This blog post describes a particular scholarship opportunity that other students might be interested in as well.
Later this year, I plan on applying for a scholarship offered by the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA). It is an annual scholarship they offer, and all you have to do to enter is write a long paper (6-8 pages) about the topic they give you. This year, the topic is focusing on the family and sibling dynamics and pairs in the book Sense and Sensibility. There are first, second, and third place cash prizes, and each place also gets special editions of her works as well as a one-year membership in JASNA (which, I confess, I don't know what that entails. I don't care so much about that as the scholarship).
I want to apply for this scholarship for many reasons. The most obvious is that scholarships are the only reason I am able to attend college in the first place, and in order to continue my education, I have to apply for as many scholarships as possible. But the reason this one, in particular, interests me is that I am already a big fan of Austen and her work. I have read all her works at least one or two times, sometimes more. I have already done research papers on her, her works, and her times, so I consider myself knowledgeable enough to write a paper about her. I have read books by her and about her, watched movies and documentaries, written research papers, and literary analyses of her work. Based on my previous knowledge of Jane Austen, I think that this opportunity will not only be a doable one for me, but also an enjoyable one! If you are also a fan of Austen or are looking for scholarships, you should apply too!
I love how passionate you are about Jane Austen, I grew up with the knowledge about her work. My mom is very passionate about her work. I think it would be awesome if you got featured because of a great essay you have written, you could use that on your resume and your LinkedIn account. I want to ask you, which Jane Austen book should a person read to really delve into her work? I am not asking what your favorite is, I am asking which one is great for a first time Jane Austen reader to get their hands on!?
Hi Clara! This sounds like a really neat scholarship opportunity! It sounds like you are the perfect person to apply for this scholarship, so I really hope you get it. I also love Jane Austen, but I have only read Pride and Prejudice so far. I really enjoy how well Jane captures the social and emotional aspect of human interaction, especially among women. While some students (I think) think that Jane's work is a bit fluffy, Jane Austen has a wonderful style of writing that appeals to a wide audience of people. I'm impressed that you are able to pay for school with scholarships, it takes a lot of time to apply to scholarships and it's no small feat.