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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>TEN BEST WAYS TO AVOID WINNING AN NFB SCHOLARSHIP</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>By Patti Gregory Chang, Chair of the NFB Scholarship Committee and Debbie Stein, Chair of the NFB of Illinois scholarship Committee </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Over the years, thousands of qualified blind postsecondary students have succeeded in not winning an NFB scholarship. If you wish to follow in their footsteps, you are encouraged to employ any or all of these tried and true techniques. For your convenience, we have arranged these methods in reverse order, with the most successful listed last.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>10. Wait until the evening of March 31 to upload your scholarship application. By that time the site will be experiencing heavy traffic, and you may be unable to upload all of your documents before the deadline of midnight Eastern Time.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>9. Omit as many of the required documents as possible, or submit them after the deadline. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>8. Appoint your mother to speak to the scholarship chair on your behalf. Encourage her to call regularly, raising all of your questions and concerns, including those that never occurred to you. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>7. Address your essay to “Dear ACB Scholarship Committee,” “Dear Admissions Director,” or “Dear …” any other entity other than the NFB Scholarship Committee. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>6. Don’t proofread your essay or application. This technique is especially easy to follow when you compile your material on the evening of March 31.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>5. Invite your mother, your sister, or your best friend to write your letter of recommendation.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>4. Insist that your mother write your essay. Send it from her email address so the scholarship committee will be sure to give her proper credit for her hard work. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>3. Make sure you are eating supper or chewing gum during your scholarship interview. A loud TV in the background is also very effective. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>2. Avoid scheduling an interview with your state president for as long as possible or fail to answer the phone when the president calls you at the time you finally designated. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>1. The most reliable method to avoid winning a scholarship is not to apply at all. So do not visit </span><a href="https://nfb.org/scholarships"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>https://nfb.org/scholarships</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> or check with your state affiliate about state NFB scholarships. Thousands of students can testify that this method is 100 percent foolproof. You can’t win a scholarship if you don’t apply!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Patti S. Chang Esq.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Director of Outreach<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(410) 659-9314, extension 2422 | <a href="mailto:pchang@nfb.org">pchang@nfb.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://nfb.org/"><span style='color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=210 height=76 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.png@01D290F5.B7E87DA0" alt="National Federation of the Blind"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind"><span style='color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 id="_x0000_i1026" src="cid:image002.png@01D290F5.B7E87DA0" alt=Facebook></span></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice"><span style='color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 id="_x0000_i1027" src="cid:image003.png@01D290F5.B7E87DA0" alt=Twitter></span></a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind"><span style='color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 id="_x0000_i1028" src="cid:image004.png@01D290F5.B7E87DA0" alt=Youtube></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>