Ruth First Scholarship now open for applications

Applications are now open for the new Ruth First Scholarship for Masters or Doctoral studies at Rhodes University in 2011. Launched earlier this year with a lecture by Justice Albie Sachs, the scholarship is intended to support candidates whose research is in the spirit of Ruth First’s life and work, poses difficult social questions, and links knowledge and politics and scholarship and action.

Candidates will be short-listed using a CV, academic transcript and letter of motivation which includes their suitability for the award and how their proposed work will be within the spirit of Ruth First’s work.

Eligible fields of study are: politics, sociology, philosophy, anthropology, economics, social policy, democracy studies, development studies, media studies, or studies in cognate disciplines with a strong social and human rights orientation.

All Doctoral and Masters candidates acceptable to Rhodes University in the focus areas of this scholarship will be eligible to apply. South African black and women candidates will be particularly encouraged to apply, and will be shown preference in situations where short listed candidates are deemed to be equally suitable for the award of the scholarship. Preference will also be given to candidates who are able to demonstrate financial need and disadvantaged social origins.

Candidates will be assessed on their academic record, their previous scholarly outputs, their track record of leadership and involvement in projects and organisations related to social and human rights issues, and their ability to clearly articulate their intended area of study under the support of the scholarship and their future career goals. The Ruth First Scholarship is tenable only at Rhodes University.

The Value of the scholarship, PhD R100 000 per year and Masters R80 000 per year - the closing date for applications is 31 August 2010.

Rhodes University has set up several scholarship programmes to attract excellent students and researchers to further their studies at postgraduate level and should visit the website for more details about other postgraduate opportunities at: http://www.ru.ac.za/research/postgraduates/funding

For more information and application procedures: Telephone 046 603 8755

Microsoft scholarship Program

Requirements

Basics
If you’re interested in applying for the 2010-2011 academic year scholarships, make sure you postmark your application by February 1, 2010 in order for your application to be considered. Microsoft selects final candidates based on the following criteria:

• Eligibility
• Quality of application
• Displayed interest in the software industry
• Commitment to leadership
• Financial need

Please check your e-mail on March 19, 2010, the day we notify all rewarded scholarship recipients. We will strive to contact all applicants about their status, however please note that due to the high number of scholarship applicants, we may only be able to contact candidates who were awarded scholarships.

Diversity at Microsoft
We encourage student populations currently underrepresented in the field of computer science to pursue technical degrees. All candidates who meet the criteria for eligibility described below may certainly apply, while we do award a large majority of our student scholarships to women, minorities, and the disabled. Minority applicants must belong to one of the following groups underrepresented in the software field: African-American, Hispanic, or Native American.

Provisions
As a recipient of one of our scholarships, you’ll enjoy the benefits for one academic year. You may receive either a full or partial scholarship for the 2010-2011 academic year. Full tuition scholarships will cover tuition for the 2010-2011 academic year as posted by the financial aid office at your college or university. Microsoft will make payments to the designated school, and they’re not transferable to other academic institutions. You may use the funds for tuition only—not for other costs listed on your bursar bill, such as room and board.

You’ll also need to apply for a summer internship and if offered an internship, you must complete the salaried summer internship of 12 weeks or more at Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Washington. (Microsoft reserves the right not to offer an internship position to the scholarship winner if an appropriate match cannot be found.)

Eligibility
To be eligible, you must be enrolled full time in a Bachelor's degree program at a 4-year college or university in the United States, Canada, or Mexico at the time you submit the application. Plus, we’ll need to see that you’re making satisfactory progress toward an undergraduate degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related technical discipline such as electrical engineering, math, or physics—and that you demonstrate an interest in computer science. Because the scholarship is merit based, you must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average out of a possible 4.0, or a 4.0 cumulative grade point average out of a possible 5.0. For more detailed information regarding eligibility, please read our FAQ.

Law School Scholarships: Law School Financial Aid, Law School Grants

Getting into law school is just the first step towards a successful career in law. Prospective law school students usually need funding and financial assistance to manage the high costs of education, and there are many law school scholarships and law school grants available. Many law school scholarship options are available through online applications, while others require a formal written application and interview. In most situations, finding the right resources for funding may take the form of a law school grant, law school scholarship, or by applying for law school financial aid.

A variety of law school scholarship options are available online, and these generally have a simple application process that includes an essay, a test, or even a written examination. Databases on law school scholarships available in a specific city or state can also be found by searching the local library. Many law school financial aid offices also have libraries of law scholarship source books. The average scholarship or grant amount varies depending on the location, school, and student eligibility.

Calling the state bar’s association is another option, as these organizations offer many local law school grants and scholarships. A valuable online search engine is the EdFed Scholarship Search http://www.edfed.com site, as well as FastWeb http://www.fastweb.com. The most common sources for law school scholarships include:

• Law school scholarships by location

• Law school scholarships for diversity

• Law school grants available through a particular law school

• Law school scholarships available through a sponsoring law firm