More Than a Test Score

Yet another scholarship win at Zinch! And we matched it too! Shannon Chong is the winner this time. She’s going to be an illustration major at Ringling College of Art and Design and we are so excited to be able to help her out!

She’s a passionate girl with some great tips for all those out there just about to start college applications.

What is your favorite aspect of Zinch?
I love the Matching Scholarships page and of course, the Double Your Money feature. Out of all the scholarship search sites I’ve seen, I think Zinch does the best job of finding the greatest amount of well known and obscure scholarships out there. I also like that we get to create profiles to show off who we are–it makes applying for scholarships a bit more fun and less tedious.

Why Ringling College of Art and Design?
I chose Ringling because I feel confident that the education and experience they’ll give me will be the most rewarding out of all the schools I was accepted to. Being an Illustration major, it’s really important to have an inspiring and supportive environment to help you develop as an artist, and Ringling offers just that.

How was the application process for the scholarship?
The application process for the KarMel Scholarship is actually quite simple, in my opinion. You don’t need an extremely high GPA or a resume of all of your accomplishments from birth, but just a really good idea and a way to convey it! Anyone who likes to write, draw or make videos/short films should definitely consider applying for this scholarship next year.

What is something you are passionate about?
I would have to say I’m most passionate about people and the human condition. I hope to one day be able to look back on my life and say that I greatly helped a large amount of people or even a small community, whether that be through my art, activism, or merely by being a friend to someone who needs one.

What advice do you have for those students just starting the college admissions process?
Make sure that the schools you are applying to are truly worth your time.  I know a handful of people tend to “settle” for a college, because they’re afraid of moving away or don’t think they could get into a better school, and so they pick an easier school to get into. Don’t do that. Always be willing to challenge yourself, because those who do will honestly get farther in life and have more opportunities presented to them. Pick schools that you know you deserve to be at and a few that you would, figuratively speaking, die to get into.

Let’s look to Shannon as an example because it seems like she knows what she’s doing. So, sign up for Zinch and start searching!

So while Google searching for the latest innovations developed at my college, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), I came across a truly robust device. This device functions as a liaison between the physical world and computerized data. You can access all this digital information, quite literally, from your fingertips. No longer do you need screens to project this information. The SixthSense device consists of a camera, a projector, and a mirror; this compact device is meant to be strung around the neck. The data can be projected on any leveled surface. In fact, the device can project an image cell phone on one’s hand and can then dial up! Pretty neat.

A current PhD student, Pranav Mistry, developed the SixthSense at the acclaimed Media Lab at the MIT. With simple hand gestures users can access data quickly and efficiently. You can approach any surface and interact with digital information projected on that plane. Still not impressed? Well, hear this then. By simply positioning your forefinger and thumbs on both hands like a rectangle you can take a picture. Then later you can organize all your photos without an actually screen. The device can automatically run a Google search on any individual you approach. At the grocery store, the device can let you know whether a paper towel is environmentally friendly or not.

This is an extremely mobile device. If it were to be mass-produced right now, the SixthSense would only cost $350. It is however still a work in progress. To check out more fascinating features of the SixthSense check out this introductory video.

Okay, so hopefully your college admissions process hasn’t been this crazy. Just imagine if he had used Zinch and been getting all that love via Zinch instead. It would have been a little neater, don’t ya think? It’s still pretty amusing though.

Don’t let your college admissions experience get out of hand. Sign up for Zinch and let the colleges come to you!

When we say we’re going to double your scholarships, we mean it. This time we helped out Jessica Andrade pay for her tuition at the University of San Diego where she’ll be studying Marine Science.

When I interviewed her recently, she gave advice on how to search for scholarships and gave us a little insight to who Jessica really is.

How did you hear about Zinch?
When I first started looking for scholarships, my school’s career center adviser recommended a scholarship website which eventually led me to Zinch. I found Zinch so helpful that I recommended it to my adviser so she could recommend it to other students.

What made you start wanting to use Zinch?
I originally wanted to start using Zinch because I wanted to make sure that I applied to the colleges that I could see myself attending, and one of the best ways to do that was through Zinch. However, once I decided on where I wanted to attend college, I began using Zinch to apply to scholarships I had never heard of before and that weren’t on other scholarship websites.

How do you think the change from high school to college will be?
I think that the change from high school to college will be fairly easy because I have some friends who will be attending USD as well, and it’s smaller than most colleges so it will be easier to get to make new friends and get to know my professors. I’m a little bit nervous about the transition to more intense academic classes, but I’m sure I’ll be able to find help when I need it.

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Here at Zinch our promise is that we empower students to better view their college options and present themselves to colleges. Zinch is a movement for students to show colleges that they are not the 27 ACT or 1860 SAT they’re currently seen as; students have names and passions that make them unique and desirable to colleges. And thus Zinch becomes a tool by which colleges can make better recruitment decisions based on better information. It’s a win-win.

And more and more colleges want in on the movement.  Currently, 702 colleges and universities use Zinch to help find the students who will fill their great halls.  The world is paying attention and taking notice.  Just today Zinch made another headline talking about how Zinch is changing the way colleges recruit.

This article, by Chuck Soder of the Crain’s Cleveland Business entitled “Social Media Extend Search for Prospective Students”, details how a few colleges are putting Zinch to work:

Northeast Ohio’s colleges and universities are moving some of their recruiting efforts online, using social media web sites to promote their schools to prospective students.

School officials also are taking advantage of this ever-evolving technology to find new ways to communicate with current students, alumni and other stakeholders.

Colleges and universities across the nation have been experimenting with a variety of uses for social media, said Tony Pals, director of public information for the Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

Some schools use Facebook and other tools to build relationships with alumni, and some instructors use social media to supplement their teaching, said Mr. Pals, citing how some professors have students pose questions via Twitter during class.

Mostly, though, schools use social media for recruiting, Mr. Pals said.

“If an institution is going to focus on any one use of social media, it’s going to be in the area of student recruitment,” he said.

John Carroll University, for one, started using a site called Zinch two weeks ago. Zinch allows colleges to use descriptors such as sex, age, grades, test scores and academic interests to link up with students who might be a good match for the school.

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