Play n’ Learn

Play some Resident Evil 2. Learn a thing or two on scholarships.

I want to start this piece off with a friendly suggestion for this upcoming Wednesday: don’t go outside unless absolutely necessary! Save your skin literally by not venturing out and suffering from instant frostbite or frozen eyeballs (seriously, I’m not making this up) due to the polar vortex. Besides, there are far better things to do for someone your age. Just to name a few, you could play the new remake of Resident Evil 2 or apply for scholarships. Speaking of scholarships let’s talk about that (for you Rhett and Link). I recently attended a scholarship seminar hosted by UIC’s TRIO (a great support team for UIC students whose info can be found here) and through it, I found some helpful tips that I want to share with you, featuring RE2, just for fun.

Leon Kennedy © Capcom 2019

So, let’s start with how you should start searching for scholarships: locally. The best way to start is searching by your location. For Leon Kennedy, that means Raccoon City. For you, that means the city of Chicago. Starting locally grants you less competition than scholarships that are nationwide and, therefore, gives you more of a chance to score big. Also, there’s a scholarship for every subject you can think of. Want a scholarship that focuses on your particular field of study? There’s a scholarship for that. Simply type in your major, follow it up with the word “scholarship,” and eureka, you’ve struck gold. There’s probably even a scholarship dealing with zombies if that’s what you’re into.

Claire Redfield © Capcom 2019

Now, how about a dose of essay wisdom? We all know, more often than not, completing a scholarship also means writing an essay and that’s why this section is essential. I learned in the seminar that students often miss the simplest aspects of writing a scholarship essay so let’s touch on the basics: follow the prompt and don’t use the same essay for every application. No one likes to use the same standard pistol to kill all the zombie. We like variety like shotguns and knives and hand grenades if we’re feeling explosive. Likewise, scholarship providers don’t like to read the same essay so mix it up. You can get away with using elements from a past essay but make sure to add something new.

Below, I’ve included a miscellaneous section which I have put in slideshow fashion, so enjoy!

© Capcom 2019

Look up background info on the provider of your scholarship so you can get an idea of what the provider of the scholarship is looking for. This is equivalent to reading the notes scattered throughout RE2 to see what you’re up against.

© Capcom 2019

Show perseverance in your essay. Channel your inner Leon/Claire in a zombie apocalypse because scholarship providers love that!

© Capcom 2019

Don’t show errors, blame/pity, or rush your essay. Make it a clean run like those gifted people who can complete RE2 with zero deaths.