Assistantships are a way of funding your graduate education. They are more often awarded to PhD students than to master’s students (though a department may sometimes have funding available for exceptional master’s students). You may be awarded a Teaching Assistantship (meaning you help teach a class, teach a section of a larger class, teach a…
The Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Application Essay Tips
This post focuses on application strategies for pre-doctoral students and graduate student applicants to apply for three years of funding from the Ford Foundation through The National Academies of Sciences. What to Know About the Ford Foundation Fellowship Since 1936 The Ford Foundation, created by members of the Ford family, has turned what started as…
Awards! Grants! Scholarships! Oh My! [Episode 286]
Interview with Rebecca Lippman, Accepted Admissions Consultant [Show Summary] Accepted’s own Rebecca Lippman is a veritable fountain of knowledge when it comes to scholarships and grants, and in this podcast she shares tips on how to find scholarship opportunities and how to position yourself to win them. Everything You Need to Know About Grad School…
Scholarships Related to 3 Health Communities: Cancer, Mental Health, and Chronic Conditions or Disabilities
During my four years at the UCLA Scholarship Resource Center, I learned how to work carefully with a diverse group of students through the flexible concept of “community.” In order to connect students with as many scholarship resources as possible, we had to go through a relatively awkward phase of “getting to know the student”…
Why are Scholarships SO HARD to Find?
When students and parents first start searching for educational scholarships online, they’re often bewildered. As a scholarship advisor, I am often approached with questions like: “So, what’s the trick?” I wish I had the keys to a simpler, more organized version of the internet, but the truth is, I don’t. Blame it on the internet…
Three Community-Based Scholarships That Will Change How You Search for Scholarships
The vast majority of first-time scholarship searchers believe they either have to be brilliant or belong to certain ethnic, racial, religious, or financial communities in order to qualify for merit, need, or identity-based scholarships. I prefer to think about organizations and individuals who have created scholarship opportunities as generous entities that wish to support people…
Schwarzman Scholars: For Global Leaders Interested in China [Episode 267]
Gaining Leadership Skills & In-Depth Knowledge of China through the Schwarzman Scholars’ Program [Show Summary] Dr. Rob Garris, Global Director of Admissions for the Schwarzman Scholars Program, discusses the Schwarzman Scholars’ program and admissions policies. Through the program, participants from around the world earn a Masters in Global Affairs at Tsingua University in Beijing. The entire…
Lining Up Letters of Recommendation and Searching for Fellowships
These are some steps that you can start working on well ahead of next winter’s application deadlines. When to Ask for Letters of Recommendation If you’re still in college, asking professors now to be your recommenders will be straightforward; the benefit of doing this early is that the professors who work in your field will…
Making Sense of Those Financial Aid Awards Letters
Congrats! You have received multiple offers of admission to health professional schools. Any one of them would satisfy your educational goals. The question remains, though, of which of these programs will provide you with the best financial aid package. Do you need financial aid? Probably The most practical approach begins by understanding your financial needs….
How to Perform an Effective Scholarship Search
Most students who are looking for scholarships start with a simple question: “Where can I find a list of scholarships that are perfect for me?” During my time at the UCLA Scholarship Resource Center, I used to swivel around in my chair and say, “This whole office is a list. So is the internet.” Though…
What Is a Scholarship? And Why Didn’t I Get One?
This time of year is the most popular time for students to start asking questions about scholarships. Admission notifications have gone out for most graduate programs, and offers related to financial aid packages, admissions-based scholarships, and teaching positions quickly follow. For many recent admits, the moment of admission initiates a series of raw moments in…
We Can Help You Pay for Graduate School!
While we’re not offering to foot the bill for you (sorry!), we are more than happy to share advice on how you can pay for graduate school abroad. Check out the recording of our recent webinar, How to Fund Your International Graduate Degree, during which Prodigy Finance’s Zack Hirschfeld discusses the steps you need to…
How to Understand the Relationship Between CoA and Visa Applications
You may have heard that you shouldn’t worry about financing until you get accepted. And, to some extent that’s true; the first hurdle is achieving that admit. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore the financing side of the admissions process – you’ll need to face it at some point, and the earlier you begin,…
International Student Financing Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make
While you’ll spend a lot of your pre-study time preparing your applications, it’s never too early to cast an eye on your finances. They’re a big part of international study and it’s easy to become confused or – even or worse – backed into a corner you don’t want to be in. A little time…
What are Interest Rates and APR? (And Why are They Important?)
Let’s face it: education is expensive. And that’s before adding in an international component. Few students can afford the cost of attendance with the money that’s sitting in their bank accounts – their bank, their parent’s bank, and the accounts of half a dozen close friends and family members. The chances are good that you’ll…
International Students: How to Finance Your U.S. Education [Episode 260]
Summary Brian Hoffman started Nomad Credit to primarily work with international students in helping them find and secure student loans, car loans, health insurance, and more. What many don’t realize is how difficult it is to secure credit in the United States if you don’t already have U.S.-based products, many of which you don’t even…
Will Your Graduate Education Pay? [Episode 195]
Saving money on your student loans, ranking grad programs based on salary-to-debt ratios, plus life as a Columbia Business School grad. All in today’s show. Today’s guest, Amanda Wood, graduated from Vassar College in 2009 with a degree in social psychology and economics. After graduation, she worked at BNY Mellon and at Brigham and Women’s…
Sallie Mae: Student Loans with Options and Flexibility [Episode 222]
How are you going to pay for grad school if you don’t get a scholarship? Loans. Let’s learn about Sallie Mae’s student loan options. Our guest today is Charles Rocha, EVP and CMO of Sallie Mae. Charlie had over 20 years of experience at Bank of America, MBNA and NationsBank before joining Sallie Mae in…
Grad School Applicants: Think About Funding NOW
If you’re applying for graduate admission and hope to receive funding, it is particularly important to pay attention to deadlines—your school’s deadlines for admission and aid consideration, any additional deadlines for scholarship materials, and any deadlines for funding from private sources or outside agencies. Here are some things you should keep in mind: 1. Some…
Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans: Funding, Community for Immigrants [Episode 206]
Let’s learn about the $90K fellowships awarded by The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. Today’s guest, Dr. Craig Harwood, earned his BA in Music from Queens College and then a PhD in Music Theory from Yale University in 2002. Dr. Harwood went on to serve as the dean of Davenport College at…
