If you are an Asian student, there are many organizations that could provide you with financial aid if you want to pursue a college degree or a graduate school degree. Although federal loans are not available to non-US citizens, there are many organizations where you can seek for financial assistance. The following are some of the scholarship programs you could consider:
* International Financial Assistance
International financial aid organizations offer scholarship grants to Asian students and those from other ethnic groups. One of these organizations is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that established the Gates Millennium Scholarship Program. This program gives financial assistance to high school students in their senior years, college students, and graduate school students.
* School scholarship grant
This financial aid is given by specific schools. An example of a school that offers this grant is North Western University. This University offers financial aid to international students. Aside from Northwestern University, there are other institutions that offer school-specific scholarship programs.
* Other types of scholarship grants
If you are looking for scholarship programs aside form the mentioned ones, you can search the Internet for other scholarship grants. There are really many scholarship programs you will find online. The Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship, for instance, is one of these programs. This scholarship program supports those who belong to an ethnic or minority group. You may also opt for scholarship programs from your country of origin. These are usually given by companies or organizations that support students who study abroad.
No matter which of these programs you choose, just make sure that you understand the details of the scholarship plan each school, company, or organization provides. You should also inquire about the requirements of the program you wish to enroll in. Before you sign up for any scholarship or grant, you have to consider several factors first. Make sure that the educational plan the organization offers is enough to free you from worrying about financial matters, so that you can concentrate more on your studies.
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With too many things to do in so little time, you may feel tension creeping inside you. You suddenly feel like time is not enough and that you haven’t accomplished so much. You may lose sleep or even miss your lunch hours trying to do schoolwork or review for your finals. The truth is, you’re not alone. Almost everybody has experienced this kind of stress in college or graduate school. It’s the way your body may respond to pressure or even rise up to the challenge. So before you crack up, learn how to manage stress or at least know the source of this feeling so you can deal with it.
It’s common to feel stressed out when you don’t have enough time, have too many things to accomplish at a given time, or have trouble with money for your education. Sleep deprivation and unhealthy eating habits may also add up to stress. To help you balance school work, career (for those who are already working), family, and social life, read on to know how.
Managing stress
Give yourself time to relax, even if you have too many things to do. Get enough sleep and rest so you can have the energy you need to accomplish daily activities. By taking good care of yourself, also with proper diet and exercise, you can do your tasks more efficiently. Having a clear mind and healthy body will surely help you be at your best. Of course, a great way to do this is to make a schedule and find some free time.
Engaging in sports and other activities can also keep you in tip-top shape. You need to be physically fit and mentally relaxed in able to work on a rush or beat deadlines. With reserved energy, you can easily recover from lost of sleep or missing your snack. To make you feel less tired or isolated, also don’t forget to socialize with family and friends. But best of all, always have faith in yourself. Stress usually comes from fear or an inner voice that says “you can’t make it.” With a positive mindset, you can find you own motivation and will power. Just focus on what you want and who you want to be.
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Now that you’re taking the big step from being a high school graduate to someone who is paving a career path, the question is in which institution of higher learning you should go to. Incoming college freshmen usually have two choices: either they go to a university or they go to a community college. What is the difference? As follows:
* University – Universities usually have strict requirements and guidelines for college freshman admissions. Not too many prospective college students get through the admissions process. But the quality of education as well as the amenities are great. Plus, universities have a wide range of courses and majors.
* Community college – Some college students use the community college as a stepping stone to universities. That’s because while universities are bent on bringing their students to perfection, the kind of training one gets from community colleges is like preparation for life in the university. Courses and majors, as well as cultural diversity, are limited.
Should you go to a university or a community college? Here are factors that you have to consider:
* Cost – If you prefer to cut down on costs, then the community college would be your best bet. That’s because tuition in community colleges is usually just half than that in universities. The catch, though, comes when your course or major of choice is not available in the community college. It’s either you just look for another community college, or you just invest and go to the university, where you’ll surely find your course of choice.
* Location – From the name itself, community colleges are obviously nearer to your place because they are just located near your locality. But if you’d rather stay away from your place so that you’ll have more freedom to study on your own, then you can go ahead and seek for university admissions. Universities are usually equipped with dorms which will provide your needed accomodation.
* Transition – If you want an easier transition from high school to college, opt for a community college. Universities impose standards right on the onset of the class, so you have to exert effort on your part to cope with these changes. If you do decide to go to a university, you will have to submit a number of requirements such as the admissions essay. If you are still clueless on what should you include in the essay, you can sample personal statement essay samples online.
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“When I grow up, I’m going to be a doctor.” How many of the people who have declared their plan to be a doctor when they were younger are actually practicing medicine today? Just a few. Many people developed a desire of becoming a doctor after watching Neil Patrick Harris frequented emergency rooms in Doogie Howser, MD, but all these changed when Dr. House and the Seattle Grace surgical interns presented a more realistic hospital setting. The truth is, you can’t obtain a medical license at 14 and you have to repeat your internship even if you only missed one point in your intern exams. So, the question remains: “Is medical school worth it?”
Getting accepted to medical school
Before becoming a part of the medical community, you first have to endure four years of medical school. Entry to medical school, like law school, is never easy. Acceptance to the medical school of your choice is not solely based on the completeness of your requirements. It is also based on your GPA, your pre-medical studies, and your sample personal statement essay. Medical school applicants must put much effort in writing their sample personal statement essay because it is greatly considered during evaluations. The best weapon of applicants with average-GPAs against their counterparts is an impressive sample personal statement essay that highlights their value and potential as a person and as a medical doctor, respectively.
One of the things that appeal to the admissions committee is community involvement. You can strengthen your chances of admissions by simply mentioning a few accounts of your participation in community projects or medical missions. Involvement in medical projects and other community activities will give the evaluators an impression that you are a man for others – exactly the quality they look for in a doctor.
Surviving in medical school
The challenges of becoming a doctor don’t end with getting accepted to the medical school of your choice. One of the biggest challenges that aspiring doctors need to face is medical school itself. Your stay in medical school is your chance to show the person you wrote about in your sample personal statement essay. Prove to everyone that you can stay up late just to read biochemistry textbooks and cut up cadavers just to pass anatomy class. Medical school is hard and your only defense against it is your determination.
Many medical students quit in the middle of the school year because they just can’t take the pressure of meeting the required grades or the stress of keeping up with the ever-changing shifts. To survive medical school, you have to constantly remind yourself that it takes a lot of hard work and sleepless nights to achieve that precious “MD” title.
Becoming a full-fledged MD
After four stressful years in medical school, you need to have at least three years of hospital residency before you can specialize in your chosen medical field. Medical residency is the dusk to a medical attending’s dawn. Because it is the final step before being a full-fledged doctor, medical residency is also the most difficult phase to survive in. The stress of being a medical student is tripled by the time you become a medical resident. Aside from the inevitable sleepless nights, medical residency is also coupled with the pressure of applying everything you learned in medical school to medical practice. Your every decision is important and your move is crucial.
Being a medical resident may be one of the hardest phases you will ever go through in life but it can also be the sweetest. Aside from the very impressive salary, medical residency also gives you the chance to actually save other people’s lives. It is your chance to put everything you have learned to good use and give other people another shot at living healthier.
So, is medical school worth it? Absolutely.
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In the United States, the ranking of the best law schools are based on a lot of factors. It may be based on the quality of education, availability of facilities, qualification of professors, or organization of programs. For aspiring lawyers out there who are still undecided on which law school to apply in, here is the list of the top ten law schools in America:
1. Yale University
2. Harvard University
3. Stanford University
4. Columbia University
5. New York University
6. University of California-Berkeley
7. University of Chicago
8. University of Pennsylvania
9. Northwestern University
10. University of Michigan
As of 2008, Yale Law School is the number one law school in America. Having one of the lowest student-to-teacher ratio in classes, Yale Law School offers a healthy learning environment to its students. With its scholarships and outreach programs, Yale Law School proves to be more than just a law school for Ivy Leaguers but also an organization for the less privileged.
Finishing behind Yale Law School is Harvard Law School. With a curriculum that covers everything from a topnotch Bachelor in Law to one of the countries best programs in Doctor in Juridical Science, Harvard Law School offers only first-rate education to its students.
Coming at third place is Stanford University. Established fifteen years after the institution of the university’s law department in 1893, Stanford University not only offers a topnotch law education training but also an impressive library containing over a million books available as resources.
The fourth placer in the list, which is New York University School of Law, will forever be known for being one of the first law schools in America to accept female students. Founded in 1835, New York University School of Law makes another mark in history for being the first law school ever established in New York City.
Number five on the list is New York University School of Law’s neighbor, Columbia Law School. With practicing lawyers for professors, students of Columbia Law School will have firsthand advice on what it takes to survive law school.
University of California’s very own Berkeley School of Law also makes its mark in the list by establishing the best intellectual property program in the world for the eleventh year running. Because of its student-faculty collaborated journals, University of Chicago Law School grabs the seventh spot on the list of top ten law schools in America. Another Ivy Leaguer, University of Pennsylvania comes in at number eight because of their brilliant cross-disciplinary studies program. With an accelerated JD Program, Northwestern University Law School secures a ninth place finish. Wrapping up the list of the top ten law schools in America is the University of Michigan Law School, which is number five on the list of the most number of law school professors in America.
The top ten law schools in America have been named and what makes them the best in the country has already been laid out. Now, it’s your turn. Start preparing your application forms, sample personal statement essay and other entry requirements. You may browse through the different sample personal statement essay available in each school’s official website or other college-help websites to get tips on how to write law school-worthy personal statements. Well-written sample personal statement essay that accurately reflects your individuality may just be your yellow brick road to law school admissions.
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A great sample personal statement essay is one with coherent ideas, concise facts, engaging stories, relevant information, and interesting introductions. These qualities are exactly what the admissions committee look forward too before going over the insurmountable pile of admissions essay they receive every year. Over the years, the admissions committee of different academic institutions has been noticing trends in how a sample personal statement essay is composed. Here are three most commonly used themes in sample personal statement essay writing:
1. Rise from adversity
2. Quotable quotes
3. Life as a metaphor
Rise from adversity
Everybody loves the underdogs. People easily sympathize with tragedy-stricken individuals who climbed high mountains, swam wide seas, and crossed windy roads just to overcome the challenges of life. Every year, college applicants take advantage of this fact by composing an admission essay that centers on how they rose from adversity. This adversity, which may be the loss of a parent or the acquisition of a disability, is always used to tell a good story.
The admission evaluators, however, are not after the cinematic qualities of your story. A well-written sample personal statement essay about how you transformed from the token chubby classmate to the school homecoming king is enough to secure you a slot in your chosen university. You have to support your movie-worthy story with the life-changing lessons you learned along the way. How did you overcome your fears? What did you to improve your way of living? How did you handle your problems? Like any underdog story, the ending of your sample personal statement essay is already predictable. You have to remember that people are not so much interested on how a story ends but how the protagonist made it through the closing credits.
Quotable quotes
One of the most commonly used introductions in a sample personal statement essay is a quote. Whether it is something Thomas Jefferson mentioned or something Angelina Jolie said, a quote will always be present in at least 50% of the total number of sample personal statement essays submitted every year. Many applicants start their admission essays with a specific quote that made a difference to their lives. Most types of sample personal statement essay that started with a quote usually centers on the same quote throughout the essay.
When writing a sample personal statement about a quote, you have to explain how the meaning of the quote changed your life. Quotes are all inspiring but the admissions committee is more interested on discovering why the quote means so much to you. It is not enough for you to mention the quote and give an overview of the person who said it. You have to explain its relevance to your life. How did the quote inspire you? What did you learn from the quote? Quotes are included in a sample personal statement for a special reason, and by that, I don’t mean an attention-grabbing introduction.
Life as a metaphor
My life is an elevator – one minute I’m up, the next minute I’m down. Sounds familiar? Well, it should be because describing life as a metaphor is one of the most commonly used themes in writing a sample personal statement essay for college. Like quotes, applicants have a huge tendency to compare their life with other objects. Some are rosaries that are full of mysteries while some are journals that are full of secrets.
A sample personal statement essay featuring metaphorical references is promising yet dangerous at the same time. It is promising because a well-written admission essay with lots of impressive metaphorical concepts will reflect your creativity and philosophy. It is also dangerous because poorly explained metaphors, no matter how brilliant the ideas are, will only confuse the readers.
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Plagiarism is the most unforgivable sin you can commit in the world of writing. Copying another’s literary work is like stealing the answer to question number five from your classmate. The same thing goes for the sample personal statement essay. Plagiarizing a sample personal statement essay you found on the Internet can actually cost you your college education.
A wide variety of sample personal statement essay is available on the Internet. Some are especially written for medical school applicants while some are specifically made for law school applicants. The collection of sample personal statement essay is posted on websites to act as a guide, not as a template.
Many school applicants are guilty of committing the crime of copying a sample personal statement essay they found on the Internet. Unfortunately for them, the members of the admissions committee who evaluate their essays have a knack for distinguishing plagiarized essays from original work. To save yourself from sheer embarrassment, write your own sample personal statement essay that will tell you apart from the rest of the bunch.
You can find a huge collection of sample personal statement essay on the Internet, but they all have one thing in common: they all share the goal of helping you write an effective sample personal statement essay for college. Because college applicants have different backgrounds and goals, each sample personal statement essay is written to inspire a specific group of applicants. Aspiring doctors may find the sample personal statement essay for medical school helpful, but business majors will find the sample personal statement essay for MBA students more useful.
Sample personal statement essay as guides
It is a fact that an admission essay must reflect not only the applicant’s resume but also his individuality. In contrary to popular belief, an admission essay is not a way of showcasing your impressive traits and important achievements. An admission essay is a reflection of your personality. Who are you? What do you believe in? What makes you different? One of the best ways to write an impressive admission essay is to find a good sample personal statement essay to base your work on.
“Base” being the operative word, a sample personal statement essay must be treated only as a guide. It is not a “copy-paste” template that you can modify a little to suit your story. A sample personal essay must be used as a guide that will tell you which stories to write in your essay and which information to leave out. It will show you how to present stories or facts without being too arrogant, too boring, or too obvious. A sample personal statement essay must be used an inspiration for writing an interesting yet effective admission essay that will help you secure your college education.
Specific theme of the sample personal statement essay
Another noticeable similarity among all types of sample personal statement essay is their specific theme. One sample personal statement essay may focus on “adjusting life in a foreign land” while the other may concentrate on “overcoming the challenges of peer pressure,” depending on which topic is assigned by the school or which subject is chosen by the applicants. Like any literary piece, admission essays have to be written with a single theme. Adding anecdotes or facts unrelated to the central theme will only cause confusions to the evaluators and incoherence to the essay.
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It is important to find a balance between modesty and arrogance when writing a sample personal statement essay. Although it is never wise to sound like a senatorial candidate in a sample personal statement essay, it’s not also advisable to sound like you’ve never achieved anything in your life. The type of sample personal statement essay that can secure you a slot in the college or university of your choice is the one that highlights your good points without being too conceited.
A sample personal statement essay should not be treated as just another school admission requirement. It is a reflection of who you are as a person. Schools use your sample personal statement essay to evaluate your character, values, beliefs, and traits. Your individuality, among all factors, is the most important criterion that school admission evaluators consider when making their decision on whether to accept you into their institution or not. A well-written sample personal statement essay, and not good grades, is your best shot in securing a slot in college admissions.
Writing an effective sample personal statement essay
A sample personal statement essay, which is also referred to as an admission essay, is a written school requirement that reflects the student’s individuality. An excellently written sample personal statement essay may actually help students get admitted to the college or university of their choice.
The admissions committee responsible for evaluating your sample personal statement essay will carefully critique the way you constructed your essay. The admissions committee’s interpretation of the essay is not necessarily similar to what you wish to convey, so you have to be extra cautious in writing a sample personal statement essay. You may write about your achievements with pure modesty but it may appear too conceited for the admissions committee.
Instead of discussing your glorious moment or instant popularity, try explaining the hardships you’ve faced on your way to success. Discuss how you discovered new things, learned new lessons, or developed new values because of the experience. Mention how thankful you are for being blessed with such an overwhelming recognition. It is not wrong to write about your achievements but you have to divert the focus of your sample personal statement essay from the achievement to the humbling experience.
A sample personal statement essay should not focus on achievements alone. In fact, you can also write about your personal weaknesses and support them with explanations about your desire to overcome them. One of the things that appeal to admissions committee the most are the students’ ability to admit their shortcomings. By pairing your shortcomings with your desires to be a better person, you can almost guarantee yourself with a school acceptance letter.
Ruining your school admission chances by being too modest
As weird as it may sound, revealing too much modesty in your sample personal statement essay may even cost you that precious slot in your dream college or university. Which one has a higher chance of admission? An overly modest straight-A student or an overachieving student leader? Try to find the balance between modesty and self-promotion and write the sample personal statement essay that will secure your college education.
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