By Unigo
We’re excited to announce the winner of the Unigo College Review Scholarship. The question was, “Love your college? Hate it? Meh? Tell other students about your experience so they can make better decisions about college.” Check out the winning essay, followed by scholarship tips from our winner.
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Winning scholarship essay
Stockton is an up-and-coming regionally accredited university that has greatly expanded over the past few years. Formerly known as The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Stockton gained university status in 2015 offering undergraduate to doctoral degrees in a variety of fields accredited by program-specific organizations.
Stockton has a very advantageous public health department that is committed to seeing their students succeed in the world of allied health professions. I took up a concentration in environmental health where I had the opportunity to take both public health and environmental science courses. This allowed me to take classes, such as watershed hydrology, which involved on-campus research projects. Stockton’s location in the New Jersey pine lands makes it an excellent school to conduct environmental research.
Social life at Stockton is varied. Some students choose to join a Greek society while others may join an academic-specific club. Academic-specific clubs can be as simple as a business society where students convene and study for upcoming exams, or you can go as far as academic housing. For example, nursing students have the opportunity to live together. This promotes unity in the program, provides a common bond among roommates, and gives students easy access to like-minded peers for tutoring. Even if you do not join any clubs, there are usually free events on campus to get students socializing with one another.
As I found in college during my senior year, the big question is: Will I get a job? The answer is yes, if you put in the effort. When it comes down to it, Stockton is what you make of it. Take advantage of career center resume review days, mock interviews, and job fairs. Utilize Stockton’s online job search engine and attend career panels to speak with alumni. Don’t forget to network with professors and express your career goals to everyone you meet. By being proactive with your career search, you will surely find employment after graduation.
Scholarship tips from our winner
How to find scholarships
I find scholarships through major websites like Unigo, Peterson’s, Fastweb, and Scholarships.com. In addition, I will use Google to search for local scholarships in my area that are sponsored through community organizations. I search for scholarships monthly and maintain an updated list, but I send out applications in between semesters when I am not busy studying for school (when I do apply, I fill out about 20 applications in between semesters).
How to write a winning scholarship essay
To write a winning scholarship essay, I make sure to apply to something that I am passionate about, knowledgeable in, or have a genuine interest in. Finding a topic that you are confident writing about is half the battle, but once you come across one, the writing part comes easy! Focus most of your time searching for scholarships that fit your niche — it will make the writing and application process much more enjoyable and fun.