Scholarships

So with our economy in the gutter, money is suuuuper tight these days. Arg. I have less than 8 months to save up as much money possible, pay for school, AND pay for all the expenses pre-study abroad FOR study abroad. So I started looking into scholarships to see what was available to help me out financially. There is one in particular that I'm going to apply to, the 'Bridging Scholarships for Study in Japan.' They award about 15-20 students scholarships of $4,000 a year (if you meet all requirements and all that jazz). Another one i looked into was the David L. Boren scholarships. Now, this may seem like a great deal first off, but if you don't read through the entire site, you may not see that this scholarships requires you to work in the federal government FOR A YEAR after you graduate. Sure, they pay for nearly all your study abroad, but in up to three years after graduating, you have to go work for the fed as stated. So nevermind that one. I was almost done with the application before I found that bit of information. <.< Glad I didn't turn that one in. I might apply for a scholarship through the Japanese American Community League (JACL) but I haven't been an active member in years and their priority would probably go to more active members. Also, they require proof of membership, letters of rec and all these lists of awards and crap. <.< I did an application for it two years ago before i started college but it got lost when our computer crashed. Hell if I'm going to do a new one!

I already contacted my boss about working more hours next semester (well, the max) and I'm thinking of staying there for a month or so into summer to keep working. At least then I'll have some money to set aside since I make a good $800 a month. I want to work while in Japan but I probably won't be able to til at least after the first couple months of adjustment. And you have to get a bunch of work permits released by your school, the program etc to do it. Maybe getting a scholarship would be easier than that. >< We'll probably apply for another loan if we can unless the economy suddenly makes a surprise recovery.