More Than a Test Score

Congratulations to Jeremiah Fehrle, our latest Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship winner!

We all have special qualities that make us unique, so we asked you to list three adjectives that describe you as a friend, student, and individual, and explain why you chose them. Jeremiah’s choices stood out to us for finding a unique balance between helping others and exploring new heights.

Here is his winning essay:
Brotherly would best describe me as a friend because of my ability to balance sincerity and comedy. As a student I am receptive due to my eagerness to learn and craving to constructively question ideas. Lastly I am charismatic because of my capacity to befriend and uplift others.

Here’s a few of our favorite runner’s up:

Claire H. – I chose enthusiastic, intelligent, and determined because my bubbly personality is mostly what I’m known for. I never back down from any challenge academically and athletically, and even if I’m not the best at everything, I never stop trying, because it’s not in my nature.

Hung N. – Laughter is how I would describe myself as a friend, for it is a universal sign. As a student I would want to be independent, because when I work alone I do not hinder others. Finally as an individual I would be open, because I like new innovations and ideas.

Kevin Y. – Compassionate, precise, and creative—these adjectives describe me as a person and as a student. I am compassionate when my friends needs help, I am precise when doing work at my job or school, and I am creative when I design web sites and participate in artistic activities.

Looking for a few adjectives to describe our Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship? How about fast, easy, and awesome?! Simply click the link, give us your best three lines, and you’re set.

There’s only one source that can really tell you what life on campus is all about—actual college students! We wanted to hear real experiences from our Student Ambassadors about student life, so we asked them a question and told them to give us their most honest responses. This month we asked…

Destiny Watson from the University of Southern Florida says…

When you come to college, the most important thing to do besides school work is to get involved. Campuses have different ways for us students to grow closer, help out a cause, and just have fun networking. At UCF, I’m the Historian of the Psych Society and we put together meetings and socials to help give helpful advice to psychology majors. If you are a big fan of playing sports competitively but are not a part of the school’s team, you could play intramural sports. Currently, I’m playing flag football and it’s lovely to meet new people, play sports again, and have fun.

You can get involved by volunteering around campus with organizations, become a tutor, or become a leader in Student Government. Getting involved will help you meet important who could help you out later in college as well as in life. All that you do can be placed on your resume to boost your status above others when trying to apply for jobs. Leadership skills, team building, and planning are some more of the benefits you get out of being involved. In high school, it is also important to get involved and join clubs just as it is in college. Graduate schools and employers look for well rounded individuals. When you get involved, it will help you on your path to success!

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Chelsy McInnis from Lindenwood University says…

Moving to campus as a freshman was intimidating.  It’s a campus of thousands and I knew no one (well I guess I knew my advisor, but still). I needed to suck up my insecurities and feign an outgoing attitude if I was going to make any friends, and I did just that. It’s awesome because I got to know more people on campus, but I also ended up doing a lot of things in organizations that I can put on my resume later on.

College is full of new experiences, some of which you even surprise yourself with. If you asked me in high school about my thoughts on Greek life I’d probably say I didn’t want to be a part of some blonde, pop-lovin’ conformist group. I’d also probably make some obscure references to Animal House. But now here I am, going on my third year as a proud sorority girl, and loving every minute with my sisters.

I went through recruitment after meeting some of the sisters my freshman year. Since then I have logged hundreds of community service hours, helped plan events and fundraisers, and partnered with various campus organizations (both Greek and non-Greek). Everywhere on campus I go I’m likely to see at least one familiar face. Plus I live with my best friends, and I have an amazing support system. And as for if I still think sororities consist of blonde conformists, I don’t. My chapter is full of wonderful, unique girls and that’s why I love them.

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Kevin Wright from Northern Arizona University says…

I personally enjoy getting involved around campus just because it’s one of the best ways to get to meet new people, network with important people from numerous departments, make strong connections with peers, and have a good experience all at the same time. Another advantage to clubs and organizations in college is that if there is not a club that interests a student, then they could start their own!

I have already started one myself on campus, R.O.C.K. Alpha Omega, and am in the process of starting two more to be established by next fall, Distinguished MEN and Distinguished LADIES. If students have a constitution, a legitimate purpose for being an organization, and a good amount of people that are supporting the idea, then they’re definitely going to receive approval. With the support of the Office of Student Life and having my close friends and I spread the word all over campus about these organizations coming to campus, it resulted in a fair amount of people showing interest in them. It has been one of the most overwhelming experiences I have ever had while being in college.

By creating goals for yourself of how you want to make an impact on campus, all you have to do is share them with people who want to do the same and the rest is history!

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Angelina Modica from SUNY Fredonia says…

A great way to get involved on campus is through your residence hall. I believe many schools have “hall councils,” or some form of hall meetings, that help bring people together through fun activities. Last year I was on our hall council and we put on a ton of activities, did community service opportunities, and competed in contests with other halls. We did activities such as Relay for Life, a trip to the Buffalo Zoo, helped out at the local Big Brother/Big Sister organization, and a ton of other fun activities and trips.

I enjoyed participating on hall council because I got to know a lot of the people that lived in my hall. I made a lot of friends and really enjoyed the community service we did. It’s a great idea (especially for freshmen) because then you get to know who lives around you and that way you always have someone to watch a movie with or to grab a bite to eat.

As a freshman, there weren’t many opportunities to be on executive boards for clubs (president, treasurer, etc.). I acted as a Social Chair on my hall council and that helped with scholarship applications and becoming the secretary for two clubs this year.

Congratulations to Brittany Rothstein, our latest Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship winner!

We’ve all had that one special teacher in our lives—someone that helped us through a difficult lesson, nurtured our inner passions, or lent an ear when nobody else was listening. This made us wonder—how has a teacher inspired you to achieve in life, either as a student or an individual? Brittany’s essay proved that a good teacher can leave an impact far beyond a single school year.

Here is her winning essay:
In grade 8, he taught us the power of the individual and the importance of independent thought. In grade 9, he stood up for the students’ rights and became a hero to look up to. By senior year, Mr. Fielding had taught us what no other teacher had: how to think, not what to think.

Here is a bit more about our winner:
After mom got cancer (twice), we were the kind of family who became closer instead of drifting apart. Both parents come to my tennis games and band concerts, bragging embarrassingly about their daughter the captain, or their daughter the lead flute. My little brother is the bane of my life. I’m beyond lucky with my annoying, but present, family. My main hobby is watching movies; I was idolizing Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn when others stalked Bradgelina. I’m cheerful, outgoing, and slightly over-energetic, and am always finding some sort of cause to join.

Here’s a few of our favorite runner’s up:

Leslie B. – “Leslie, I can tell your brain is growing!” Ms. Moose exclaimed last year after reading one of my essays in her class. I had two classes with Ms. Moose last year, and she pushed me and my mind further than we have ever been. I want to think outside of the box now because of her.

William S. - My electronics teacher taught me that I could achieve anything that I wanted. I just had to own my future, meaning that I had to put in the time and effort. I would get out as much as I put into it; I am now a junior in college going towards an Associates in Radiology.

Aquina P. – My 11th grade art teachers inspired me the most. They helped me understand the true value of art and the purpose of it. My visual arts teacher introduced me to different tecniques on how to use my imagination and put it on paper.

Brittany scored a thousand bucks towards her college tuition, but she’s not the only one. Apply for our Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship and you could be chosen as our next winner! Cause getting into college is hard enough, paying for it shouldn’t be.

Congratulations to our latest Double Your Money winner, Heather Bostock! Heather won the LEEP Dream Scholarship for $1,000, and because she found and applied for the scholarship on Zinch, we’re hooking her up with an additional thousand bucks. Heather took a few minutes to answer some questions about herself, and here’s what she had to say.

What is your strategy behind applying for scholarships?

Ultimately when I apply for scholarships, my goal is to not have to leave college in massive debt. I work hard to win scholarships that some choose to overlook. I put everything into my work at school so as to show that off to potential scholarship committees.

If you could “live in a movie” for one day, which film would you choose?

If I could live in a movie, I would live in Confessions of a Shopaholic. I absolutely love clothes and staying up with fashion. I always look well put together before leaving my house. Also, New York City would be awesome to live in. I love the city and go there every chance I get.

If you could take a trip around the world, what three landmarks would you have to visit?

I would definitely vist the Kremlin in Russia. The place is beautiful! It has so much history too. I like going to places no one ever thinks of. I want to go to Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. The stadium is home to one of my favorite soccer teams, Real Madrid. I also want to go where Dachau Concentration Camp was. World War II and the Holocaust are of great interest to me. I love history, the good and the bad, and want to learn everything I can about the past in hopes that it won’t be repeated.

How are you more than a test score?

I am more than a test score because a test score just says that a person is book smart. I am not just book smart, but street smart. I know how to communicate with people and am extremely outgoing. Numbers can’t describe a person but words can. I live to the fullest and work hard to earn everything. A test score can’t show that.

Do you have a friend also looking for college funds? Invite them to Zinch! With our Win Your Friend’s Scholarship feature, any scholarship they’re awarded will also land YOU a check for the same amount. Work smarter, not harder!

Our goal has always been to enable students to showcase themselves as more than test scores. That’s why we’re amped about the latest feature we’ve added to your Zinch profile–Recommendations.

Now, just what the heck is an Recommendation? Well, think of it as a reference letter you can have on display for all to see. It’s that extra pat on the back from somebody that can vouch for your hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence. In short, it’s a chance for others to show what makes you, YOU!

So, who should you ask for an Recommendation? Good question! Here’s a few key people to keep in mind:

• a student leader, such as club president or team captain
• a student peer who knows your work
• a counselor, coach or teacher

And what can you get an Recommendation for? The options are limitless! For starters, consider if you’ve participated in any of the following:

• being part of a team
• extra-curricular activities
• community service
• academic performance
• an internship or job

Recommendations can be applied to the “Extracurriculars,” “Experience,” and “Education” sections of your profile. Once you log in to your account and access your profile, you’ll see buttons next to each of the sections you’ve included information about. You can receive an Recommendation for any of those fields you fill out, so the more you have to share the more Recommendations you can receive!

Once you click on the “Get Recommendations” buttons, a form will appear where you can enter the email addresses of the people you’d like to have endorse you. From there, a message will be sent to those individuals prompting them to sign up for Zinch and write their Recommendation.

Once somebody has left an Recommendation for you, a notification will appear on your profile indicating who wrote the Recommendation, and what it’s for.

By clicking on that notification, you’ll be directed to the bottom of your profile where the full Recommendation is publicly listed, along with a link to the endorser’s profile and their relation to you.

Recommendations are a great way pump up your profile and put your best foot forward, so make sure to take advantage of this new feature. By reaching out to your teachers, counselors, classmates, or co-workers, you’ll be able to expand your network and show you’ve got what it takes to bring your “A” game.

Thanks to all you Zinchers out there for the support, good luck bringing in the Recommendations and stay tuned for more updates!