Depending on the members and atmosphere, study groups can be either help a student grow or can pull a student down.

In today’s post, I discuss the potential advantages of joining a study group.  Remember, though, that these advantages are only present in good study groups.

1. Procrastination Solution

Because study groups meet at regular times, attending students cannot procrastinate.

If alone, a student might postpone studying until the night before class. When in a study group, however, students have to be present at a specific time, and they are not able to procrastinate (unless they skip the study group completely).

If you struggle with procrastination, a study group might just be the solution for you!

2. Learn Faster

Working together, students in study groups can generally learn faster than students working alone.

For instance, some part of the textbook that seems completely confusing to you could be quite clear to another student.  In a study group, instead of spending valuable time puzzling over the difficulty, you can learn quickly by simply asking a question.

In addition, you can help your fellow students also when they have difficulties understanding something that you do understand.

3. Get New Perspectives

If you study by yourself, you will always see your material from the same perspective – yours.

While this may not be a problem, getting fresh perspectives on a topic can help you learn it more thoroughly.

Study groups are the perfect places to find these new perspectives. As you listen and ask questions, you will soon start noticing a wide variety of different viewpoint on the same idea.

This will force you to think more about your position and will, therefore, develop your critical thinking skills while helping you study.

4. Learn New Study Skills

In addition to learning new perspectives on a topic, you can also find new study techniques.

During the college years, each student develops his own particular study methods. While yours may work excellently, you probably can still find ways to improve your learning abilities and sharpen your mind.

By joining a study group, you will have opportunity to observe a wide variety of study methods in action. After considering the pros and cons, you can improve your own study regimen by incorporating the best methods with your own.

In addition, you can help your other study members improve by sharing your favorite study tricks also.

5. Breaks The Monotony

Studying by yourself, especially for long periods of time, can become a monotonous activity.

However, by joining a study group, you can break this monotony… and learn faster!

Because of the social aspect of a study group, you will always have someone to discuss the topic with when you start struggling or find the topic tedious.

In addition, the auditory factor of study groups can help auditory learners and students who dislike the silence of studying alone.

If you find some class particularly tedious, consider joining a study group to make it more enjoyable.

6. Fill In Learning Gaps

Study groups provide an excellent opportunity to fill in gaps in your notes.

By comparing notes with other students, you can evaluate your accuracy, fix any errors, and get ideas for better note taking.

If, on the other hand, you are a great note taker, you can help other students who had note taking problems fix their mistakes and learn better techniques.

Conclusion

Before you go and join a study group, remember that all groups are not created equal.  Choose your companions carefully or study by yourself.

Have you joined study groups?  What are your thoughts?

Free Tips on College eBooks
- Tips On Paying For College
- Tips On Writing In College
- Tips On Preparing For College

Unfortunately, many college students view budgets just as they do taxes – as financial nuisances to be avoided if possible. If you truly want to become financially free, however, you need to learn to budget successfully.

Follow the six tips mentioned here, and you will be well on your way.

1. Budget Realistically

If you have never successfully used a budget, don’t set yourself up for failure by creating unreasonably high goals when you start. For instance, a person who normally spends hundreds of dollars a month on coffee should not suddenly set his budget to only allow for five dollars a month. A rule like that is almost certain to be broken.

Instead, make your budget reasonably similar to your current spending patterns and change it slowly – over the period of a few months.

2. Know Why You Budget

Motivation is an important key to successful budgeting. If you are simply keeping a budget because a friend said it was “a good idea”, you are not likely to keep budgeting for long.

Before you start budgeting, answer the important question: “Why?”

Depending on your situation, the answer could be to pay off debt, save for retirement, or get more control over your money.

3. Save For Your Future

When you create your budget categories, remember to allocate as much money as possible for savings.

Although retirement may seem far in the distant future, it will come all to quickly if you do not start saving now. If you just put aside a little money during the early years of college, it will multiply exponentially by the time you retire. If, however, you do not invest early, you will have to save much more later on with less result.

Obviously, for many debt free college students saving money may seem impossible. However, if you eliminate all unnecessary expenses, you can almost always save something.

Saving even just a penny per month is better than saving nothing.

4. Budget Luxury Items

To make you budget achievable, you need to dedicate a certain amount of money to spending.

Depending on how much money you spend currently, the amount funneled to this fund will vary.

When setting your budget, be careful to avoid setting this category either unrealistically low or extravagantly high. Look for the happy middle.

Once your discretionary spending limit is set, determine to never spend more – even if your favorite store has a 60% off sale.

5. Prepare For Emergencies

Car breakdown. Computer failure. Bicycle theft. Though never planned, unexpected emergencies should be anticipated in a budget. If you have every penny of you money dedicated to some use, what will you do in an emergency?

The key is an “emergency fund”.

Built up over a period of months, this budget category should always have about a thousand dollars. Then, when an emergency comes it will not break the bank – just the emergency fund.

Always work hard to keep this fund full and ready for action.

6. Watch The Little Things

The biggest, most deadly danger to your new budget seems small and insignificant. Little expenses are actually public enemy number one.

Two dollars for candy, three for a snack, and you will soon be faced with a budget collapse.

As one of my favorite authors, J. C. Ryle, said, “A small leak will sink a great ship, and a small spark will kindle a great fire.”

Beware of the little expenses that are not included in your budget!

By following these six tips for budgeting, you are well on your way to being a debt-free and financially-free student!

Do you use a budget?

Free Tips on College eBooks
- Tips On Paying For College
- Tips On Writing In College
- Tips On Preparing For College

Because college students are meeting so many new people, college can be an excellent time for networking. However, a distracted student can also successfully complete all of college without building a strong network.

To make the most of your networking chances and develop your own network, follow the five tips below.

#1 Create Your Personal “Elevator Pitch”

An elevator pitch, also known as a marketing message, is simply a short description of your company… or, in this case, yourself. The term “elevator pitch” refers to the brevity – about the time of an elevator trip.

In networking, you will use your elevator pitch to quickly (in about one sentence) explain the who, what, when, where, and why of your personal career to a new acquaintance.

Every person should have their own descriptive, short elevator pitch ready at all times.

#2 Use a Professional Business Card

Even before you start looking for a job, you should design your personal business card.

Using a graphic design program or even a simple word processor, you can create a clean, simple card in minutes that will reap many long-term benefits.

When you print your card, go the extra mile to produce it on high quality paper. This card will be your representative, so you want it to look as professional as possible.

Always remember to keep a stock of these cards handy in case you meet someone new.

#3 Follow the 80/20 Rule

In order to build strong relationships, you need to understand how to manage a conversation in such a way that the other person feels important and honored.

To do this, try to listen about eighty percent of the time and only talk about twenty percent. Obviously, this will not always be possible, but it is a good goal.

#4 Remember Names

Another very important key to building a strong network is remembering people’s names. When you meet someone, take note of their name.

A person will be pleasantly surprised if you remember their name the next time you meet, and your relationship will be improved.

Improving your memory is an important part of building a strong network.

#5 Ask Open-ended Questions

Asking open-ended questions will help you get to know a person better, and it will also help you follow the 80/20 rule.

Ask questions related to your interests and career, and you will likely learn quite a bit from people you meet.

Since I like reading, I often ask people what books they have read recently. Through this, I have received many useful book recommendations.

Use open questions to build a relationship and to improve your learning.

What are your tips for networking?

Free Tips on College eBooks
- Tips On Paying For College
- Tips On Writing In College
- Tips On Preparing For College

Since your resume will be a representative of you – often to people who have never met you personally – you need to design your resume to create a good first impression and interest your potential employer.

To make your resume as good as possible, remember to apply these eight tips as you write.

#1 Be Formal and Concise

When writing your resume, do not write it in a first-person, informal style. While this may seem natural to you, your potential employer will find it sloppy and distracting.

For example, do not write, “I built a completely remodeled website for XYZ Company.” Instead, you should say, “Redesigned website for XYZ Company.”

By writing in this short, concise style, you will make your resume more persuasive and readable.

#2 Use Specifics

You can also improve your resume by including specific details that show exactly what you did.

Drawing from our last example, you can improve your sentence even more by writing, “Doubled sales over a three month period by redesigning website for XYZ Company.”

This sentence is highly persuasive because it communicates specific details in a concise manner.

#3 Be Personal

Although formality is important, you need to avoid being impersonal. The main way you can avoid this trap is by not trying to sound impressive by over using keywords and industry jargon.

While some jargon is good and should be used, too much simply makes you sound bloated and impersonal.

#4 Remove Irrelevant Information

Since you, as a college student, probably do not have much experience to list on your resume, it can be tempting to fill the empty space with irrelevant information. Resist the urge.

Unless directly related to your profession, your hobbies should not be listed on your resume. The same goes for personal details such as age and marital status.

Including irrelevant information will make you look inexperienced and will make it harder for you potential employer to find the truly important parts of your resume.

Only include information on your resume that will help you get an interview. Remove the filler content.

#5 Spell Check Manually

It goes without saying that you should spell check your resume. After all, if this short document will represent you, shouldn’t you make it as perfect as possible?

However, many writers forget to manually spell check. In the age of computers, most spelling errors are automatically caught by the computer, but some are not.

What if you accidentally wrote “their” instead of “there”?

Check through your resume manually to find any embarrassing typos.

#6 Check The Grammar

In addition to checking your spelling, you also need to evaluate your grammar. Depending on your language skills, you many need to get someone else to help you with this, but do not leave your grammar unchecked.

Do you really want to lose your dream job just because your resume has a sentence fragment?

#7 Get It Proofread

After you have checked your resume for spelling and grammar errors, it is time to have someone else proofread it for you.

Preferably, find someone in the same industry as you so that they can help you use the proper terminology.

If that is impossible, find someone who understands writing and can help you catch any silly mistakes.

Getting a fresh perspective on your resume can help you perfect it.

#8 Format Properly

Once the content of your resume is completed, remember to format it properly.

In general, you should have plenty of white space, organized content, clean headers, and readable text.

However, specifics can vary from industry to industry (especially if you are in graphics design), so check with someone in the industry.

By applying these eight tips to your resume, you can increase your likelihood of getting an interview… and a job.

Have you written your resume yet? If so, what are your tips?

Free Tips on College eBooks
- Tips On Paying For College
- Tips On Writing In College
- Tips On Preparing For College

What makes the difference between and ultra-producer and an under-producer?

The answer is simple: time management.

Learning how to effectively manage your time will help you accomplish more, enjoy more, and stress less. In fact, properly using your time will take you far down the road to academic success!

If you want to do more in less time, apply these tips to your own life.

#1 Plan Ahead

Each night, before you go to bed, think over your goals and priorities and determine your schedule for the next day.

By planning ahead, you stop yourself from wasting time wondering what to do, and you also save yourself from the trap of devoting too much time to a low-priority project.

#2 Early To Rise

As Benjamin Franklin rightly stated, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

By taking advantage of the early morning hours, you can accomplish quite a bit before most others even wake up!

Getting this early start will help you stay disciplined and motivated throughout the day.

#3 Set Priorities

Instead of attacking your tasks in random order, set priorities.

This will keep you from wasting time on unnecessary tasks and from accidentally leaving a critical project uncompleted.

For example, my bicycle could use a good washing, but, when I set my priorities yesterday, I realize that I should be spending my time on writing this article instead. My bicycle can be washed another day, but this article needs to be published today.

#4 Establish Routines

If you complete your tasks in different orders every day, you will waste precious time trying to remember what to do next. If you, instead, establish a routine, you can increase your efficiency and have more available time.

#5 Use a Daily To-Do List

This is an idea that I have been personally practicing for the last couple of months. Rather than simply trying to remember what I need to accomplish, I write it down in a small notebook.

This keeps me focused during the day and helps me to evaluate my progress at night.

#6 Minimize Downtime

Rather than wasting the time spent standing in lines and waiting at the doctor’s, try to find ways to use that time.

For instance, you can take a book with you to the doctor’s office and read while you are waiting. If you forget to bring something, you can always plan your schedule in your head or talk with someone.

The key is to find something productive to do rather than simply watching time pass.

#7 Take Breaks

Although it may seem counter-productive, taking breaks can actually help you accomplish more.

For instance, a student studying for two hours straight will accomplish some, but a student who breaks that time into twenty-five minute intervals with exercise breaks between will likely learn much more.

Taking short breaks can help clear your mind and prepare it for more information.

#8 Minimize Distractions

The modern college student is assailed on all sides: email, cell phones, Facebook, and Twitter all call for your attention and distract from the project at hand.

One of the most important steps to effectively using your time is to remove these distractions. Only complete these activities at regularly scheduled times (remember tip #4) and unplug for the rest of the day. Although you will not see your new emails instantly, you will be much more productive.

By applying these tips to your life, you can make the most of your available time. Your time is valuable: use it with care!

What is your favorite time management tip?

Free Tips on College eBooks
- Tips On Paying For College
- Tips On Writing In College
- Tips On Preparing For College

To help you set your priorities and decide what to spend your time on, I have compiled this list of 25 things every college student should do.

Financial

1. Keep a Budget – Design your own budget and follow it.

2. Win a Scholarship – Work hard enough to win at least on scholarship.

3. Start a Savings Account – Learn to start saving your money.

4. File Your Own Tax Return – It is long and hard, but filing your own taxes is a part of becoming an adult.

Learning

5. Get To Know Your Professors – Don’t just attend their classes, invite them out to lunch.

6. Learn a Foreign Language – In our increasingly-international world, this is a very important skill.

7. Learn To Study – If you learn how to learn, you know more than most people.

8. Ask Questions In Class – Don’t be afraid to ask useful questions in class – it will help you and your fellow students.

9. Tutor Another Student – Teaching another student will help you learn better.

Career Building

10. Write a Resume – This will help you find a good job after school.

11. Start a Website – Though not for everyone, a good website can set you apart in your field.

12. Find a Mentor – In your freshman year, find a mentor who is well established in your chosen field.

13. Complete an Internship – This will help you gain valuable experience not found in books.

14. Build a Network – You will be able to find a job much faster with a large network.

Planning

15. Create Yearly Goal Lists – This will help you to accomplish more.

16. Develop a Daily Routine – Having a daily schedule will make you more effective.

17. Build a Five Year Plan – Know where you want to go and how you want to get there.

Communication

18. Practice Public Speaking – In nearly any career field, good speaking skills will help you advance.

19. Learn To Write – This skill is just as important as speaking.

20. Write an Article for Your Campus Paper – This will help you hone your writing skills.

Health

21. Cook From Scratch – Learn to cook something other than Ramon noodles.

22. Establish a Workout Routine – Keep your body healthy, and you will be able to accomplish much more.

Other

23. Read Biographies – Learn from the successes and failures of others. I have a goal of reading 50 this year.

24. Find a Hobby – Something that you enjoy doing in your spare time. Mine is blogging.

25. Go Camping – Every person should do this at least once.

What are your goals for college?

Free Tips on College eBooks
- Tips On Paying For College
- Tips On Writing In College
- Tips On Preparing For College

Students who are able to write a strong, persuasive essay will do much better than students who never learn to write well.

By applying the eight tips outlined below, you can do much to improve your writing… and your grades!

#1 Start Early

If you are like me, you normally procrastinate until the last possible moment. While this can be very tempting, essay assignments (and other tasks for that matter) should be completed well in advance.

If you try to pound out an essay the night before it is due, you will not have much time to edit, and the result will be a less-effective paper.

To give yourself enough time to properly perfect your essay, finish your first draft well in advance of the due date, and then edit it a few times before submitting it.

#2 Research Well

Before you even begin writing, invest time in researching. Although you might not want to wait, proper researching will help you to write a topical, organized essay that will get a top grade.

If you are researching online, remember to use the great resources mentioned in this post.

#3 Use An Outline

When I first began outlining, I was convinced that it was simply a time waster. After all, what is the point of outlining?

Since that time, my opinion has completely changed. Rather than considering it a useless extra, I believe outlining is arguably the most important part of the entire process of writing!

Once I have designed a thorough outline, (or, skeleton, as my teacher calls it) adding the “flesh” is a quick and simple process.

Using an outline will help you stay topical, logical, and organized.

#4 Use a Strong Attention Getter

To start your essay well, you should capture your reader’s interest within the first one or two sentences. If you cannot pique their curiosity during that first part, your professors are unlikely to read your essay as thoroughly, and, as a result, you will likely get a lower grade.

Although there are many different ways to get attention, some of my favorite are:

• Startling Statistics
• Thought-provoking Questions
• Exciting Stories

Whatever method you use, make sure that it is closely related to the rest of your essay.

#5 Use Examples

As you continue your essay, use plenty of examples.

Do not simply state a fact:

“College is useful.”

Instead, use a story:

“I realized the usefulness of college when I applied for my first job at…”

When needing examples, look to these three sources:

• Personal Experience
• History
• Literature

Using these stories will help you illustrate your points and keep your reader’s attention.

#6 Be Detailed

Make sure to add plenty of detail by using descriptive nouns, verbs, and modifiers.

For instance, do not write:

“The man walked down the road.”

Instead, write:

“The tall gentleman in the brown suit trotted down the shady country drive.”

Your goal is to paint a clear picture in your reader’s head.

#7 Be Concise

Just as it is important to be detailed, it is also necessary to be concise. Be descriptive, but do not use superfluous words.

Keeping your essay concise will make you much more persuasive.

#8 Edit

Once you finish your first draft, do not think that you are done. Your rough draft is probably just that – unfinished!

After letting your essay rest for a day, come back to it and complete your second, edited, draft. By leaving it untouched for a day, you make it possible to see your essay from a fresh perspective.

Often, you will be surprised how many obvious errors escaped unnoticed through the first draft.

Good editing skills are a major key to strong writing.

What are your thoughts on essay writing?

Free Tips on College eBooks
- Tips On Paying For College
- Tips On Writing In College
- Tips On Preparing For College

Last August, I participated in the Back To School: Better Together computer promotion sponsored by HP, Microsoft, Timbuk2, and Syncables which include two reviews and giveaway of four products: the HP Pavilion Dv6 with Windows Vista, the HP Mini 110 with Windows XP, a Timbuk2 computer bag, and Syncables computer synchronizing software. Today’s post is a six month review of all these products.

When I wrote my first reviews last August, I said that I planned to write a series of three more reviews.  Unfortunately, due to unexpected busyness and major upcoming changes, I will not be able to write as many reviews as I originally planned.  Instead, this six month review will be my only long-term review.

This review post is divided into four sections: one for each part of the Back To School giveaway package.

HP Pavilion Dv6

As I said in my first review of this computer, I am continually amazed by this powerful computer.  I have used it as my primary computer during the last six months, and I estimate that I have spent more than 400 hours operating the Dv6.

Pros

I have truly enjoyed using this computer.  Some of my favorite features are:

• Fast Speed – It nearly always operates very quickly. (Although, ironically, it just froze as I was typing this.)
• High-Quality Audio – I use the speakers frequently to play the Bible on CD as I go to sleep at night.  The built-in speakers on this computer are so good that I do not remember never needing external speakers!
• Turn-Off Light – I have continued to enjoy the light that tells me when the computer is turned off.
• Normal Number Pad – This computer comes with a normal sized number pad that has been very handy for entering book ISBN numbers into my reading software.

Cons

• Fingerprint Reader – Although the fingerprint reader on this computer works well, I have not found much of a need for it.
• Getting Slower – I have had a few problems with my computer getting slower over time.  However, after I defragmented and cleaned, it seems to be back to normal.
• Hard To Open – I have been somewhat frustrated by the difficulty of opening this computer.  Because it is so light, you have to use both hands to open it.

Other Thoughts

• Fan Noise – In my original review, I mentioned a loud fan noise.  I do not notice that problem any more, so it may have been related to the heat wave, or I may simply be used to it.
• Volume Clicking – I originally had a problem with a clicking noise when I adjusted the volume.  One of the commentors has sense shown how to fix it.

Overall

I am very pleased with this computer, and I strongly recommend it.

HP Mini 110

Although I have not used the HP Mini nearly as much as the Dv6, I have been very impressed by the power contained in this little, ultra-portable netbook.

Pros

• Battery Life – This computer has superb battery life which makes it perfect for a college student who needs a battery to last all day.
• Non-reflective Screen – The screen on this netbook does not reflect, so you can use it even on a sunny day.
• Ultra-portable – Because of its small size (10 in. by 7 in.), you can carry it virtually anywhere.

Cons

• Operating System – Because this computer runs Windows XP, it is starting to be very outdated.  So far, however, I have not run into any compatibility problems.
• No Built-In CD Drive – This can make it difficult to install new programs or download new information unless you get an external drive.

Other Thoughts

• Different Keyboard – Although I originally had some frustrations with the slightly different keyboard, I have since become accustomed to it.  It just takes a little time.

Overall

This computer has worked perfectly for all my word processing needs.  Although I have never used any other netbooks, I think this computer must be one of the best netbooks available.

Timbuk2 Hemlock Backpack

Although I have not used this bag much, it has performed quite admirably.

Pros

• Perfect Size For Laptop- The HP Pavilion Dv6 barely fits in the laptop compartment.
• Plenty of Extra Space – In addition to the laptop compartment, this bag contains a large section for textbooks and other things.
• Key Storage – This backpack even contains a hidden pocket for key storage!
• Perfect for Bicycling – If you do much biking, you know the frustration of storing a heavy, clumsy U-lock.  This backpack has a pocket specifically designed to hold it.

Cons

• Frustrating Top – The main compartment is accessed by unrolling a long piece of extra fabric.  I am sure this has some use, but I have not yet found it.
• No Chest Strap – This backpack does not have a chest strap which can make it more uncomfortable to wear.

Overall

I have not used this enough to give a strong recommendation, but I am pleased with its performance so far.

Syncables Software

The last part of this package was file transfer software.  Although this could potentially be useful, I found it more frustrating than helpful.

Pros

• Transfers Files – It does move your files from one computer to another.

Cons

• Requires Registration – To use this software, you have to register an account and sign in every time you transfer.
• Too Big For The Netbook – This program is too big for the netbook’s screen unless you minimize the task bar.
• Requires Internet Access – Before you can transfer, both computers must have internet access.  For me, that means using unsecured Wi-Fi.

Overall

I have not been happy with this product, and I would recommend simply using a USB drive to transfer files.

Wanted: Your Feedback

If you have used any of these products, I would love to hear what you think about them!

Free Tips on College eBooks
- Tips On Paying For College
- Tips On Writing In College
- Tips On Preparing For College

This is part two of my series on college burnout.  In part one, I examined some of the symptoms burnout victims experience. In part two, I explained some of the causes of burnout. Today, in part three, I will mention some ways to recover from burnout.

If you think that you are experiencing the symptoms of college burnout, some of the tips outlined below might help you recover.

1. Contact Your Doctor

If you think you are suffering burnout, contact your doctor as soon as possible. Not only can your doctor help evaluate whether you really have burnout, but he can also help you recover if you do have burnout.

Also, remember that the ideas mentioned in this post are not medical advice and should not be used without your doctor’s advice.

2. Get More Sleep

Lack of sleep builds stress and can, over a long period of time, cause burnout. Therefore, if you are suffering from burnout, you may want to evaluate whether your stress is caused by too little sleep.

3. Lessen Course Load

A too-rigorous schedule can also cause burnout. If you are trying to do too much, stress can build up quickly.

If this is the cause of your burnout, simply lessening your course load might solve the whole problem.

4. Become More Social

If you have been a working too much and not spending enough time socializing, that might be the entire problem.

Start spending more time with others, and your burnout might burn itself out!

5. Start a Hobby

If you have been spending too much time working on school, work, and other difficult tasks, you might want to start adding more free time to your schedule.

During this newly found time, consider starting a hobby. Don’t worry about choosing one that is closely related to your projected career plan, but, instead, find one that you truly enjoy.

6. Cut Some Extracurriculars

If you participate in too many school-related activities, it may have the same effect as taking too many classes.

Stop some of the activities and replace them with a hobby as outlined in tip five.

7. Consider Changing Majors

Another possible cause of burnout is working toward a major that does not fit you well.

Although changing majors may seem like a big step, it is much easier to change majors in college than to change careers after college.

In fact, if you change early enough in college, changing majors might not take any extra time.

8. Gap Year

If you are just worn out with too much school, a type of “gap year” might be the best cure.

Normally, the gap year takes place between high school and college, but a similar break year might be advantageous during college itself if you are to stressed.

9, Change Something

In short, ending burnout requires change.

If you are experiencing college burnout, the worst option would be to simply continue and hope that it goes away. Unless you change something, you cannot expect the stress to lessen.

Try to find the cause of your burnout and stop the stress at its source.

Have you experienced college burnout? If so, what is your advice?

Important Note: As always, remember that I am not a health care professional, and the tips mentioned here are for entertainment and informational purposes only. Please contact your doctor if you think you have college burnout.

Free Tips on College eBooks
- Tips On Paying For College
- Tips On Writing In College
- Tips On Preparing For College

Occasionally, I write reader question posts.  In this type of post I ask a question, give a short explanation, and give you the opportunity to answer the question in the comments section.

Entering scholarship competitions is a difficult and nervous process – especially the first time.  If you have entered any scholarship competitions in the past, you probably have some good advice you can share with new applicants.  The goal of today’s post is to help you share that advice and give new students strong start.

What Is Your Best Scholarship Tip?

Think back through all of the scholarships you have entered.  What did you learn about communicating with scholarship committees?  How did you find scholarship opportunities?  What is your advice about deadlines?  Did you fall for any scholarship scams?

Some Motivation

If you have trouble remembering, you can get your creative juices flowing by reading the tips I shared in these posts:

• 10 Killer Tips for Scholarship Applicants
• 23 Warning Signs of Scholarship Scams
• 5 Little-Known Ways to Find Free Scholarships and Grants
• Ten Tips for Scoring Scholarships

Now it is your turn:

What is your best scholarship tip?

Free Tips on College eBooks
- Tips On Paying For College
- Tips On Writing In College
- Tips On Preparing For College