Gilman Scholarship

So, I've officially applied for the Gilman Scholarship and I'm so nervous!  I totally dropped the ball and didn't put on my calendar when the due date for that application was.  So, when I went to check and saw it was three days away I freaked out.  It was the only thing I could think of for those three days up until the night it was due.  I was writing my essays like a mad woman and I payed extra to get my transcript the next day.  Then when I submitted it I was still nervous because I knew if I had payed closer attention I would have had more time and could have written better essays.  But, now it's all out of my hands.  I just have to wait until the end of April to see if I'm awarded the scholarship.  Until then, I'll be waiting for the Global Scholars application to open up.  I made sure to put that on my calendar.  I will be more prepared for this scholarship, that's for sure.  I don't like feeling stressed.

The Cost of Education - Part 2

Monday I finally went to the financial adviser for ACA to see if any of my financial aid would transfer over to the summer, and it turns out it will.  None of the government money will transfer since I use it all up during the regular school year.  However, the stipend I get from my father working for the South Central Conference will go towards my trip since I will be attending an Adventist university.  The adviser said it should cover 70% of something, but she's not sure since she doesn't have the chart on how all the pricing breaks down for this year.  So, I'm just setting my sights on it covering half.  That would be $2290 that I won't have to worry about paying.  The addition of the subsidy cuts down my overall costs to at least $4595 with my current estimation of airfare on the price thermometer to the right, and that's quite alright with me.

Also, Gilman finally posted their summer scholarship information at the beginning of February even though they said it would be posted in the beginning of January.  So, I've started work on that.  I just need to request my transcript and write a couple essays.  They shouldn't be too hard once I actually sit down and do them, but school work takes up so much time that I barely have time to think.  Fortunately I have great professors in the English department to look over my essays and help me submit the best that I can do.  Also I've a friend who received the Gilman scholarship last year, so she could help me too.

It's been quite a process, but fortunately it all seems to be coming together.  The next couple of months will be hectic.

The Cost of Education

Education is so expensive.  Or rather, receiving an education through an academic institution is expensive.  There are plenty of things we can educate ourselves on that cost little to nothing.  Just having access to a library ups your educational ability.  However, obtaining an education overseas comes with a lot of expenses I've discovered.

Anticipation

With the new year coming up I keep thinking more and more about scholarships. While I don't like writting essays, I wish the summer scholarships would be posted sooner than January 6th. One website's not posting theirs until February or March! I'd like to have more of my break to work on them rather than starting off the semester with essays. But I'll have to put on my big girl panties and deal with it if I'm going to get the money I need to travel to the place I've been dreaming of traveling to for as long as I can remember.

Something I'm a bit confused about is the visa process. I don't know if I just fill out a regular form and put my intent as academic or if I need a special student visa form. I also don't know when to fill it out because I haven't applied for the school yet. I can't fill in a school address if they don't even know I have the intent of coming, right? I guess these are just more questions I'll have to ask my advisor when I get back to school.