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A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further their education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria, which usually reflect the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award. Scholarship money is not required to be repaid.^[1]

Types[link]

The most common scholarships may be classified as:

• Merit-based: These awards are based on a student's academic, artistic, athletic or other abilities, and often factor in an applicant's extracurricular activities and community service record. The most common merit-based scholarships, awarded by either private organizations or directly by a student's intended college, recognize academic achievement or high scores on standardized tests. Most such merit-based scholarships are paid directly by the institution the student attends, rather than issued directly to the student.^[2]
• Need-based: In the United States, these awards are based on the student and family's financial record and require applicants to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to qualify if the scholarship is a federal award. Private need-based scholarships also often require the results of a FAFSA, which calculates a student's financial need through a formula that looks at the expected family contribution and cost of attendance at the intended college.^[3]
• Student-specific: These are scholarships where applicants must initially qualify by gender, race, religion, family and medical history, or many other student-specific factors. Minority scholarships are the most common awards in this category. For example, students in Canada may qualify for a number of aboriginal scholarships, whether they study at home or abroad. The Gates Millennium Scholars program is another minority scholarship funded by Bill and Melinda Gates for excellent African American, American Indian, Asian Pacific Islander American and Latino students who enroll in college.
• Career-specific: These are scholarships a college or university awards to students who plan to pursue a specific field of study. Often, the most generous awards to to students who pursue careers in high-need areas such as education or nursing. Many schools in the United States give future nurses full scholarships to enter the field, especially if the student intends to work in a high-need community.
• College-specific: College-specific scholarships are offered by individual colleges and universities to highly qualified applicants. These scholarships, given on the basis of academic and personal achievement, usually result in either a full-ride to the college, or for a reduced rate of tuition.

Some scholarships have a "bond" requirement. Recipients may be required to work for a particular employer for a specified period of time or to work in rural or remote areas; otherwise they may be required to repay the value of the support they received from the scholarship. This is particularly the case with education and nursing scholarships for people prepared to work in rural and remote areas. The programs offered by the uniformed services of the United States (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration commissioned corps, and Public Health Service Commissioned Corps) sometimes resemble such scholarships.

• "Athletic:" Awarded to students for showing exceptional skill in a sport provided by the college.

Local scholarships[link]

It is typical for persons to find scholarships in their home region. Information on these can be found by asking local institutions and organizations. Typically, these are less competitive as the eligible population is smaller.

• Guidance counselors: When starting to explore scholarship opportunities, most high school students check with their guidance counselors. They can be a reliable resource for local scholarships.
• Non-profits and charitable trusts: Most non-profit organizations have at some point of their history founded scholarships for prospective students. The Good Schools Guide, a guide to schools in the UK, states "Charitable grant-making trusts can help in cases of genuine need," and goes on to outline several instances where this may be the case, including an "unforeseen family disaster" and a "need for special education".
• Community foundations: Many counties and cities and regions have a local foundation dedicated to giving money in the form of grants and scholarships to people and organizations in the area.
• Music teachers: Some music teachers offer reduced-cost or free lessons to help low-income children gain access to an arts education. In addition, some local non-profits provide free music classes to youths.
• Foundations: Certain foundations in the United States offer scholarships for entrepreneurial endeavors.
• Trade union|Labor/trade unions: Major unions often offer scholarships for members and their dependent children.^{[citation needed]}
• Houses of worship: The local house of worship may or may not have any scholarships for their members, but the religious organization or headquarters may have some available. Of course, theology study is highly encouraged.
• Chamber of commerce: Many chambers of commerce offer (usually small) grants to students in the community, especially those planning on careers in business and public service. Even if they do not offer any themselves, one can usually get a listing of members, and many of them may offer small scholarships to local students.
• Other volunteer organizations: Many organizations offer scholarships or award grants to students whose background or chosen field overlaps the field of the organization. For example, local chapters of professional societies may help the studies of exceptionally distinguished students of the region. Similarly, charity organizations may offer help, especially if the late parent of the student was a member of the organization (e.g., a Masonic lodge might help the orphan of a lodge brother.) This kind of scholarship is mostly ad hoc.
• School: Old, well-known schools are often endowed with scholarship funds.
• University: Old, well-established universities may have funds to finance the studies of extremely talented students of little means. Eligibility often requires that a student belong to some special category or be among a nation's best. However, universities provide information on scholarships and grants, possibly even internship opportunities.
• PSAT/NMSQT: In the United States, students are offered the opportunity to take the PSAT/NMSQT test, usually in their junior year of high school. National Merit Scholarship programs are initially determined by the scores received on the PSAT/NMSQT test. Some private scholarship programs require applicants to take the PSAT. The test can be used as preparation for the SAT.
• Disabilities: Students with disabilities may be able to apply for awards intended for people with disabilities. This may be disabilities in general or in relation to a specific disability.^[4]

Controversy[link]

It has become more prevalent today that scholarships are misconceived to have a discriminatory quality to them. For example, as demonstrated by student-specific scholarships, minorities are thought to have a priority over Caucasian students when it comes to receiving these scholarships.

These beliefs are known to come from college students themselves who have been affected by their failures at obtaining adequate financial aid. Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher of the FinAid and Fastweb web sites owned by Monster Worldwide and author of the Amazon.com bestseller Secrets to Winning a Scholarship , has explained that the average family tends to overestimate their eligibility for merit-based awards and underestimate their eligibility for need-based awards. These high expectations lead to disappointing results, and many people tend to find someone else to blame for their faults. In turn, the most persistent target of this disapproval tends to be high-profile, minority-based scholarships.

Although many people believe the minorities are responsible for their inability to find scholarships, studies have shown that Caucasians receive 72 percent of all scholarships while their minority counterparts only receive 28 percent. The misconceptions have led many people, including Colby Bohannan, to create “Caucasians Only” scholarships in hopes of bringing equality to higher education.

Other sources of information on scholarships are libraries, newspapers, the yellow pages, and Internet search engines.

See also[link]

Look up scholarship in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Athletic scholarship
• Bursary
• Demyship
• Exhibition
• Fellowship
• Financial aid (educational expenses)
• List of North American scholarships

Notes[link]

References[link]

• DiFiore, Laura, et al. "Tips on Finding Scholarships." FreSch! Free Scholarship Search. 1997.
• Martin, Michel. "Scholarships: Who Gets Them and Why?" Tell me More 17 Mar. 2011. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 19 Mar. 2012.

Juicy J
Juicy J (front) performing with Three 6 Mafia bandmate DJ Paul.
Background information
Birth name	Jordan Houston
Origin	Memphis, Tennessee
Genres	Hip hop, dirty south, gangsta rap, crunk, horrorcore
Occupations	Rapper, Record producer, Actor, Screenwriter, Songwriter
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Taylor Gang, Columbia, Hypnotize Minds
Associated acts	Three 6 Mafia, DJ Paul, Project Pat, Young Buck, Wiz Khalifa, Lex Luger
Website	juicyjofthree6mafia.com

Jordan Houston, better known by his stage name Juicy J (born April 5, 1977) is an Academy Award-winning American rapper and record producer from Memphis, Tennessee and is the co-founder and a member of the duo Three 6 Mafia (formerly known as Triple Six Mafia). He is also the younger brother of fellow member, Project Pat.^[1] His second solo album, Hustle Till I Die,^[2] was released June 16, 2009. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp". In December 2011 Juicy J confirmed rumors that he was the newest member of Wiz Khalifa's "Taylor Gang." He is featured with other members of Taylor Gang on the cover of Source Magazine's May 2012 issue.

Juicy J is most notable for his crunk style of rapping, highlighted by his patented "heavy-breathing" and "stomping" background sound effects. Juicy J's production style is characterized by fast-rolling high hats, sharp snares, and deep cinematic bass. He also incorporates samples from classic soul artists such as Willie Hutch, David Ruffin, and Isaac Hayes.

Guest appearances[link]

Discography[link]

Music Videos[link]

See also[link]

• Three 6 Mafia
• Hypnotize Minds
• Wiz Khalifa

References[link]

External links[link]

• Three 6 Mafia Official Website
• Juicy J on Myspace
• Jordan Houston at the Internet Movie Database

ASAP Rocky
Photo still of Rocky, 2011
Background information
Birth name	Rakim Mayers
Born	(1988-10-03) October 3, 1988 (age 23)
Origin	New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, music video director
Years active	2010–present
Labels	A$AP Worldwide, Polo Grounds, RCA, Sony
Associated acts	A$AP Mob, AraabMuzik, Danny Brown, Black Hippy, Drake , Clams Casino
Website	asapmob.com

Rakim Mayers (born October 3, 1988), better known by his stage name ASAP Rocky (stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper and music video director. Born and raised in the New York City neighborhood Harlem, he is a member of the hip hop collective A$AP Mob, from which he adopted his moniker.

Rocky released the mixtape LiveLoveA$AP in 2011 to critical acclaim. He plans to release his debut studio album, LongLiveA$AP, in July 2012.

Early life[link]

Born in 1988, Mayers was named after the hip hop star Rakim, one half of the Eric B. & Rakim duo.^[1][2] When he was 12 years old, his father went to jail in connection with selling drugs. A year later an older brother was killed near his apartment, which inspired him to take rapping seriously.^[3] Mayers had started rapping at age 8,^[4] grew up admiring Harlem-based rap group The Diplomats, and also lists among his influences Three 6 Mafia, Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang Clan, UGK, Run DMC and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.^[5][6] After living in a shelter with his mother, and elsewhere around Manhattan, Mayers moved to Elmwood Park, New Jersey.^[1]

Career[link]

2007–11: Beginnings and mixtape[link]

Rocky performing at Coachella, 2012

In 2007, Rocky assembled the hip hop crew A$AP Mob, a collective of rappers, producers, and music video directors.^[7] He adopted its A$AP moniker, which has multiple meanings, including "Always Strive and Prosper", "Assassinating Snitches and Police", and Rocky's favorite, "Acronym Symbolizing Any Purpose".^[7]

His first single "Peso" was leaked onto the internet in August 2011 and within weeks received airplay on the high-profile Hot 97 New York radio station. Music videos for "Peso" and "Purple Swag" generated further buzz and resulted in ASAP Rocky signing a reported two $3 million record deal with Sony, RCA Records and Polo Grounds Music. ASAP Rocky released the mixtape LiveLoveA$AP in October to critical acclaim.^{[8][9][10][11][12]} On December 5, he was nominated for BBC's Sound of 2012 poll.^[13]

2012–present: Debut album[link]

Beginning in February 2012, Rocky opened for rapper Drake on the latter's Club Paradise Tour.^[14] He plans to release his debut studio album, LongLiveA$AP, in July, along with an ASAP Mob mixtape.^[15] The album's lead single, "Goldie", was released on April 27.^[16]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• LongLiveA$AP (2012)

Mixtapes[link]

• LiveLoveA$AP (2011)

Singles[link]

Promotional singles[link]

Guest appearances[link]

Music videos[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Category:ASAP Rocky

• East Coast hip hop

References[link]

External links[link]

• ASAP Rocky on Twitter
• ASAP Rocky Website
• ASAP Rocky "Peso"

Andre Levins, also known as A+ (born August 29, 1982,^[1] Hempstead, New York) is an American rapper. As a teenager he released albums in 1996 and in 1999.

History[link]

A+ began his music career in 1995, after winning a national talent competition sponsored by Def Jam Records.^[2] He was the first act signed to Kedar Massenburg's record label, Kedar Entertainment.^[2] According to Massenburg, the A+ moniker "means that he's striving for perfection, and he's not really talking about the same things as other young rappers."^[2] In 1996, at the age of 13, A+ released his first album, The Latch-Key Child, which featured contributions from AZ, Mobb Deep and Q-Tip.^[3] "All I See" was chosen as the lead single,^[2] and it peaked at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,^[4] staying for 14 weeks.^[5]

His second album, Hempstead High, was released in February 1999.^[6] Guest appearances on the album included DeBarge, the Lost Boyz and Canibus.^[6][7] The single "Enjoy Yourself", which sampled the 1976 Walter Murphy song "A Fifth of Beethoven,"^[8] reached the top five of the UK Singles Chart,^[9] number 63 of the U.S. Hot 100^[4] for three weeks,^[5] and was also commercially successful in Germany and Japan.^[7]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]