Social Networks – How They Can Impact Your Scholarship, Internship, or Job Opportunities.

The Good News.

Technology has had a huge effect on recruitment - for candidates, recruitment professionals and employers alike. What this means for organizations is that sourcing talent through the internet is becoming progressively more important. Not only are employers and their agencies increasingly adopting online-only recruitment policies, but more and more are using social networking platforms such as Facebook and Linkedin to hunt for candidates. According to a study by CareerBuilder.com, one of the largest online job sites in the US, one in every five employers uses social networks to research information about job candidates.

Social media has entered the mainstream as a recruitment strategy; and many highly-recognized firms are connecting with applicants through their own profiles or pages on these sites. As an example, one highly recognizable organization has a team dedicated to recruiting on Facebook, where applicants can ask questions, find information regarding contests, jobs, internships, links to related information, and discussion boards.

Online networks can become a lifeline for job or internship seekers.  An economic crisis hitting firms across the globe has created a spike in usage of professional networks such as LinkedIn, the top professional Web network. Professional networking should be a top priority during unstable economic times.

While making it well worth jobseekers’ time and effort to have a presence online, it’s really only effective for those that take the time to develop their profile. Virtually anything in a profile shows up on a search, so students and employees should list educational background, awards, current and previous employment, current responsibilities, user groups, professional associations they belong to, expertise, and other information companies might seek. Tap into social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook to create or expand positive online content about you.

The Bad News.

What you put on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or other social networks (or what your friends put there) could have a negative impact on your scholarship. According to Social Media and College Admissions, many college admissions offices are searching social networking sites and using search engines (Google and Bing) to conduct background checks on potential students before awarding scholarships. Facebook and Instagram are the most commonly searched sites. The report, put out by the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, expect presence of admissions offices on social networking sites to increase.

Recent surveys find that a growing number of job searches are being derailed by "digital dirt." The Internet is rife with inaccuracies, posturing, gossip and material presented out of context. All of which can wreak havoc on someone's digital footprint. Social networking Web sites can be mined with unintended or embarrassing anecdotes, and general Web searches sometimes reveal inconsistencies or resume inflation. This can, and has, eliminated candidates for internships and jobs.

There are a number of methods being used to collect information and create a virtual profile of you, such as searching and utilizing government records, free people searches, search engines, social network search engines, and paid searches. A number of companies (and college admissions offices) are also using facial recognition software. Think you’re safe by setting your profile to private? Or using an alias? Your personal information is still accessible to parents, professors, police, or employers. Even if your profile is private, there's little to stop your online contacts from copying and sharing your information or pictures with others, and tagging them. Removing possible incriminating pictures or information when it’s time to look for that scholarship or job may be more difficult than you think. So it's a good rule of thumb to avoid posting pictures or confessions that would humiliate you or a friend if they reached the wider world, because they very well could.

My suggestion – Google yourself; do an image search; log in to your social network and do a search. Do this regularly.  Create a profile on a professional network, and link to professors, colleagues, and friends. Create or expand positive, professional online content on other social network sites. Search for companies with an online presence in Facebook or Instagram, and join. Make yourself highly visible, with a positive and professional image.

Scholarships for The University of Nebraska at Omaha

Program Description: The University of Nebraska at Omaha offers a number of competitive scholarships for international students entering at either the undergraduate or graduate level.

Amount of scholarship:

UNO Advantage Scholarships
These scholarships allow recipients to pay resident tuition rates. The scholarships typically reduce tuition charges by about 65% and are worth $7,600 to $9.60 per year. They are renewable each year with good academic progress.

New International Student Scholarships
These scholarships are worth $6,000 per academic year. Partial grants of $3,000 are sometimes awarded for a single semester, and are not renewable.

To apply, complete the online application.

Please note that we will accept online applications only. Paper applications will not be considered.

Deadline: None

Requirements / eligibility:
1: Must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
2: Must meet admissions requirements.
3: Must be a J-1 or F-1 visa holder or applicant.

Additional Information:
Website: http://world.unomaha.edu/
Instructions: Apply online at world.unomaha.edu. Click on "Admissions," then "Scholarships and Funding."

Contact:

• International Studies & Programs:
• 6001 Dodge Street, ASH 241
• Omaha, NE 68182

Phone #: +1 (402) 554-2293
Fax #: +1 (402) 554-2949
E-Mail:  world@unomaha.edu

Australian Government Scholarships for International Students

Australian Government Scholarships for International Students

​Australia Awards are prestigious international scholarships and fellowships funded by the Australian Government.  Opportunities include:

·         Endeavour Awards, providing opportunities for citizens of the Asia Pacific, Middle East, Europe and the Americas to undertake study, research or professional development in Australia

·         Australian Awards Fellowships, providing scholarship support for postgraduate studies in Australia and short-term fellowship opportunities in specialised research, study or professional attachments

·         Australian Awards Scholarships, to promote good governance, economic growth and human development in Australia's partner countries.

For more information about Australian Government scholarships, visit the Australia Awards website

Full tuition waiver for Bachelor or Law program at Bocconi University

Bocconi University offers up to 40 need-based scholarships to international students enrolling in a Bachelor program or a Law Program at Bocconi. The awarding of the scholarship also takes into consideration scholastic performances of the students.

The Scholarship consists of a full tuition waiver worth approximately € 11,000.00 per year for a maximum of 3 academic years (for Bachelor programs) or 5 academic years (for the Law program). The renewal of the scholarship is subject to meeting merit criteria.

Scholarship applications must be submitted by the same deadline as that of the applicant’s Bocconi online admission’s application.

Eligibility:

Only applicants for the first year of a Bocconi Bachelor Program or the Law program who meet all the following conditions will be taken into consideration for the awarding of the scholarship:

-       non-Italian citizenship;

-       non-Italian residence;

-       a non-Italian High School Diploma earned in Italy or abroad.

Students who meet any of the following conditions will NOT be taken into consideration:

-       previously enrolled in an undergraduate program or in a Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Program in Italy or abroad;

-       have earned an Undergraduate or Graduate level university degree;

-       recipient of a scholarship awarded for the AY 2013-14 by private or public institutions.

Application instructions:
Applicants must complete and submit the online Bocconi Scholarship online application form, available at www.unibocconi.eu/finaidapplications, by the same deadline as that of their Bocconi online admission’s application.

Applicants must complete and submit the online Bocconi Scholarship online application form. Scholarship applications must be submitted by the same deadline as that of applicant’s Bocconi online admission’s application which is administered in multiple rounds. The specific deadlines can be found in the scholarship guidelines that falls around January to May 2013.

For further information:

Bocconi Scholarship Application Guideline.

Bocconi Scholarship Guideline for the Bachelor’s Program

Bocconi Scholarship Guideline for the Master’s Program.

Contact information:
Student Services Office – Piazza Sraffa, 13 – 20136 Milano – Italia

e-mail: financial.aid@unibocconi.it

Tel. (+39) 02.5836.2152

Sweden Announces an Increase in Scholarships for International Students

Sweden announced an increase in the budget for higher education grants for international students applying for Master’s degrees at Swedish universities. The grants budget is to be increased from SEK50 million to SEK100 million (US$15 million) and distributed across universities affiliated to the Swedish Institute in Stockholm from 2013.

Eligibility: students from OECD and Development Assistance Committee (DAC) countries, outside Europe. A further SEK60 million is to be provided for students from countries not on the DAC list. Some scholarships might cover both living costs and tuition fees, depending on the program.

Approximately 60 scholarships are given to citizens of the following countries which Sweden has long-term development assistance programs with: Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Citizens from Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine can apply through the Visby Program.

Citizens from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia can apply to the Swedish Institute Scholarships for East Europe.

Applicants from Turkey can apply within the Swedish-Turkish Scholarship Program.

Scholarships cannot be granted for students who:

• Have already lived in Sweden for two years or more previous to the scholarship period.
• Have a Swedish permanent residence or work permit.
• Have previously been awarded a Swedish Institute scholarship for studies at Master’s level or for research at a Swedish university.
• Already hold a Master’s degree from a Swedish university/university college.
• Are currently enrolled in a study program on Bachelor’s or Master’s level at a Swedish university or university college.

Application instructions:

Please note that in order to apply for a Swedish Institute Study scholarship you must first be admitted to a Swedish university/university college. Swedish universities will call for applications from 1^st December until 15^th January, with some universities starting their application period as early as October.

Find more detailed information on how to apply for the Swedish Institute scholarships here. Information on applications for the next academic year will be announced in December 2012.

Read more

Find out more about studying in Sweden.

Find out more about the structure of Swedish academic programs.

University of Dundee, UK, offers postgraduate scholarships for international students in the field of medicine for 2013

Scholarship Description: The Cuschieri Skills Centre is offering the following Scholarships up to the value of £5,000 towards tuition fees for applicants for its Taught Postgraduate programme:

• Financial Hardship Scholarship 
• Academic Merits Scholarship

 Restrictions: You can apply for both scholarships but only one Scholarship towards tuition fees will be awarded.

Eligibility:
-International Baccalaureate (IB) English Language score of 4 or above will be accepted
-Your language certification must be recent: TOEFL and IELTS results are valid for two years only
-All aspects of your academic record, including your English language level, will be taken into account when your application is being considered.

How to Apply: Electronically (See Website for details)

Scholarship Application Deadline: For courses starting in January 2013 the deadline is November 15^th, 2012

For further information:

http://www.dundee.ac.uk/admissions/fees_funding/scholarships/medi.htm

Asian Women in Business Scholarship

The Asian Women In Business Scholarship encourages and promotes exceptional Asian female students who have demonstrated scholarship, leadership, community service and/ or entrepreneurship.

Amount:  $2,500

Deadline:  October 1, 2012

Eligibility:

Asian women (50% Asian) who fulfill the following criteria will be considered:

1. Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry (includes those who can trace their ancestry from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam)
2. Enrolled full-time in an accredited 4-year undergraduate institution in the US, at the time of application and award
3. Maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA at the time of application
4. Provide the most recent college transcript; semi-finalists will be asked to provide the most recent official transcript
5. U.S. citizen or a permanent resident of the U.S.
6. Have one or more of the following: (a) a leadership role in a community endeavor or (b) a record of entrepreneurial achievement (e.g. founded your own business) 

For further information (FAQ):  http://bit.ly/O2m20M

Send application to:

Asian Women In Business
42 Broadway, Suite 1748 
New York, NY 10004

If you have additional questions not covered by the FAQ, please send  an email at scholarship@awib.org.