Kelly Lamano | Content Writer, Going Merry

What’s the right scholarship essay format and structure?

21 January 2020

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Scholarship Essays

Many scholarships require you to submit at least one essay–and maybe you’ve already got that covered. But now you’re wondering: how should your essay be formatted? Should it be double-spaced or single-spaced? Should you include a title? Should you include the prompt? What does a typical scholarship essay format…

How to transfer from a community college to a four-year university (and use your credits!) – complete with a suggested transfer student timeline

9 January 2020

Kelly Lamano

Categories: College Apps

College is the time to learn about who you are and what you want to do. Many students attending community college plan to transfer to a four-year anniversary after completing their associate’s degree. This setup is an easy way to save on your tuition bill! But how do you jump-start…

How Do Scholarships Work? Understanding the Scholarship Application Process — with FAQs answered!

24 December 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Applying for Scholarships

When you’re looking for colleges to apply to, what’s one of the most common factors you look at before you apply? Tuition. If college tuition is expensive, students might be steered away from applying. However, a scholarship application makes it easier for any and all students to be awarded money…

How to apply for FAFSA and Federal Student Aid: Everything You Need to Know

19 December 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Financial Aid

We’re kicking off the school year right by answering your FAFSA questions: how to apply for FAFSA, your FAFSA application, the FAFSA website, and of course the FAFSA deadlines! Grab a slice of pizza and get comfy – we’re diving in! Jump to:What is the FAFSA?What are EFC…

Meet Ijeoma Asonye: Athlete, Design Specialist, Going Merry Scholarship Winner

17 December 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Success Story

Meet multi-talented student Ijeoma Asonye. She played soccer, lacrosse, and ran cross country in high school, all while rocking her schoolwork. Track and field is also her jam. She was the team captain in high school, winning a regional championship in 2019 and competing at state championships. Ijeoma made sure…

Top 13 Scholarship Websites to Find Money for College

13 December 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Applying for Scholarships

There are so many college scholarship websites on the internet, and it’s hard to know which are worth using. Which can you afford? Which have easy-to-use mobile apps? Which have the most scholarship money available to students like you? We’ve answered these questions and more to eliminate the guesswork. Here,…

Meet Daniel Gill: Expressive Art Specialist, Going Merry Scholarship Winner

3 December 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Success Story

Meet Expressive Art specialist Daniel Gill. With educational puppetry, Daniel teaches children ages three to five-years-old about important subjects, such as sharing, mindfulness, working with their feelings, and other positive topics. Through his work in educational puppetry, Daniel noticed that he could help children with Autism spectrum disorder learn and…

Common App vs. Coalition App: Which One Should I Use to Apply for College?

28 November 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: College Apps

You’ve probably heard about the Coalition Application and the Common Application, also known as the Common App. These two resources provide options to apply to and plan for college. But which one is right for your goals? Jump to:I’ve heard of both, but what are they? And which…

Scholarship Winner Spotlight: Jesús Adrian Arroyo-Ramirez

26 November 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Applying for Scholarships, Success Story

A scholarship success story can be influenced by a personal journey, breaking the mold, and carving out your own future to inspire students like Jesús Adrian Arroyo-Ramirez to write a winning scholarship essay (and video!) He earned an outstanding $40,000 through the Golden Door Scholarship in February 2019. The scholarship…

AP Credits: How do I use my AP test scores for college credit to graduate early?

19 November 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Applying for Scholarships

Taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses to earn AP credits might just help you save money and graduate college early. According to U.S. News and the College Board, more than 2.6 million high school students in 2016 alone took 4.7 million AP exams. That’s double the number of students and tests…

Winner Spotlight: John Flowers Jr. on writing his scholarship essay on personal growth

13 November 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Scholarship Essays, Success Story

A scholarship success story takes an experience, a family history, and redefining limits to inspire students like John Flowers Jr. to write a winning scholarship essay. He earned himself an awesome $500 through The Ferrell Lee Scholarship. The scholarship application required an essay answering the following prompt: “Discuss an…

How to compare colleges, to make your target college list – with the best safety schools and reach schools suited for you!

12 November 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: College Apps

Every student deserves to apply to his or her dream school. But how do you narrow down a list of solid choices to apply to when there are so many options out there? And how do you make sure you also apply to some “realistic” colleges, to make sure you…

What’s a winning scholarship essay look like? Check out this Going Merry success story with Gabby DeMott

8 November 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Scholarship Essays, Success Story

A scholarship success story takes a defining moment, an experience, sometimes even studying abroad, to inspire students like Gabby DeMott to write a winning scholarship essay. She earned herself a whopping $10,000 through The Bill Browning Scholarship for Ann Arbor Public Schools. The scholarship application required an essay answering…

The CSS Profile vs. the FAFSA & EFC – What’s the difference?

5 November 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Financial Aid

You’re ready to start planning in paying college tuition. But why are there two financial aid forms: the FAFSA and the CSS Profile? How do you prioritize which to fill out? What’s the process? We’re breaking down the differences between the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, from applications to deadlines,…

How to write a winning scholarship essay about your academic goals

29 October 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Scholarship Essays

Have you ever opened up a scholarship application only to find that you have to write yet ANOTHER scholarship essay, this time about your academic goals? We get it. There’s a lot of writing involved when you’re applying! Well, we’re here to guide you through your academic goals essay, with…

Ways to reduce your college tuition bill, as a high school student

22 October 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Financial Aid

Did you know you can save on your college tuition bill by transferring AP credits, taking the CLEP exam, and even negotiating? Yep, and here we explain how. Read on to learn how you can spend less on your college tuition bill. Jump to:1. Take AP classes, and transfer…

A guide to writing the best personal statement for your college application (with template and examples!)

10 October 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Applying for Scholarships, Scholarship Essays

Why is boasting about a best friend SO much easier than writing about yourself? Unfortunately, writing about yourself is exactly what a personal statement essay requires you to do–whether it’s for your college admissions application, or for a scholarship application to pay for college. Here’s our guide, to…

How to ask for a letter of recommendation for your college app

5 October 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Applying for Scholarships

Would you purchase anything on Amazon before reading the reviews? We rely heavily on other people’s opinions to form our opinions or to back up our existing thoughts. In the same way, colleges want to know what other people think about you, so a letter of recommendation (LOR) boosts…

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