I was recently given information about a scholarship program for working single mothers.  I applied, but was told that I am ineligible due to the fact that my daughter's father, though we are not together in any sense of the word, still lives in my home.  He's disabled, and fighting Social Security for much needed assistance, and I promised him and our daughter that I would help him until he was able to help himself.  In other words, we barely scrape by in a three-person, one income household.  My question is, if you are not married, and not even dating, wouldn't that be the same as being a single mother?  To me, our living arrangement is out of practicality, and is more like a roommate situation.  Mothers who live in roommate situations to share costs are still considered single, so I'm not sure why I'm not eligible.  Has anyone else had this problem, or can someone shed some light on why the rules are set up this way?

Wait, why would the organization offering the scholarship even know where your daughter's father lives?

-=Steve=-

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B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress

Good question Steve.  Also your situation sounds so unusual I'm sure that there is no contingency for it, you may just have to talk to someone.  But then again, if it is a scholarship you are pretty much entitled to nothing, it's kind of like a gift not a right. 

I am sorry. I didn't see that there were replies here. I must have asked this before I set my account up to email alerts to replies. 

Actually, when I signed up for information about the scholarship, they called my home and asked me questions about my living situation.  Some of the questions made no sense, but I answered as honestly as possible without giving personal information (in case it was a scam because I know this happens from time to time).  I never actually got a chance to apply, even though I had prepared the essay the web site said I would need prior to the phone call.

 I realize that it wasn't a definite that I would get the funding, and that it was a contest of sorts, but I was just a bit confused as to why I wouldn't even be eligible to enter my application into the contest.  Later, once I had narrowed down my list of schools, I found that the three I was considering weren't on the list of accepted schools and didn't bother to talk to anyone about it.  It just seems unfair, given the economy, and the fact that a lot of ex couples are now facing living in the same household to cut costs, that a scholarship foundation would effectively shut out so many people for having nothing more than a "economically forced" situation.  Even though I don't want to apply now, there are a large number of people who really need this money for a chance at a better life, and it just seems silly to refuse them the opportunity that they deserve.

 

~~Ruby 

Point taken Ruby, I have nothing to do with the program and honestly I'm not sure who to even contact about it, but I'm quite sure your post and reply will be viewed by them sooner or later.  Thanks for the feedback.

I graduated in 2002 and since then I worked for two years before having two beautiful daughters. Right now I am considering going back to work but these are hard times. I do not have time to enroll in a full time program or to a part time program either. So I was considering the e-learning idea.

I was wondering if anyone has experience with e-learning programs -- for instance the one I’ve been looking into is extremely affordable (about $25 for a package of classes) at a site called NEF University. For this price, the courses could look good on a old resume. The website of the place is www.nefuniversity.org – advice?! Is anyone else looking into online learning? 

I looked at the site...not very informative, from what I can see.  That is something that makes me wary of saying whether it is a scam that uses Obama's copy and pasted image as "proof" of all you'll "get" from the courses.  What would be the result of taking the courses?  This would be my first question.  I don't see what they offer in terms of courses, other than a glib overview of what you would be learning.  Maybe it's just me, but if I'm planning on putting one penny into a school, I want to know before I even apply what sort of concentrations they have (majors), and what the result of all my hard work will be.  Will I come out with a career certificate, associates degree, bachelors degree...?  While I understand that the state of the economy right now might warrant cost reductions in training, $25 is awfully cheap for something they claim that you can use on your resume.  Universities generally have costs that are generated by quarter/semester hour, course materials, and so on.  Another major red flag for me is that they don't explain how long these courses take to complete.  Even certificate distance learning courses (such as PCDI, Stratford Career Institute, etc.) charge a lot more, tell you what you will walk away with, what you'll be expected to learn, and the time frame you're expected to learn in. 

But the biggest red flag for me is that there is no accreditation listing. 

I have some experience with e-learning.  I started with University of Phoenix Online, transferred to Colorado Technical University Online where I earned two career certificates and an associates degree.  I currently attend Grand Canyon University Online and am working towards a bachelor's in a different area than my associates (which is why I transferred...CTU didn't offer my desired major).  The things I mentioned above are things I looked for in a college when I decided to return to school.

E-learning is wonderful for me, but it's not suited for everyone.  But, you state that you don't have time...the truth is that I work between 40 and 60 hours a week and study/do homework in my spare time.  It doesn't take time from my daughter, which is a huge plus since my job steals most of my time with her and I don't want to be stuck in a classroom in the small bit of time that we do have together.

Since I don't know what your interests are, I can't point you in the right direction, but there are a lot of great people here who are really helpful.  I'm sure that, if you give it a chance, they'll help you narrow down the best school for you (including NEF, if this is how things turn out) and the ins and outs of what you'll need to prepare yourself for, and be aware of.

 Good luck to you!

What a strange school with odd programs.  There is no mention of accreditation, instead it seems many of their certificate programs are actually prep courses to certify through a vendor like CompTIA or Microsoft in a given technology, etc.  Also their courses seem to be $25.00 non-accredited courses.  The $750 scholarship is offered outright, but with no qualifying of the student, who paid for the other $750.00 etc.  The pictures with the various politicians also looks shady.  Perhaps this is an honest effort but I wouldn't personally list them on my resume until I could find more about them.  $25.00 isn't a lot of money to risk but your reputation is.

sonja09:

I graduated in 2002 and since then I worked for two years before having two beautiful daughters. Right now I am considering going back to work but these are hard times. I do not have time to enroll in a full time program or to a part time program either. So I was considering the e-learning idea.

Bear in mind that online programs aren't easier, they're just more convenient.  You'll still need to spend a lot of time if you want to get real learning out of it.

I was wondering if anyone has experience with e-learning programs -- for instance the one I’ve been looking into is extremely affordable (about $25 for a package of classes) at a site called NEF University. For this price, the courses could look good on a old resume. The website of the place is www.nefuniversity.org – advice?! Is anyone else looking into online learning?

Interesting -- their office is walking distance from my house, but I'd never heard of them before this.  Not that that means anything, but I'm not sure how useful their credentials would really be.  They might be great or not so great; it's tough to know ahead of time.

-=Steve=-

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B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress