A Guide to the Named Scholarship Application

Holy Family University recently announced that the 2014-2015 named scholarship application is now available for submission.  This application, due December 2, 2013, enables students to highlight their numerous accomplishments as members of the university community.

            In order to best represent oneself, a well-written scholarship application is very important.  The following tips are designed to guide completion of the application.

·       Read and reread each question that is asked to ensure that your answers are complete.  The application will require you to describe your community service activities and mention any membership in extracurricular activities offered on campus (Remember to submit club moderator forms).

·       When discussing community service activities, it may be beneficial to write about a specific event that had a lot of meaning for you.  If a volunteer opportunity had a significant impact on your life, a focus on this event may help you to better represent yourself rather than including a detailed listing of every community service activity that you have participated in this year. 

·       One of the application questions asks you to describe how you “uphold the mission of Holy Family University.”  What is the mission?  The mission of Holy Family University consists of six core values.  These core values comprise an education that is committed to Family, Integrity, Learning, Respect, Service and Responsibility, and Vision.

o   How do I connect these six core values into my life as a student?

§      Think about the definitions Holy Family has attributed to each of the core values. 

§       Reflect upon how these values have been incorporated into the classroom as well as in the university community. 

§     Think about how you have lived out these values.  Maybe you are involved in community service on campus and have learned valuable lessons from these experiences that relate to the Holy Family mission.  Maybe you have grown in your faith during your time at the university.  Your time at Holy Family most likely helped you grow in some way.

 

·      When you are finished writing your application, make sure that it is complete and the responses are clearly stated.  Best of luck!

 

 

Selekted Riting Wrules

Okay — so we don't always have to be so serious. 

1. Verbs HAS to agree with their subjects.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
5. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat)
6. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.
7. Be more or less specific.
8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.
9. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
10. No sentence fragments.
11. Contractions aren't necessary and shouldn't be used.
12. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
13. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.
14. One should NEVER generalize.
15. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
16. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
17. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
18. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
19. The passive voice is to be ignored.
20. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical words however should be enclosed in commas.
21. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.
22. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
23. Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earth-shaking ideas.
24. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
25. Resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly.
26. Puns are for children, not groan readers.
27. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
28. Even IF a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
29. Who needs rhetorical questions?
30. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
And the last one...
31. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

Good Examples Continued: Conclusion Section

From time to time, we've been featuring "good examples" of persuasive, argumentative, or different types of writing, by staff, tutors, and students. This most recent example is from Amanda, one of the CAE's student support workers. The concluding paragraph is clearly written with brief, succinct sentences that summarize the arguments made at greater length in the body of the essay, following naturally one from another:

New York made a crucial decision to no longer allow Occupy Wall Street protesters to live in Zuccotti Park. Mayor Michael Bloomberg was judicious in his efforts to force protesters from residing in the park because he had to ensure the welfare of all citizens of New York. The group has caused more harm than good for the entire area. If he had allowed the protesters to remain in the park, who knows how long they would have stayed and how many more millions of dollars would be needed for police response. Everyone is entitled to visit a park and no one could enter Zuccotti with the mass crowd of demonstrators. The citizens of New York are safer now that the government has intervened and eliminated the “Occupy” from Occupy Wall Street. The Occupy movement has no clear goals and it is more confusing than beneficial to the audience that it is trying to relate to. If Occupy Wall Street were to be a successful movement, no arrests would be necessitated because peace should be the priority when trying to make radical changes.

CAE peer tutor Allison wrote this essay for a 300-level English class last semester. It's a great example of structure, clarity, and vocabulary use. Allison's ability to describe the effect of Bronte's use of landscape and domestic imagery to advance the themes of the novel is particularly effective.

Felicity and hostility from Richard James

Brain Train will periodically feature writing by CAE professional and peer tutors, and student support staff. It's a great way of showcasing examples of good writing on various topics. Some of the articles will be technical, some will be expressive. I'll launch the project with an article I wrote for a previous employer a couple of years ago.

Frontiers: the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University

My article is on page 13, but feel free to read the whole thing!

The Brain Train is now coming to you. Wherever you are stationed, stopped, or stumped, the Brain Train will be here to help you keep moving forward toward your ultimate destination: success. We at the CAE are here to help and will be featuring, on a weekly basis, academic articles, written by tutors and student support, and covering topics such as study skills, common grammar mistakes, quick math tips, writing resumes, iPad apps, and getting the most out of your calculator. Occasionally we will post articles on academic topics. We invite you to hop on board the Brain Train and let us join you on your journey.