Seeking College Essays from Low-Income Seniors for New Book and Scholarship $$$

College Essays
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<p>High school seniors, heading to college in the fall … want to win a $1000 or $5000 scholarship using essays you’ve already written?</p>

<p>**-Are you the first in your family (or first generation) to go to college?</p>

<p>-Do you come from a low-income family?**</p>

<p>If you can answer “yes” to these questions, Julie Moody–a California-based college counselor–may be interested in including one or more of your college application essays in an upcoming book, and you could also win a scholarship of up to $5,000.</p>

<p>The book Essays from the 'Hood will be a collection of college application personal statements written by students from low-income backgrounds that discuss their quest to attend college and the impact their environment and culture had on that goal.</p>

<p>There is currently not a book on the market that reveals the life experience of the low-income, first generation college bound student, so Julie decided to create one. Thus, the goal of the book is to show future first-generation and low-income high school seniors that communicating the unique experiences they’ve had–and the obstacles they’ve overcome–is a key part of the admissions process. The students following in your footsteps need to know that the authentic voices and lives that they reveal in their personal statements will make them stand out to college admissions officers by revealing who they are and what they have achieved despite their challenges.</p>

<p>If your essay is selected for publication, you will also be eligible for a scholarship. There will be eight $1,000 scholarships awarded (one for the best essay in each chapter of the book, with winners selected by a multicultural committee). The best overall essay will also win a $5,000 scholarship. </p>

<p>Essays from the 'Hoodwants your voice to be heard and your story to be told.</p>

<p>**Submission Rules:</p>

<p>-You can post your essay here on CC, and then Julie Moody will contact you via Private Message. (Be sure to enable Private Messaging) or …</p>

<p>-You can send a Private Message to her (user name: moodyjules) and she will let you know where you can email your submission(s). This is the preferred method of submission.</p>

<p>-You are encouraged to submit more than one essay, if each essay has a different theme, is at least 400 words, and was written specifically for a college application.</p>

<p>-Deadline is July 15, 2010. </p>

<p>-You must be enrolled in a 2- or 4-year college in September 2010.</p>

<p>-You cannot submit essays that were written for other scholarship competitions.</p>

<p>-You will need to complete a submission package, which Julie Moody will provide once you have contacted her.**</p>

<p>If you have questions, you can post them on this forum.</p>

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<p>…really? </p>

<p>I have nothing to say.</p>

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<p>So I have to be the first in my family to attend college, have a low income, AND live in “the 'hood”? Wow.

Wut</p>

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<p>May I share this information with my students on my blog?</p>

<p><a href=“http://askmssun.livejournal.com/[/url]”>http://askmssun.livejournal.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Can I just add that I’m not a fan of the book title.</p>

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<p>I’m not a fan of the title, either.</p>

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<p>AskMsSun–Definitely share this information, if you are reaching students who might be interested in submitting essays.</p>

<p>As for the title, I think it’s fine to add your comments. I don’t know if Julie Moody picked it or her editor did, but I found from my own book-writing days that the editor usually has the final say (although a little whining by the author can have some impact ;)).</p>

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<p>Thank you for your comment.</p>

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<p>Yes, please share the information! If you contact me via private message I will send you a submission packet that explains the origin of the title and more details about the contest.</p>

<p>Thank you for passing this information on.</p>

<p>Julie Moody
Essays from the 'Hood</p>

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<p>If you read the directions more carefully, you only need to be a first generation college student and come from a low income family.</p>

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<p>I feel ‘low-income’ should be more defined…</p>

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<p>So you submit an essay, if the author likes it then its published, and you may not get a scholarship/reward. I find this sort of crowdsourcing unethical. I see a lot of this in design-a-logo competitions too, where people hold a competition asking for logos (the best-one-will-get-paid-but-we-get-to-keep-all-submissions-anyway type of competition), pay a few of them and end up with exponentially more usable logos than they actually paid for. And the other people who went through all that effort to make the logos and have their logos selected, don’t get compensated.</p>

<p>The exact same thing seems to be happening here (replace designing logos with writing essays).</p>

<p>I don’t want to sound bitter or anything, I can’t submit an essay anyway. I’m not a first generation student. Just my 2c though.</p>

<p>PS. I know the essays have already been written and so no additional effort is required. However those essays took time and effort to write and if they’re going to be published for someone else’s profit, then the kid who wrote the essay should be compensated.</p>

<p>You can flame me now.</p>

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<p>Yes, I agree. Can we please have a clarification of ‘low-income?’</p>

<p>Would I qualify if I am eligible for pell grants? what about being selected as a gates millennium scholar?</p>

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<p>No “flaming” necessary or inspired - we’re in the midst of establishing 501(c)(3) non-profit status, so the money will circle back to students with additional scholarships in future years. We will not “profit” from any students’ essays. Thanks for sharing your opinion.</p>

<p>Julie Moody
Essays from the 'Hood</p>

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<p>Pell Grant Students and Gates Millenium Students will absolutely qualify. We are considering low-income to be $60K, the same figure that a number of well endowed colleges use as their income level to award an accepted student 100% financial aid via grants.</p>

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<p>Yes I agree. It would be helpful if you could please define “low-income.”</p>

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<p>Sorry didn’t see the above post before I posted! Thanks for the information!</p>

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<p>I just want to put in another vote for extremely poor choice of title.</p>

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<p>What an awful title. I would never submit one of my high school Questbridge essays to a book called “Essays from the 'Hood.” It sounds degrading. </p>

<p>This sounds like a good idea, Julie, but for God’s sake, change the title.</p>

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<p>I agree with the title being a poor choice. Additionally, I have a question. You have stated that the only qualifications are “low income” and “first generation college student” but then you go on to include a lot of information regarding culture, and how a multicultural committee will select the winner. In addition, the word “hood” in the title seems rather derogatory and brings up the stereotypical idea of mixed cultures. So what I’m asking is, are you also basically implying that you need to be a minority to apply? Or am I over thinking these suggestive words?</p>

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<p>I agree with everyone’s sentiments regarding the title. How derogatory and inaccurate. I am not from the “hood,” nor are many other low-income students I know, nor does every low-income student use that type of language. I’m surprised that a book promoting such a good cause has such an insensitive title.</p>