Discus Awards

About the Author

It’s the start of another school year, and as you get your assignments, many of you are wondering, “So why am I going to school anyway?”

You might think it’s simply to get into a good college, to make your parents proud, or because it might be tough to find a job right out of high school. If you take a deeper look, you might find that you are going to school so you can live your own personal “American Dream.”

Check out the video of Wilmer Valderrama and you’ll find the American Dream has spread worldwide and people from all corners of the globe are searching to live a better, richer, and happier life.

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Filed under: Money XLive • College Prep • Money XLive • Financial Aid & Scholarships

Maria Pascucci is a national student leadership speaker, author and the CEO of Campus Calm™. If you’re tired of stressing over school, you can join the club … literally! Unite with students around the world at www.campuscalm.com and receive your free Student Leader Success & Happiness Kit.  Learn more about Maria on her About the Author page.

School’s about to start. For some of you, it already has. You have books to read, tests to study for and papers to write. You can't afford to miss class. You don't have time to get sick.

The reality is though student leaders get sick. You become stressed out by all your academic and life commitments, skimp on sleep, fill up on junk food and then when your compromised immune system brushes by some germs - well - pass the tissues. Luckily, there are ways to keep your energy levels up and your immune system strong, able to ward off stress and fight infection. If you're looking for ways to keep your mind, body and spirit healthy in 2010 and beyond, practice these 10 simple affirmations:

1. I will allow myself enough sleep each night to fully rest my body, recharge my batteries and support my immune system to protect against illness.

2. I will exercise my body in ways that I enjoy, even if that means squeezing in a 20-minute walk after school.

3. I will pay attention to my emotions and find positive ways to calm my mind & body down when I'm stressed. I will try deep breathing, yoga or I'll call a friend up and do something fun!

4. I will follow my intuition about what's right for my future and not be swayed by the expectations and demands of others.

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Filed under: Maria Pascucci • Campus Calm • College Prep • College Admissions

It's August and the "Back to School" campaign is out in full force.  I walked into Staples today and they had school supplies featured front and center; my personal favorite was the pack of multi-color erasers you attach to the end of your pencils.  They always reminded me of those animal sponge magic capsules I used to watch grow under hot water as a kid, but I digress.

The point is, it's time to start thinking about school again, and for you rising seniors especially, it's time to start ratcheting up the college admissions process.  My goal is to help you do that and my method is to provide you with information and resources that will make this process as smooth and painless as possible.  Today's resource: college scholarships with application deadlines this month.

 

Are you super busy?  This scholarship application takes just minutes to fill out and anyone can win!  Why wouldn't you sign up?

Click here to apply for this award.

Cappex's "A GPA Isn't Everything" Scholarship Deadline: August 31, 2010 Amount: $1,000 Awards Available: 1

You may recognize this scholarship as it has been featured on this blog before. The Discus Awards loves this scholarship because it shares our belief that students' achievements cannot be wholly measured by a GPA or a standardized test score. (Cue "Hail to the Chief"). That's right; we at the Discus Awards believe that the most outstanding students are those who achieve in a variety of attributes, in and outside the classroom.  We believe admissions officers and scholarship judging panels should recognize students for more than just the numbers that are often used to represent them, because every individual student is more than a number.  Every student is a human being with passions and accomplishments entirely unique to them!  So bravo, Cappex, for standing up for this belief and declaring, "A GPA Isn't Everything!" 

Click here to apply for this scholarship. 

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Filed under: Discus Dan • College Prep • Financial Aid & Scholarships

Maria Pascucci is a national student leadership speaker, author and the CEO of Campus Calm™. If you’re tired of stressing over school, you can join the club … literally! Unite with students around the world at www.campuscalm.com and receive your free Student Leader Success & Happiness Kit.  Learn more about Maria on her About the Author page.

Happy back-to-school! That means that summer’s winding down, but fall brings new adventures, new colors and a new season. Chin up!

Back-to-school also brings new adventures for me, and more importantly, support for all of you … in the form of *Campus Calm TV! Check out www.youtube.com/campuscalm. My goal was to create video tips to help all of you stress-out less about school, while learning about the real secrets to success and happiness in life, “secrets” like being a lifelong learner and fearless risk-taker.

Thanks to Dad’s video camera, and some chutzpah on my part, I made it happen. Just in case you’re thinking to yourself right now, “I could never be comfortable on camera,” newsflash: neither was I in the beginning! When I produced my first video, I recorded sixteen takes. In one of them I actually fell out of my chair reaching for the camera to hit the record button! I’d show you the video, but I’d have to beep out what I was saying as I was falling.

A few years ago when I began receiving invitations to speak at high schools and colleges, I was terrified because I didn’t have any public speaking experience. What if people laughed at me? Or worse, what if I put people to sleep? Despite my fears, I chose to step outside my comfort zone and accept being an imperfect speaker because I had a message to share. Each time I speak, I’m more comfortable, more dynamic and more confident in my ability to help others through the spoken word.

Which leads me to my back-to-school message for all you students: New school year = your new choice to celebrate the work-in-progress you.

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Filed under: Maria Pascucci • Campus Calm • College Prep

About the Author

You want the credit card companies to refer to you as a ‘deadbeat’ or a ‘freeloader’. That may not sound like a good thing; but it is. That is how credit card industry insiders use to refer to people that did not carry credit debt and paid off their balance in full each month.

To know why these financially savvy customers are referred to as ‘deadbeats’, we need to look at it from the credit card company’s point of view. Credit card companies want customers that are ‘revolvers’. Revolvers are customers that carry credit card debt; that’s how they make their money. Their ideal customer is one that makes the minimum payments. These people will have carry credit card debt for a long time. Depending on the interest rate, if you make just the minimum payments, it could take you more than 15 years to pay credit card debt off.

Credit card companies also like customers that frequently make late payment and go over their limit. Just by paying late, credit card companies can jack up your interest rates and charge you additional fees. Going over the limit can have the same consequences. The credit card companies may force you to pay the balance below the limit or you risk having these fees add up month after month.

So strive to be a ‘deadbeat’ and ‘freeloader’. Be the credit card company’s worst customer! This is the first step to long term financial success planning.

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Filed under: Money XLive • Money XLive