Friday, May 25, 2012

Helpful Insights About Scholarship Abroad Programs

One of the most meaningful things students could ever experience is to have a deeper learning about the different cultures which they only come to know through history books. Of course, this can be made possible only by studying in the country with a culture that greatly attracts the student's attention. On the other hand, lack of funds for a study abroad program hinders every decided student to fulfill the dream of studying overseas. With many organizations recognizing this issue, scholarship abroad programs have been a part of the different ways they support the youth of today.
Apart from the cost of tuition that goes with studying overseas, there are other expenses students would encounter. If they get lucky to get scholarships, they would still need to pay for their passports, insurance fees and required vaccines. Plus there will be other expenses for their living conditions in the foreign country of their choice like transportation, daily food and supplies. So it would be best for these students to apply for financial aid besides the scholarships they need.
Going back to the students whose passion is to study abroad, they usually desire to study abroad when their degree major is foreign language studies. A student who wants to learn Japanese, for example, would consider spending their winter or summer break in the native country to enjoy first hand learning of the language. While they may just buy language courses in the form of printed and audio books or online training materials, they find experience in the country of the language they are studying as the ideal means to learn and speak it fast.
If a student wants to learn more about the scholarship abroad programs available for them to study in another country, he can first get in touch with his school or university administration for any information about these opportunity. From their compilation of available scholarships, he can ask for ones that include requirements that would be easy for him to comply with. The internet also holds a great number of websites of particular organizations giving out such scholarships to qualified students. There are also recruiters who can talk students through the different process that studying in a foreign country may entail.
Moving forward, the number of months or years a student is able to go abroad to study will depend on the program they are registered in. Summer school abroad programs usually allow candidates to study short courses abroad while they are on a break from school. But there are times when students are able to study abroad for an entire semester to full four years including graduation. It all depends on the grant awarded them.
The qualifications for a scholarship that every aspiring student should meet often vary. However, having good grades and performance in their extracurricular activities are general requirements. Whether it is your school or university, a private organization, a corporation, a civic group or a foundation that is holding the application for scholarship abroad programs, you will be asked to present your credentials before hand.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Spotting a Fake College Scholarship Program

In these trying times, it is quite hard to attend a college when you do not have a scholarship or a college tuition grant to back you up financially. Fortunately, there are a wide range of scholarships being offered and awarded yearly. That said, many scammers chime in and prey on the desperation of people who want to earn their college degrees through the scholarship route.
Here are some tips that can help you spot the scams and schemes from legitimate academic scholarships and grants:
1. Fees - a legitimate scholarship body will never ask for any amount of money, whether you are inquiring about a scholarship or applying. Be wary of scholarship organizations that will ask for money to cover the processing and application process.
2. Guarantees - scholarship organizations that offer guarantees are scammers. The selection of recipients is a rigid and thorough process and only the deserving individual is given the grant or the privilege of having his or her college tuition costs reduced.
3. Glamour - a scholarship announcement is always straight to the point and is backed with correct information. If it contains fancy words and some glamour that makes it look like an ad trying to sell something, then you are better off moving on to another program.
4. Address and Contact Details - a legitimate scholarship body always leave a real business address, not a P.O. Box or a residential address. The same goes with telephone numbers. Otherwise, you are dealing with con experts.
5. Eligibility Requirements - applicants are screened thoroughly and one way of screening them is whether or not they passed the requirements. This means a scholarship does not apply to certain people. A scholarship that is free for all is a scam, no question.
There are still several signs that will tell you whether a scholarship or a college tuition grant is fake or not. But let your common sense dictate your decision and if you are in doubt, do not hesitate to ask questions and inquire.