into an outline. Once you are done with this step, the application will be much easier to complete.
• Make your application stand out: The committee which assesses the college applications in the majority of colleges, look for attributes that make the applications stand out from others. Therefore, while writing your scholarship application, you should look for opportunities to make your application as personal as possible. In other words, focus on your strengths and give direct examples when ever possible.
• Look for reference: Your application should of course be unique if you want it to stand out in the eyes of the review committee. You can ask your high school guidance counselor to give you some examples of scholarship-winning essays.
• Vivid language: Do not fill your application essay with meaningless adjectives and adverbs. Clear and vivid language will capture the attention of the essay review committee.
• Address the topic: Ensure that you address the topic assigned thoroughly. The review committee is typically looks for specific areas to be addressed. Remember, not to overlook or disregard any part of the given question or topic.
• Check your grammar: Don’t just trust on your eyes for proofreading. Take the help of two or more people to proofread your paper and look for any spelling and grammatical errors.

Scholarships are free funds that cover large portion of student expenses. Scholarships can be a good means to find college education; however, many students contest for few awards and all are not chosen for financial aid. Once you get the names of scholarships for which you are eligible, you must decide which one is worth to apply for.

What You Should Do To Apply For The Best Scholarships

There are several places to apply for the best scholarship if you:

• Contact you university financial assistance office
• Research them online
• Take advice from the past scholarship winners
• Ask you counselor

How Can You Apply And Where To Apply

List of scholarships which match the individual ability of a student can be obtained online from several sources such as Scholarships.com, Scholarship Experts and Fastweb. Once you fill up some personal information, the website will display all scholarship types in their database. All scholarships are not created equally, and the possibility of winning scholarships is related directly to the number of people qualified for the award.

Contests are usually open for all despite activities, major and even GPA. Possibly, these are worst of all, since numerous students are expected to submit an application and the winners may be chosen arbitrarily. These types of contests are generally part of corporate promotion, hence unless you are able to register within 5 minutes, simply skip it.

Institutional scholarships are preferable, but they are open to everyone majoring in certain subjects or everyone at particular school. Suppose the scholarship needs a specific major or certain skills or hobbies, very few students will apply for it, and your chances of getting selected will increase greatly.

The best scholarship that you can apply for are based on company specific employment or group memberships. Community charities and professional societies sometimes offer generous financial assistance; however, they are choosy about whom to allow for application. If the parents of the students work for some company with employee scholarship programs or family tuition benefits, these are a good source of the low-competition college funds.

Try to focus on career-specific and local scholarships, and avoid national programs that give raffle-style awards.

Scholarships have made it a lot easier for multitudes of students to pursue their dreams of attending college. Scholarship money takes care of your education, and you do not even have to pay it back! However, though scholarships are readily available, there aren’t enough of them for every student. So when applying for scholarship, you have to ensure that your application does not get rejected on any ground. Here are some mistakes that students commonly make during the application process.

Applying for only one or two scholarships.

This will severely undermine your chances of getting a good scholarship. There are numerous scholarship schemes available. Apply to as many possible, keeping in mind the criteria match. The more you apply for, the better your chances of getting one.

Not following the directions.

Each scholarship has a set of instructions to be followed while filling out the forms. Fill in the entire form without leaving any blank spaces. Do not send generalized application packets to all the scholarship programs as this would only guarantee failure.

Writing a sloppy application.

Reviewers have hordes of applications to go through. So if they find one which cannot be read or is filled with spelling or grammatical errors, it is most likely to find is way to the bin. To avoid this, read over your application carefully and correct the mistakes, however small they may be. The best way to file your application is to type it out. If you cannot do this, make sure your application is neat, legible and free from errors.

Missing the deadlines.

This is one of the most common mistakes in the scholarship application process. Keep a close check on the submission dates and make sure you do not miss them. Failure to meet the deadlines reflects negatively on your organizational capabilities.

Avoid scholarship scams prevalent in the current scenario.

Keep away from scholarship programs asking for your bank information or advance money.

Be aware of these common mistakes and you will be able to sail through college on the best scholarship.

Money becomes an important issue in the college admission process. Students often drop-out due to lack of funds. Today, however, there are numerous ways to get over the crunch and keep your dreams alive. A little bit of hard work can ensure a free education for you. Scholarship money is readily available but you will have to spend some effort in accessing it. If you are ready to sweat it out for a college scholarship, here are some tips that will take you a long way.

1. Search for scholarships matching your eligibility. Apply to as many of them as possible.
2. Fill out the application forms carefully, paying attention to the details. Submit all the data required.
3. Make your application neat and legible. With so many applications to go through, scholarship reviewers reject ones that are haphazard and illegible.
4. Read through your application before sending it out. Edit it carefully, keeping a close check on spellings, punctuation and grammar. An application that is free from such mistakes is sure to leave a favorable impression on the reviewers.
5. Keep an eye on the submission dates. Have all the information ready and submit your application well before the deadlines.

Another very critical aspect of scholarship applications these days is having to avoid the increasing number of scholarship scams. Here are some ways to help you identify and keep away from them.

1. Any scholarship that asks you to pay money in advance should be strictly avoided.
2. Do not give out your credit card number or any bank information. Some scholarship programs claim it to be a part of their mandatory verification process, but there are other verification checks that can be conducted and you don’t need to supply your bank information.
3. Avoid scholarships that claim to be a part of some contest. Scholarships are awards, not something to be won in a lottery.

If you keep these simple guidelines in mind, you will not only find it easier to acquire a scholarship, but also be able to avoid falling into traps.

Finding out financial assistance for any online university or college may seem tedious and dreary. Online colleges and universities take part in several loan and grant programs as traditional universities and colleges. Financial assistance programs are designed to aid students having financial problems. Online universities afford enough financial assistance resources to encourage enrollment and provide the opportunity for higher education. They also provide information to the students regarding filling out FAFSA online. Not all educational facilities online are legal. This has made getting financial aid for online universities and colleges even more difficult.

Steps To Find Financial Aid For Online Education

• Confirm that the online college or university chosen by you is legal. If your college is valid it will be credited with national or regional committees. You can visit the website of United States Department of Education to find out whether the college chosen by you is accredited or not.

• Fill out the FAFSA (Free Application For Federal Student Aid) application form. You can take out the print out of FAFSA application from the website and email it. This form helps the federal government to decide whether you will get financial assistance or not.

• Create a free profile on FastWeb site. This website provides numerous grants and scholarships depending on specific situation. The website will generate a list having numerous financial assistance options for students to apply for; they do not need to pay back the grants and scholarships.

• Search online using the term “Online Student Financial Assistance” in order to find out the online universities and colleges which provide tuition, aid. Some of these universities may not be certified, yet they may still provide financial assistance.

• You may call the financial aid office of your chosen college and ask for the options. The financial assistance representatives will know how to assist you to find financial help for online education.