Brownstone Tips: Applying for Scholarships

If you ask me, a college education should be free of charge. I've learned that money can be the reason why many students opt not to finish college and join the workforce as an alternative. I, for example, left Texas Southern University after one year due to the expensive out-of-state fees there. I have been working full-time ever since.

Leaving TSU is one of my biggest regrets. Many people in my situation would have chosen to put school on hold indefinitely to work. Others would have participated in both activities simultaneously. Luckily, I chose the latter because I will finally be graduating this spring. Working while attending college has been extremely difficult for me and with the job market in its current state, I'm sure it is as difficult for others. It is my goal to get others to learn from my mistakes. With this as the case, I'd like to share an important message with you. There's a way for you to earn money for college that does not involve any type of employment. This method is simply applying for scholarships.

There are so many scholarships available to students that many of us never hear about. The secret is to search for scholarships and not be lazy. I encourage you to apply early as possible because deadlines vary. Start by visiting sites like Fastweb that enable you to get information about scholarships that are directly related to you. If you're close to high school graduation or already in college, you should consider looking into scholarships available at your school.
If you're considering going to a Historically Black College or University, you may find scholarship opportunities available to you from the NAACP. Greek letter organizations like Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. also have scholarships available to qualified students. Join as many mailing lists as you can so that you can stay in-the-know about what's available to you. Stay involved in your community as well as school activities so that if a scholarship requires community involvement, you'll feel even more qualified.

Use the links provided and apply for scholarships as soon as you can. I waited until just before my senior year in undergraduate school to start applying for them, but this was after numerous student loans. I was awarded two scholarships in 2010 and I can't help but wonder what I could have accomplished if I had attempted sooner. I hope that you'll take my advice and not hesitate to apply for scholarships. Since a college education isn't free of charge, it's important that we take the initiative and offset the costs. You'll be surprised when you see what a good G.P.A. and a strong essay can get you.

-- Alexandria Bland

Brownstone Intern

Meet our new intern, Alexandria Bland! Alexandria is a current senior at California State University, Dominguez Hills and majors in Communications. Her career goal has always been to become a broadcast journalist yet and she enjoys blogging as a hobby. With this as the case, she started her own blog, WhatAlexWrites. She is happy to have found the Brownstone Blog and looks forward to contributing to it for she sees it as an outlet to influence other young women.

Alexandria strives to stay as busy as possible in order to reach her professional goals and this is evident throughout her involvement in numerous activities. She is currently an intern for both, the Brownstone Blog and Fox News Los Angeles. She also mentors for the Los Angeles Public Library's Adult Literacy Program. All of these activities are in addition to her full-time employment at a Social Services agency. Alexandria's personal motto comes in the form of a Will Smith quote, "I want to do good. I want the world to be better because I was here." Welcome to the team Alexandria!