Thank you for your interest in learning more about the College Peas Standout Student Scholarship. The College Peas Scholarship is a program I fund from personal proceeds generated by my book and DVD seminar. I wrote both the book and the seminar a few years ago while I was working for a popular online college search site. I continue to support students in their quest to receive a college education.
Both the book and the seminar provide practical advice for getting into a competitive college in spite of average or even poor academic performance—of course the strategies also work for exceptional students too. Unlike you, I’m not a guidance counselor and the advice I give is not usually the kind of advice most guidance counselors provide.
Over the years I have received literally thousands of applicants to my scholarships. I read essays almost every day in search for standout students. I am looking for students that are unique from all the other students who apply. Differentiation is the single most critical element for not only my scholarship, but also the college admissions staff (as I’m sure you know).
Sports, music, volunteering and “being a good person” are the topics I see most often. Unfortunately, while these are all great things and I would never, ever discourage a student from pursuing any and all of them, they will rarely give a student what he or she needs to truly differentiate themselves from other applicants during the college admissions process.
Please spend some time with your student and talk with them about their application. Ask them one question: will lots of other students be writing about the same or a similar topic? If they even suspect the answer is yes you will need to take a different approach. If they wrote about sports, music, volunteering or “being a good person,” the answer is most definitely yes.
College Peas can help. Click here to order the DVD and here to order the book. The Seminar includes a workbook. I would be happy to provide a PDF version of this workbook that you can print for large classes upon request.
I wish your student the best of luck winning my scholarship and getting into college.
Sincerely,
Mike Moyer
Author of How to Make Colleges Want You and the College Peas DVD Seminar
