More Than a Test Score

Summer will be here sooner than you think, which for many students means getting or returning to a summer job. But if the prospect of waiting tables or banktelling doesn’t seem enticing over the next three months, you could stay on campus or take summer classes elsewhere. While may not be as exciting as a vacation to the Bahamas, there are some seriously valuable aspects to summer enrollment that every student should consider.

Read some great advice from College Prowler on the benefits of summer courses>>

Congratulations to our latest Double Your Money winner, Marie Hopkins! Marie won the Kelly Engineering Scholarship for $5,000, and because she found and applied for this scholarship on Zinch we are matching her win with another five grand!

We believe that learning from those who have succeeded before you is a great way to develop your skill set, so to help our community excel at finding scholarships Marie has provided us with some of her own personal insight.

What is your strategy behind applying for scholarships?

Many standardized tests really only measure one thing: how well you are trained to take that certain test. Just like anyone else, I am more than a test score because I have interests and abilities that make me unique, that distinguish me from another person that received the same score. A test score does not characterize me – it does not challenge me to minimize my carbon footprint or to question which candidate in an election will do an effective job. Rather, the connections I make with the people around me and the skills I develop when overcoming difficulties continue to shape the person I have become today.

Great thoughts! Thanks Marie!

Zinch is here to help you pay for college—get started by checking out our scholarship search, we have over $2 billion in financial aid listed!

We know having to think about a college major right out of high school is a tough position to be in, so we want to give you some real perspective before you choose a focus. Here’s a video from our team showing how we made it where we are today. Just like you, we all have our own unique talents, interests, and yes, even awkward high school photos. Give it a watch!

Have any questions about how we chose our majors or what we do now? Ask them! We’re looking forward to hearing from ya.

Congratulations to Sarah Marie Danielle Keating, winner of the Figment Flash Memoir Scholarship!

Sarah’s essay about her coming-of-age moment was hand picked by our guest judge (and best-selling author) Jonathan Safran Foer, and for her captivating tale Sarah is being awarded a $500 scholarship towards her college tuition costs! We wanted to know our latest scholarship winner a bit better, and here’s what she had to share.

What motivates you to succeed in life?

Although test scores are very determinate, they cannot measure a student’s morality, initiative, or capacity to love. I am more than a test score, and one day, the world will know that.

We’d also like to give a hearty congratulations to our runners up—Shreya B. Amin, Elaine Burden, Madison Lovett, David Girard, and Leah Splinter—all of whom will receive a copy of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, a Figment tote bag, and a Zinch Prize Pack!

Sarah may have been named the winner of the Flash Memoir Scholarship, but there’s still plenty more opportunities to score some college funds. Hit up our scholarship search to check out the thousands of awards we have listed, adding up to over $2 billion in financial aid. And for more updates on writing contests and fun reads, head to Figment’s blog The Daily Fig.

For most professors, mum’s the word about grading. The less said, the less possibility of argument later when the student doesn’t get the grade he or she most wants. While this is a fairly common attitude amongst most instructors, it doesn’t mean you are completely powerless to put the odds in your favor. As a matter of fact, there are quite a number of tactics you can use to ensure your work successfully strikes a chord with your professor.

Here’s a look behind the curtain at what the professor is REALLY thinking when awarding grades—but won’t tell you>>