School work requires lots of time, effort, and sometimes sacrifices on a student’s part. The demands for every course or subject entail much mental and physical effort from students. And if their immune system is not all that strong, students can get sick every now and then. To help students maintain their health, some US states require students to have health insurance.
Why students should get health insurance
One reason students are better off with a health insurance is for them to stay healthy and be able to keep up with the challenges in college or graduate school. And because many students enrolled at universities work part-time to finance their education, the more they are prone to getting sick. In addition, many working students are no longer covered by their parents’ health insurance policies. This leaves students responsible for their own well-being. If they have their own health insurance, students can get treatment when they get sick, recover immediately, and proceed to juggling their school work and social life.
Where to get student health insurance
One source for student health insurance is universities and graduate schools. Many colleges, universities, and graduate schools offer health insurance to students, especially if the course demands are physically exhausting. Another source for health insurance is private insurance companies. They offer special packages and insurance policies to students, particularly those attending college, law schools, medical schools, MBA schools, and graduate schools.
What you need to know about student health insurance
Students eligible for health insurance are those of 17 years up to 29 years of age. General choices for student health insurance are group and individual insurance. A group package covers a particular set of diseases while an individual package can be customized depending on the need of a student. Usually, the premiums for both group and individual packages are affordable. No matter which package you choose, remember to read the fine print carefully and clarify gray areas before signing any documents.
Applying for financial aid can be difficult if you are Asian, because federal loans are normally not extended to non-US citizens. Still, there are numerous organizations that offer financial aid for Asians and other ethnic groups. Here are some of the organizations that offer financial aid to Asian students:
School-specific financial aid for Asian students
Northwestern University offers a number of financial aid solutions for Asians and other international students. Plans offered here include plans for permanent residents and other eligible non-citizens. There are other universities and schools that provide financial aid for Asian students. You may want to apply at this school and other similar institutions of higher learning if they offer a good curriculum and the courses that interest you.
International financial aid organizations
Many organizations offer financial aid to people from all over the world, including Asians. One such organization is The Gates Millennium Scholars program, established by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This organization offers financial aid for high school seniors, college students of all levels, and graduate students entering into fields such as computer science, science, and mathematics.
Other forms of financial aid for Asian students
Aside from the financial aid programs mentioned above, there are other ways to get financial aid if you are an Asian student. Use the Internet to search for other organizations that offer financial aid to Asian students, like the Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship Program. You can also seek for financial aid from your country of origin. Many countries have organizations that offer financial aid for those who want to study in the US. Get to know the organization you are dealing with and how they can help you. Before signing up, be sure to go over all of the details of your financial aid plan. Once you are approved, you can focus a little more on your studies rather than thinking of how to pay tuition.
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Making the transition between high school and college is a difficult time in one’s life, especially as a female student. Whether you are going to a university, a community college, or a graduate school, tuition fees are often hard to cope with. Fortunately, there are many organizations that provide scholarships, grants, awards, and fellowships just for women. Here are some of the notable organizations that offer financial aid for female students:
Financial aid for females with specialization
The HORIZONS Scholarship Foundation, established by Women In Defense, seek to aid women who go into national security. Different plans are available, starting with a minimum of $500. Women who apply for these scholarships must be US citizens and hold a GPA of 3.25. Some of the other fields with scholarships include Law, Mathematics, and International Relations.
Nationwide financial aid for females
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is an organization that seeks to help women and girls through the promotion of education and equity for females. Throughout the past years, the AAUW Educational Foundation has been giving out $3.5 to $4 million in financial aid for women. The types of financial aid offered by this organization include grants, awards, fellowships, and awards for community projects.
Other forms of financial aid for female students
Aside from these two organizations, there are many more that offer financial aid for women. Here are some other organizations that have similar financial aid plans:
* Business and Professional Women’s Foundation
* Talbots Women’s Scholarship Fund
* P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship Fund
* AEI Scholarship Fund
Before applying for scholarship or financial aid, do some research first. Check out the homepages of the organizations that you qualify for to get information on their background, their financial aid plans, and their operations in general. Whether you are seeking to specialize, take up graduate school, or enter into college, there are foundations that can provide you with financial aid.
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You’ll find tons of self-help articles for students who are having a difficult time just trying to get by every single day in school. So instead of giving you tips on how to breeze through college and graduate school, what we’ll give you is an idea on what makes a student inefficient and how not to fall into the trap of becoming one. If you find yourself falling under any of the categories below, it’s time to re-evaluate your current studying habits and turn them into more productive ones.
* Unsuccessful students revel in mediocrity.
This is a common tendency among students especially when school work starts piling up. The aim is no longer to ace an exam or paper, but merely to get a passing grade. Because you’ve already turned down a night out with your friends to write a paper, might as well maximize the time by writing it the best way you can. If you get an A for a well-written report, at least you can say that the Friday night spent all by your lonesome was time well spent. In the academe, you will be surprised to find out that mediocrity is the norm, but it doesn’t mean that you have to be a mediocre student. There are plenty of opportunities for you to shine, so you might as well grab these opportunities – whether they be in your homework, your essays, and your extracurricular activities.
* Unsuccessful students act on impulse.
Hasty decisions almost always lead to complications and bring an even bigger hassle than what you were originally dealing with. This is not to say that you should forego spontaneity in all cases. Rather, learn to distinguish between decisions that need to be thought through and those which you can make on the go. For example, submitting a thesis topic proposal about something you just thought of two minutes ago can have problematic repercussions. Take the time to consult your teachers, counselors, and parents or guardians in your decisions. Their inputs on your academic plans will be invaluable in the long term.
* Unsuccessful students procrastinate to no end.
Yes, there are students who work best under pressure. But there are also those who use this excuse just to slack off and procrastinate. If you’re having an “off” day and cerebral activities are the last thing on your mind, there are still tons of productive things you can do that require minimum brain exercise. Remember those handouts you were looking for last week? Chances are, they’re somewhere in that pile of files and handouts you’ve left on the floor of your room. Rearranging your files, and making them accessible, is a non-cerebral, productive activity which will help maximize your studying time. Do you have a very important paper due next month, why not head to the library and take a few minutes just browsing through resources that you can consult when you make your draft. You may not read through them, but at least you already have a short list of your references.
* Unsuccessful students dwell on failures and negativity.
If you easily get discouraged and dwell on your self-perceived incompetence, this may translate to even lower grades in the future. This is because negativity gives rise to feelings of resignation in doing your school work, which will consequently result in poor academic performance. What you should do is use your failures as a jumping off point for improvement. Take them as lessons and vow to avoid committing the same mistakes in the future. For example, if you turned in a hastily done essay last semester and your teacher called your attention on your carelesness, spend a few minutes re-reading your future essays, correcting simple grammatical lapses, and refining your output.
* They employ short-term thinking and don’t see the bigger picture.
A clear example of this would be not studying for an exam, thinking that one failed exam couldn’t possibly drag down your entire GPA. Another example would be seeing one’s studies as an end in itself. Especially for those in graduate and medical school, some students think that getting good grades doesn’t matter as long as they graduate. If you’re in high school, bear in mind that getting good grades, not just passing ones, are your ticket to getting into the best colleges. This is true for college students who plan to go to graduate, medical, MBA, or law schools. When you apply for college, you will be submitting your academic records, which reflect how you did in high school.
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