Specialty Scholarships Offer Cash for Popular Majors

Whether you choose a path in the humanities or accounting, there are scholarships to pay for it.

There are many ways English majors can put their degree to work – and many scholarships to help pay for it, too.

History, English and accounting are three classic college majors .  Accounting is often seen as a parent-friendly, safe choice.  While parents and pundits may consider history and English less practical given the high cost of college and the market for them being smaller than that of say, computer science, there is always a huge interest in these two pursuits.  

Some who study these two subjects may go on to teach, and some will end up doing something professionally that does not, on its surface, appear to have much to do with either subject. Ultimately, you should pursue an education and a career in something you enjoy learning about and doing – and keep in mind that there are scholarships to support students in each of these three majors.

• History: Many history majors I've known didn't seem to care about what was going to happen when they graduated from college. They were mostly concerned with getting a bachelor's and, for some, a graduate degree, studying something they loved and confident they would find work upon graduating. Some would even pursue a doctorate in the field. 

 While much has changed since I graduated, there are still students who have a passion for history and, like most students, they will need all the help they can get paying for their education, regardless of what they end up doing afterward. Below is a scholarship for such students.

The Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington offers a scholarship to Washington state residents who are descendants of a person who resided in several states in the Pacific Northwest in the mid-19th century, with preference given to those majoring in history, education or English. The award is $1,500 and the deadline to apply is April 1. Applicants must be at least a college junior or above at a Washington state institution  to qualify.

• English: It may be difficult to land that tenure-track professorship in English down the road or to even foresee what you will do with an English degree. Like a history degree, it is a classic and somewhat maligned major, due to how difficult it has become to directly align it with a career – other than a few fairly obvious ones, including teaching.

But if English is your passion and you want to pursue a degree in that field, there are many different ways you can use what you learn and apply it in daily life and your career.Scholarships for English majors certainly can help make it more affordable, too.

Missouri Valley College offers two four-year scholarships for incoming English majors: the Virginia Zank Scholarship and the Loren Gruber Scholarship. Applicants must have a composite ACT score of 21 or higher, or SAT critical reading and math score of 976 or higher, and a high school GPA of 3.0 or higher. An essay must be submitted for each scholarship.

The deadline for both scholarships, each worth $10,000, is March 31. If you are not planning on attending Missouri Valley College, don’t worry; there are plenty of other English scholarships at schools all over the country.

• Accounting: There have been accountants for centuries, and if you are predisposed to graph paper and 10-page balance sheets, more power to you. A good accountant can earn a prosperous living, and the pursuit may lead to business administration or finance. But it still wouldn't hurt to get a little financial help on the front end with an accounting scholarship.

Accounting majors who plan to pursue a CPA license and who have completed at least 30 semester hours of college course work – six of those in accounting – by the end of the spring semester will qualify for the AICPA/Accountemps Student Scholarship Award. Applicants must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and must be enrolled full time. The deadline to apply is April 1 for this $10,000 scholarship.

Source:/usnews.com/education/

2017 Best Graduate Schools Preview: Top 10 Education Schools

Want more than a sneak peek at the rankings of these schools and others? Visit usnews.com on March 16.

Vanderbilt University has one of the top graduate education programs in the country.

Thinking about applying to graduate school? Whether you're interested in pursuing a graduate degree in education, or attending law school or business school, there are some big decisions to make. To help students find the right school for them, U.S. News & World Report surveys more than 1,900 graduate schools and programs and ranks them according to our methodology.

Here, we offer a sneak peek at the 2017 Best Graduate Schools rankings.

U.S. News surveyed 376​ ​schools granting doctoral degrees in education. In alphabetical order, here are the top 10 education schools.

School (name) (state)
Harvard University (MA)
Johns Hopkins University (MD)
Northwestern University (IL)
Stanford University (CA)
Teachers College, Columbia University (NY)
University of Pennsylvania
University of Texas—Austin
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin—Madison
Vanderbilt University (Peabody) (TN)

 

The actual ranking and score of these and other graduate schools will be available March 16, 2016, onusnews.com. Use #BestGradSchools to continue the conversation on Twitter and Facebook.

Source:/usnews.com/education/

Treatments for Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative condition that affects the central nervous system of the brain, particularly the motor system. This condition is caused by the death of dopamine-generating brain cells in the midbrain.

Unfortunately, Parkinson’s disease is an incurable disorder. The treatments for this condition are geared towards controlling the symptoms. In today’s post, we are listing down the existing treatments and surgical procedures available for Parkinson’s disease:

Medications

Certain types of drugs reduce the jarring symptoms of Parkinson’s disease such as tremors and difficulty walking. Most of these medications contain synthetic substitute for dopamine, a signaling chemical produced by cells in the brain. Dopamine cannot be given directly because it cannot enter the brain. Medications for Parkinson’s disease include:

• Levodopa
• Duopa
• Dopamine Agonists
• MAO-B Inhibitors
• Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Inhibitors
• Tolcapone
• Anti-cholinergics
• Amantadine

Although these dopamine substitutes reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, the efficacy wanes over time. However, as long as the patient takes the drug, the symptoms can be controlled more easily. That said, some drugs could cause a range of side effects including nausea, hallucinations, sleepiness, compulsive behavior, hypersexuality, and insomnia.

Surgical Procedures

Deep brain stimulation is an invasive treatment applied to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The procedure involves surgically implanting electrodes in specific areas of the brain. The electrodes are connected to a small generator that is surgically inserted into the chest area, near the collarbone.

The generator sends out electrical pulses to the brain to reduce tremors and improve walking. The doctor may adjust the level of electrical impulses accordingly. 

Just like any type of surgical procedures, deep brain stimulation has its risks and complications too. Although the treatment yielded positive results, it could trigger a stroke or cause a brain hemorrhage. Deep brain stimulation increases the risk of infections too. Some patients encounter problems due to electrical simulations or a broken generator. Certain parts of the generator have to be replaced by the surgeon and this requires yet another surgery.

Deep brain stimulation is considered as a last resort treatment for Parkinson’s Disease. It is reserved for patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease who are no longer responding to medications. The procedure can stabilize the reaction to levodopa, reduce the rigidity of the muscles and improves the slowing of movement. Deep brain stimulation can control dyskinesias that no longer respond to medication adjustments.

Although deep brain stimulation eases the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, it does not stop the condition from progressing.

Preventing Parkinson’s Disease

There are ways to reduce your risk of developing this disease later in life. Studies show that caffeine appears to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Drinking caffeinated drinks may stave off this condition.

Consuming antioxidant-rich foods also minimizes the risk of Parkinson’s disease. You want to eat foods that are high in vitamin C. Some studies also show that foods high in essential fatty acids may reduce the likelihood of contracting Parkinson’s disease. However, more studies are needed to verify this claim. Finally, anti-inflammatory drugs and estrogen are linked to the reduction of developing Parkinson’s disease. Source:/healthydietbase.com/

Use Spring Break to Find, Win College Scholarships

Enjoy your time off while upping your shot at winning cash for college.

During the break, create a spreadsheet to keep track of scholarship deadlines.

Spring break allows students to enjoy some much-needed rest and relaxation – but it's also a great opportunity to find and win scholarships to fund a college education.
Take advantage of these tips that will not only get your scholarship search and application process started, but will also leave time for enjoying spring break plans.
• Ask for letters of recommendation before the break: Your counselors and teachers like to enjoy their spring breaks, too. If you plan to ask for a letter of recommendation from them, make sure to do it before the break so they can plan accordingly. Some teachers and counselors may even use the break to get the letters done, so asking for one beforehand can ensure your recommender is able to write a thoughtful letter that strengthens your scholarship application.

10 Tools for Chipping Away at the Cost of College

 Make sure to give recommenders about three weeks. Provide them with any necessary information and follow specific procedures they may have for writing you a letter. 

• Apply to scholarships with spring deadlines: One key to tackling the scholarship search and application process is staying on top of deadlines. Spring break is a great time to knock out a few applications to scholarships with deadlines in March and April.
Focus on applying to scholarships with quickly approaching deadlines to limit your spring break list to a manageable amount of scholarships.
The Intertech Foundation STEM Scholarship, which offers $2,500 to current college students or high school students pursuing or planning to pursue studies in computer science, has a deadline of March 15, for example.
The Ayn Rand "The Fountainhead" essay contest awards prizes ranging from $50 to $10,000 and has a deadline of April 29. These are just a few scholarships that will close this spring; apply to as many as you are eligible for.
• Take note of scholarships with deadlines in the future: Because different scholarships have deadlines every month of the year, make a list of scholarships you'll apply for later on. You can also take note of what materials are necessary, such as letters of recommendation, essaysand transcripts.
Make a spreadsheet or create a document that keeps all of these in order. Consider organizing the list by deadline, or develop your own way to prioritize your scholarships list. For example, you may want to organize by award amount, level of effort required or amount of competition.
When you have the time and the deadlines are approaching, revisit this list having already done your research to make the application process as smooth as possible.
• Participate in resume-building spring break activities: One way to consider spending your spring break includes looking for "alternative" spring break programs from your school or organizations in your community. Alternative spring breaks can give you the chance to travel throughout the country – or even, sometimes, internationally – to make a difference in a community of need.
Trips range from cleaning up national parks to helping out relief efforts in areas affected by natural disasters to tutoring students in under-resourced schools. These programs can be fun while also doing a good deed and giving you knowledge and new skills that can be the subject of scholarship or admissions essays.
Other options can include searching for volunteer opportunities in your community or taking a trip with friends or family. Using your time to explore different experiences or give back within your own community can be valuable as well as a good base for scholarship applications that want you to display leadership and civic engagement.
Spring break is a great opportunity to enjoy time away from classes, but dedicating a portion of it to your scholarship search and application process can have big rewards. Source:/usnews.com/education/

4 Questions Employers Ask About Job Applicants With Online Degrees

Employers may inquire about program's legitimacy and a student’s experience working in a team.

Though employers are becoming more accepting of online degrees, their perceptions still vary, recruiters say.

Employers used to be more hesitant to consider hiring job applicants who earned their degrees online. But that perception has changed in the past few years, recruiters say.

"I think employers, generally speaking, are getting more inclined, more receptive to looking at people with online degrees – ​especially in experienced roles that they're looking to fill. However, it's still a mixed bag; it's a broad range," says Kip Harrell, vice president of client talent acquisition for Govig & Associates, an executive search firm.

"Schools got better at the delivery models, and hiring managers, particularly in the technology industries, became much more comfortable with it," says Nicole Cox, chief recruitment officer at Decision Toolbox, a national recruitment firm.

This increasing acceptance is good news for online students, especially as career preparation remains their primary motivation for turning to distance learning in the first place, according to the results of a2015 survey conducted by Aslanian Market Research and the Learning House. Roughly three-quarters of survey respondents said they chose online learning to change or boost their careers, find a job or keep their skills up to date.

As with any hiring process, an employer will consider several other qualities beyond the type of degree an applicant earned. Still, employers who are aware that job candidates completed their degrees online will likely want to verify that the quality of their education is the same as they would have received in person.

Recruiters and experts say the following questions are regularly asked of online students during the job interview process. Prospective online students should keep these questions in mind when selecting a program to ensure that they are an appealing candidate to employers once they graduate.

1. Is the online program accredited? An employer will likely be most concerned with whether an online degree comes from a reputable institution with an established brand, says Susan Aldridge, president of Drexel University Online. A major part of a program's legitimacy comes down to whether it's either regionally or nationally accredited.

​Accreditation entails an outside, legitimate authority verifying that an institution meets certain educational standards. The accrediting agency should be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

"It provides a credibility to it," Cox says. "And if you go on to continue your education after that, you don't want to have to start over."

Students should be aware that credits earned at schools without recognized accreditation may not transfer.

2. Why did you choose to pursue a degree online? Some employers may wonder why a job candidate chose to pursue a degree online, says Charles Mitchell, co-founder and CEO of All About People, a recruiting and staffing firm based in Arizona. Answering that question can help reveal the candidate's decision-making skills, he says.

"I think from an employer perspective, those are the kinds of things you're looking for someone to share, to explain when it comes to going one route in a traditional setting versus an online setting versus another," he says.

This question came up in job interviews for Billy Parsons, who recently completed the FlexPath MBA program with a specialization in human resources offered through Capella University, an online, for-profit school.

"I flat-out told them, 'I don't have the time to spend driving to these locations when I'm working full time, with a family, and I'm at the level in my organization that does not allow me to have that much free time,'" the 46-year-old Texas resident says.

3. Did you develop skills in teamwork and group collaboration through the program? One of the perks of taking a class in person is the ability to easily work with peers on group assignments. Many online programs also involve collaborative learning, experts say, but it may take a bit more effort to convince an employer that this was indeed the case.

"That is a huge part of what we see employers look for today – is that ability to work within a team, to be a good team player, to collaborate," Mitchell says.

4. To what extent were you able to interact with the program's other students? Just as important to employers is an online learner's ability to understand and interpret a range of perspectives on different issues, says Cox, of Decision Toolbox.

"Employers, if they really understand online education, they can see that it's a smart use of time and can bring a lot of exposure of global ideas, and help their employees develop solutions to problems that they might not have had any exposure to in the past," she says.

These qualities in an online program can help reassure potential employers about its legitimacy, says Harrell, of Govig & Associates.

 "Those experiences that you get in a full-time, campus-based program, you hope will have been built into an online distance learning degree," he says. Source:/usnews.com/education/