Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Why Duke Essay 4 Tips for a Great Essay

Why Duke Essay 4 Tips for a Great Essay SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you hoping to become a Blue Devil? The Why Duke essay is a small but important part of your Duke application. This is the place where you explain exactly why you love Duke so much.However, there are thousands of students who want to attend Duke, and only a small percentage of them get in. What can you do to make sure your Why Duke essay sets you apart and helps you get accepted? Keep reading to learn what the Why Duke essay prompts are, exactly what Duke is looking for when they read them, and what you should write about to and convince Duke you’d be an asset to their school. We also include a Why Duke essay example so you can see what an actual essay response looks like. The Why Duke Essay Prompts The Why Duke essay prompt is one of several essay prompts you’ll need to answer in your Duke application. You can learn more about the other Duke essays in our in-depth guide.There are actually two Why Duke essay prompts, and you’ll answer one of them. The prompt you answer is based on which college you apply to within Duke, either the Trinity College of Arts Sciences or the Pratt School of Engineering. Here’s the Why Duke essay prompt for Arts Science applicants: If you are applying to the Trinity College of Arts Sciences as either a first-year or transfer applicant, please discuss why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something particular about Duke that attracts you? (150 words maximum) Here’s the Why Duke essay prompt for Engineering applicants: If you are applying to the Pratt School of Engineering as either a first-year or transfer applicant, please discuss why you want to study engineering and why you would like to study at Duke. (150 words maximum) As you can see, the two prompts are very similar to each other. Both want to know why you want to study at Duke, although the engineering prompt does also explicitly ask you to discuss why you want to study engineering. Both prompts have the same word count limit of 150 words. What Is the Purpose of the Why Duke Essay? Why does Duke require applicants to answer this essay? What are they really looking for in your response to â€Å"why Duke†? Let’s analyze these prompts.No matter which schools you’re applying to, the â€Å"why this school† prompt is probably the most common prompt you’ll on college applications. Why? Because colleges want to see that you really want to attend their school. Students who love the school they attend and feel that it’s a good fit are more likely to accept an offer of admission, be interested in their studies, take advantage of what the school offers, and give back after they graduate. Basically, Duke and other schools which include this prompt are looking for students who will take advantage of all the unique opportunities they offer so they have the biggest impact at the school and when they’re alumni. If you show that you really love Duke and are ready to make the most of your time there, it makes admissions officers feel more confident you’re going to have a significant and positive impact on their school. If you can’t give any compelling reasons for choosing Duke or you don’t seem to have done much research on the school, that makes Duke worry that you don’t really want to attend the school and will only do the bare minimum in college, without having much of an impact during your time at Duke or afterwards.Additionally, Duke asks you to write this essay to make sure you and their school are a good fit for each other. If you use this essay to talk about majors, classes, internships, study abroad options, etc. that Duke doesn’t offer, the admissions team may be hesitant to offer you a place at Duke since it may not be the best place for you to reach your goals. Basically. the purpose of this essay is two part: Duke wants to make sure you know and value what they offer, and they also want to see how you’re going to make use of these opportunities to reach your goals for the future. What Should You Write About in Your Why Duke Essay? Because Duke has so many opportunities to offer students, there are many ways to approach this essay topic. Here's a list of potential ideas: Majors, minors, certificates, and/or classes Duke offers that you’re especially interested in. This also includes Program II, where you can design your own individual degree program. The Focus Program, which lets first-year students take classes on unique topics. Duke professors whose work you admire and with whom you’d like to study or conduct research. Duke’s Service Learning or DukeEngage programs which give students the opportunity to provide services to communities in need. Clubs or sports teams that you’d be interesting in joining. The Duke Startup Challenge which helps students who want to be entrepreneurs. Research opportunities you’d like to have (the more specific you can be, the better). Internship opportunities Duke offers. Duke students or alumni you’ve met who you admire. Financial aid opportunities Duke offers that make it possible for you to attend. In your response, you should choose about one or two reasons why you think Duke is the best school for you. For each reason, you should describe what Duke offers and connect it back to your interest and skills to show how you’re a good match for the school. For example, you could write that you’ve always been interested in global health, and you have an idea for an invention/idea that could improve global health in developing countries. You want to attend Duke to take advantage of the Duke Startup Challenge to get your product out there, then participate in DukeEngage or a similar program Duke offers to try the product out in the field. Or, you may be a mechanical engineering student who wants to work with a specific professor at Pratt and take advantage of the research opportunities Duke offers to study thermal and fluids systems. Remember to be as specific as possible to show Duke that you’ve done your research, and show both what you care about/want to do with the rest of your life and how Duke can help you get there. A note about basketball: Duke’s basketball team has an extremely dedicated fan base, and many students choose to go to Duke at least partly because they love the basketball team. However, we strongly discourage you from using this essay to discuss your love of Duke basketball. There are several reasons for this. First, many, many applicants mention the basketball team as a reason they want to attend Duke, so you won’t make your essay unique or memorable if you give the same reason most other people do. Second, Duke is foremost an academic institution, and it wants students who are dedicated to their studies. Duke classes require a lot of work, and if you give the impression that all you’ll be doing at Duke is waiting hours in line so you can be the first one in Cameron Stadium for each game, they may wonder if you’ll succeed at the school. So write about something other than the basketball team, and then once you get in, feel free to paint yourself blue an d join the other Cameron Crazies. Tips for Writing a Great Why Duke Essay No matter how you decide to answer the â€Å"Why Duke† prompt, here are four tips you should keep in mind to make sure you stand out from the crowd and show Duke that you’re a student they want to have at their school. #1: Do Your Research Before you start writing, you should know a lot about the opportunities Duke offers and why you want to go there. Here are some places to start your research: Duke website Duke majors, minors, and certificates Course catalog The Duke Chronicle (school newspaper) Duke internship opportunities Duke research opportunities Campus visit Meeting with an alum or current student Meeting with a professor #2: Be Specific From your research, you now have multiple reasons as to why Duke is a great school for you. Choose one or two of them to write about in your essay. The more specific you can be when answering the â€Å"Why Duke† prompt, the better. Don’t just say that Duke has great classes, smart professors, and an interesting student body. Most schools have that, and the people reading your essay will wonder if you’re using an identical essay for every school you’re applying to. Instead, try to mention opportunities only Duke can provide, such as specific professors, course names, extracurriculars, or research opportunities.The things you discuss should be things your other top schools don’t offer, things that really make Duke stand out. #3: Show Your Passion Duke students are a passionate bunch, and Duke wants students who care a lot about what their studies and their school. A generic statement like, â€Å"I am impressed by Duke’s strong engineering programs† doesn’t tell the school anything about you or help you stand out from other applicants. Why does the engineering program make you so excited? How do you want to use your engineering skills in the future? Write about those things instead.Showing a passion that’s unique will help differentiate you from other applicants and show Duke that you’ll take your studies seriously. #4: Make Every Word Count The 150 word limit on this essay means that it’s going to be very short, so you want to get the most out of those words. Start with an outline of your main points: why you want to go to Duke and how you’ll make the most of those opportunities at the school and after graduation, then expand from there until you hit 150 words. This isn’t the essay to tell an in-depth story about your childhood or go into flowery descriptions. Instead,make your main points strong and don’t worry about adding too many embellishments to the essay. Why Duke Essay Example Sometimes the best way to understand what a great Duke essay looks like is to look at an example. Below is a Why Duke essay example (for the Trinity school) followed by an explanation of what makes it stand out. I love many things, but learning and sports top the list. The moment I stepped onto Duke’s campus, I leaned over to my mother, gasping, and said, â€Å"Whoa,† even before beginning my tour. I was stunned to immediately see signs of my loves everywhere. My dreams of tenting in K-Ville for the annual Duke-UNC game almost made my mouth water. As for learning, the cross-disciplinary study options that Duke offers ignite my passions. I have always loved business, and as I have aged, I discovered a deep interest in education. At Duke, I saw the opportunity to combine these two interests in many ways. I would love to initiate lunches with Professor Elizabeth Garcia, whose work focuses on educational motivation, and Mark T. Brown, Director of the Management Communications Center. Exploring commonalities in business and educational spheres would be uplifting, and will engage all of my most profound interests. -Calvin Thompson What Makes This Essay Work? This essay is strong in three key ways: Shows Passion:It’s clear that this student loves Duke. From gasping at his first look at campus to his mouth almost watering at the thought of going there, he’s clearly committed to the school. Mentions Specific Details:This is a short essay, but the writer still manages to mention multiple professors, programs, and subjects Duke has that he’s interested in. That shows he did his research and definitely isn’t using the same generic essay for each school he applies to. Shows a Plan for the Future:His plans for the future (education + business) aren’t super specific, but that’s fine since most students start college don’t know exactly what they want to do in the future, and Duke doesn’t expect you to have everything figured out already. However, he has a plan to get started and see where those interests take him, which shows motivation and initiative. Summary: Writing a Great Why Duke Essay The Why Duke essay is a key part of your Duke application since it lets the school know why you want to go to Duke, what you want to get out of your time there, and how Duke will prepare you for the future. For this essay, there are two very similar prompts, and the one you answer is based on whether you’re applying to Trinity or Pratt. In 150 words or less, you need to explain why Duke is the school you want to attend. There are many ways to answer the prompt, but you should always make sure to do your research on the school, use specific examples, show your passion for the school, and make every word count. What's Next? Want to know how to answer the other Duke essay prompts?Check out our guide on the Duke essays for everything you need to know! Is Duke an Ivy League School?Learn more about the Ivy League and whether Duke is part of it by reading our guide to Ivy League schools. Want to stand apart from other Duke applicants?Learnhow to score aperfect 1600 on the SAT, so you can increase your shot at getting into the school of your dreams!

Sunday, March 1, 2020

20 Top Minority Scholarships

20 Top Minority Scholarships SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Scholarships can be a significant source of college funding for students of all different backgrounds - if you know where to look, that is. Many top scholarships have eligibility requirements regarding financial need or academic merit, but there are also excellent scholarship programs that are specifically for minority students. Most of these programs were created in order to facilitate access to education for minority students,and many aim to help students pursue careers in which people of certain ethnicities or backgrounds are underrepresented. One of the best ways to optimize scholarship funding is to apply to scholarships with more specific eligibility requirements (requirements that you meet, of course). To help you find scholarships like this, I’ve compiled a list of awards meant for students of specific ethnic and racial backgrounds. I started with scholarships meant for students of all minority backgrounds before moving into awards meant for specific minorities. Finally, I’ve ended with some tips and strategies for getting the most scholarship money possible. A note before we get started: the terms used to describe minority groups for each scholarship program were taken directly from programs’ eligibility requirements. I understand that not all of these programs may use preferred terms or descriptors, but I wanted to make sure I represented eligibility criteria as accurately as possible. General College Scholarships for Minorities The following scholarships are open to students from many different ethnic minority backgrounds. Actuarial Diversity Scholarship Program If you're interested in a career as an actuary, this scholarship program is meant for you.The potential award amounts depend on your year in school, but they can range between $1,000 - $4,000. This scholarship is open to students with at least one parent of Black/African American, Hispanic, Native North American, or Pacific Islander heritage. The program typically opens in January; the deadline is typically in early May. Get more information on the Actuarial Diversity Scholarship Program. American Meteorological Society Minority Scholarships To qualify for this unique scholarship, you must plan on pursuing a career in meteorological or related oceanic or hydrologic sciences. If you do win the award, you'll receive $3,000 a year for twoyears. This scholarship is open to minority students, particularly those of Hispanic, Native American, and Black/African American descent, who are entering their freshman year of college. The submission deadline is typically inFebruary. Read more about the program and check out theapplication form. Gates Millennium Scholarship Program This very generous (and therefore very competitive) scholarship program covers all unmet financial need and self-help aid; this means that you wouldn't have to take out any loans or worry about finding a student job in order to pay for your education. It's renewable, so you could potentially receive funding through all fouryears of college. We have a whole post on the Gates Millennium Scholarship Program, which you should definitely check out if you're interested in learning more about this award. This scholarship is open to African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian American/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic American students who will be entering their freshman year of college. The submission deadline is typically inJanuary. Read more about how to win the Gates Millennium Scholarship. Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship If you win a Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship, you could receive up to $28,000 per year for up to 4 years of college. That could cover your full Cost of Attendance at some schools! Keep in mind; however, that you must demonstrate financial need in order to qualify for the award. This scholarship program is open to minority high school students who demonstrate financial need. The submission deadline is typically in February. Read more about eligibility requirements and the application process. National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering Scholarship If you participate in a high school program that focuses primarily on math, science, and engineering, this scholarship program may be a good fit for you. Winners receive an award of $2,500 to put towards their college education. This scholarship is open to high school seniors who identify as African American, American Indian, or Latino. Read more about the program, and keep an eye on the application. It's typically made available in the Spring. African American Black Student Scholarships National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Scholarships The NABJ offers several scholarship options for students who are registered as members. As you may have guessed, these scholarships are meant for students who hope to pursue a career in journalism. The award options all have different eligibility requirements, award amounts, and deadlines, so you may want to spend some time researching the program to see if any of the scholarships are better fits than others. These scholarships are open to students who are registered members of the NABJ. The submission deadline is typically inFebruary. Get more information about the scholarship options. The perfect awards for students who want their work on the front page. The Ron Brown Scholar Program This need-based scholarship awards winners up to $40,000 to fund their college educations - they receive $10,000 per year to cover expenses. The scholarship is open toBlack or African American students who demonstrate financial need. There are typically two submission deadlines: one in early November and the final in early January. If you apply by the November deadline, your application will be considered for both the Ron Brown Scholar Program and forwarded to additional scholarship providers for consideration. If you submit after the November deadline, you'll only be considered for the Ron Brown Scholar Program. Read more about the program and submit an application. Ronald McDonald House Charities African-American Future Achievers Scholarship What a mouthful! You should know that the availability of Ronald McDonald scholarships depends on your local chapter's participation - for more information on whether you'll have access to this award, read our post on how to win a McDonald's scholarship. The award amounts can also vary based on where you're located, but you should be able to get more information from your local RMHC chapter. This scholarship is open to students who have at least one parent of African American or Black Caribbean heritage. The submission deadline is typically inJanuary. Get more information on qualifying and applying for a McDonald's scholarship. The Tom Joyner "Full Ride" Scholarship The availability of this scholarship is limited - it's only offered to one student per year - but winners have alltheir expenses covered if they plan on attending a historically black college or university. This award is open to high school seniors who apply to (and eventually choose to attend) a historically black college or university. The application deadline is typically inmid-January. Read more about the scholarship. Hispanic Latino Student Scholarships Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholarships By submitting one application through the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, you essentially apply to thousands of potential scholarships - over 5,100 new awards are given out every year. The HSF isan excellent source for scholarship funding; if you're Hispanic/Latino and only have time to submit one application, you should submit this one. While you're at it, read our blog post on how to win one of the HSF awards. These scholarships are open to students who are at least 1/4 Hispanic or Latino. The application typically opens in January and closes in March or April. Read more about the HSF scholarships. League of United Latin American Citizens National Scholarship Fund Award amounts through this scholarship fund vary from $250 - $2,000. Although these awards may not be huge, they'll definitely add up, especially if you apply to several other scholarship programs. These scholarships are open to students who identify as Hispanic or Latino. The submission deadline is typically inMarch. Read more about the scholarship program. Ronald McDonald HACER Like the other Ronald McDonald House Charities scholarships, the availability and amount of this award will depend on your local RMHC chapter. There are also four national awards that come with some big payouts: $100,000 each, to be exact. The scholarships are open to students who have at least one parent of Hispanic heritage. The application typically opens in October and closes in January. Read more about how to win a HACER scholarship. Who would have guessed that fast food could be related to an awesome college scholarship? Native American and American Indian Student Scholarships American Indian College Fund Scholarships The AICF is similar to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund: it's a scholarship hub or database with one application that will get you considered for many awards. Award amounts and eligibility criteria vary, butyou don't have to worry about that too much since you only have to submit one application. In order to be considered eligible for any of these awards, you must be enrolled in a state- or federally-recognized tribeorbe able to prove descendency to an enrolled member. These scholarships are open to American Indian students with connections to an officially recognized tribe. The application is open January 1 - May 31. Read more about the fund and its scholarship application. Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Scholarships Asian and Pacific Islander Scholarship Fund Program Award amounts through this program range from $1,500 all the way up to $15,000. These scholarships are open to students who are Asian/Pacific Islander as defined by the US Census. The application typically opens in September and closes in early January. Get more information on the program. Asian Pacific Fund Scholarships The Asian Pacific Fund offers 12 different scholarships, all with different eligibility requirements and award amounts. You may want to look through theavailablescholarships to see if any are good fits for you - most of the awards are for graduating high school seniors. The good news is that if you find more than one scholarship that you're interested in, you're welcome to submit as many scholarship applications as you'd like. Most of these scholarships are open to graduating seniors of Asian ancestry. The submission deadline for many of the scholarships is typically inFebruary. Get more information on the APF scholarships. Asian Women in Business Scholarship Fund This $2,500 award is given to female students who demonstrate leadership or an entrepreneurial spirit. The scholarship is open to women of Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry. The deadline isOctober 1st, 2016. Get more information about this scholarship program. A perfect scholarship program for women who want to enter the business world. Korean Ancestry Grant Award amounts for this scholarship vary but can be as high as $10,000. As you may have guessed, there's a strong preference for applicants of Korean ancestry, but the program will also accept submissions from other students. This grant is open to students of Asian ancestry, with at least one Asian grandparent. Tthe deadline is typically in March. Get more information about the grant. Ronald McDonald House Charities ASIA Scholarship Award amounts and availability will depend on your local Ronald McDonald House Charity chapter, but it isn't too hard to get your hands on that information. For more explicit directions, check out our post on winning a McDonald's scholarship. These scholarships are open to students with at least one parent of Asian-Pacific heritage. Theapplication typically opens in October and closes in January. Read more about applying for a McDonald's scholarship. Upakar Indian-American Scholarship Fund This award provides $8,000 over four years to each scholarship recipient. There are some other benefits to the program in addition to funding - scholarship winners also have access to a mentoring program. This scholarship is open to students who were born in India, or to students with at least one parent who was born in India. The application deadline is typically inApril. Check out the eligibility requirements and application. Vietnamese American Scholarship Foundation This scholarship foundation offers access to several scholarships with just one application. The scholarships all have different selection criteria and award amounts, and you'll have to submit some supplemental materials based on the awards you want to apply for. The application is pretty streamlined so that you can submit all materials at once. These scholarships are open to students of Vietnamese descent. The submission deadlines vary by scholarship, but most are due in late May or early June. Get more information on the scholarship options and check out the application. Tips for Your Own Scholarship Search Hopefully, you now have a good start when it comes to looking for scholarships for minority students. This list of awards is just the beginning, though - follow these strategies to optimize your chances of winning the most scholarship money possible. Do Your Own Research The awards listed above are some of the biggest andbest-known scholarships for minorities, but that doesn't mean they're the only ones out there. If you do your own research, you'll probably find information on smaller or more targeted scholarships. Why bother going after these awards? The more specific the eligibility requirements (if you meet them), the less competition you'll probably have. The same goes forscholarships with smaller payouts. Try googling"scholarships in [your local area]" or "scholarships for [your specific ethnicity group]". You might be surprised at what you find! Just one caveat - beware of any scholarship applications that ask you to submit payment information or info that seems irrelevant or too private. They may be scams, so make sure an application is for a legitimate award before you submit. A good excuse to spend some quality time at your favorite cafe. Apply Broadly This piece of advice goes hand-in-hand with the last one: the more scholarships you apply to, the better your odds of winning some money. Try to submit as many applications as possible, and make sure to look into non-minority scholarships as well. You might start with 2-3 applications to "big" competitive scholarships and 5-7 applications to smaller or more targeted awards. If you can do more than that; however, more power to you! Just don't let it get in the way of your schoolwork or extracurricular activities - those are more important. Be Mindful of Deadlines As you may have noticed by reading the descriptions above, there's no standard scholarship deadline. The earlier you do your scholarship research, the more likely it is that you'll meet the deadlines for all scholarship programs you may be interested in. Try keeping a spreadsheet with all this information so you can submit applications on time. Make sure to cushion your timeline (add an extra 6-8 weeks) if you have to ask for letters of recommendation. What's Next? To continue with your scholarship search, you'llwant to look for award options other than minority scholarships so that you can apply broadly (like I just mentioned above). You can start with our guides to the top scholarships for high school juniors and high school seniors. If you want more general information on financing your education, check out our guides to what college really costs and how to pay for it. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Francesca Fulciniti About the Author Francesca graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and scored in the 99th percentile on the SATs. She's worked with many students on SAT prep and college counseling, and loves helping students capitalize on their strengths. 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