When I was in the fall of my sophomore year, my step-father, the father figure that had been apart of my life since I was ten, packed his bags and left my life for good. As a newly unemployed single mother, my mom had to find a way to pay a $2,500 rent on her own. Despite the odds stacked against her, she managed to find both a job and a way to keep us afloat. Watching my mother’s marriage...

Definitely don't underestimate the time it takes to write your scholarship application essays. I made the mistake of waiting till the last minute for one of mine and if it hadn't been for the fact that the school...