College students are drowned in book fees every semester. However, there is help through Goedeker’s, which is offering college students up to $500 for books.
Goedeker’s is a family-oriented company that sells an expansive selection of name brand kitchen appliances, washers and dryers, mattresses and other home furnishings, both online and at its showroom location in St. Louis.
The awards available for the Goedeker’s book scholarship are the following: the grand prize winner will receive a $500 scholarship and two $100 scholarships will also be awarded to honorable mention entries.
Goedeker’s understands that in today’s economy, scraping together funds to attend college can be a challenge, especially for those students who don’t qualify for financial aid. They are left alone in the battle with fees without the aid of book vouchers, loans or grants.
To apply for the scholarship, students must write an essay about why attending college and their field of study are important to them.
Goedeker’s expects students to include insight into their personal background, philosophy about learning, why they chose their field in particular and other relevant information. The essay is expected to be a minimum of 300 words, original, creative, organized and grammatically correct.
Gary Kapustin, social media manager at Goedeker’s, encourages students to be genuine in their scholarship essays.
“Don’t be shy or overthink things,” Kapustin added. “Picture yourself speaking with a good friend that you can be open with, that you know will listen and hear what you have to say. We are looking for originality, creativity and some degree of eloquence.”
Students applying for the Goedeker’s scholarship are expected to have proof of at least a 3.0 GPA, clear contact information such as a name and mailing address, a recent photo and proof of enrollment in an accredited college.
Some students at Florida A&M are excited to apply for the scholarship.
Meridith Tucker, a sophomore pre-med biology student from Spotsylvania, Va., said that a book scholarship is just what she needs.
“I would be able to perform better as a student if I could afford all new books without the use of used books with torn and ripped pages,” Tucker said.
Joneisha Taylor, a sophomore pre-med biology student from Miramar, said a book scholarship would help her stress less about money.
“If I can afford to buy all of my books for class, I wouldn’t have to worry about the expense of lab materials,” Taylor said.
The deadline for Goedeker’s book scholarship is July 31 at midnight. The winners will be announced Aug. 11-12. The grand prize will be awarded Aug. 13, and all announcements will be made on Goedeker’s home life blog.
Kapustin said don’t wait until the last minute to apply because scholarship entries have been rolling into Goedeker’s office.
“We have received many submissions up to this point of truly inspiring stories from students all over the country, and we expect to read many more in the coming months,” Kapustin said. “Deciding on a final winner will be a very difficult process due to the various stories that have touched us so far, but it is still something we are very much looking forward to.”