Academic English

"College Scholarships"

Level:	Topic:	Speakers:	Length:
intermediate	scholarships	man and woman	02:12

Pre-Listening Exercise

What are some of the basic requirements to qualify for different types of academic scholarships at schools in your area?

Idioms

"have bad blood between people" = have bad or unfriendly feelings
"Oh, don't invite Sarah and Amber to the party. There is a lot of bad blood between them, and I don't want there to be problems."

"be too rich for my blood" = something that is too expensive for you
"I really like that car, but it is way too rich for my blood."

Listening Exercise

A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.

The student couldn't take the test because the bus ____.

had an accident on the highway

had a hard time due to bad weather

was lagging behind schedule

Student: Uh, my bus didn't come this morning on time. That's why.

He didn't make it to class because he ____.

was still eating breakfast

was playing video games in bed

was asleep at home

Student: Uh, well, listen. Mrs. Smith. Listen. My alarm didn't go off this morning, so it's not my fault I came late.

If you miss at a test, students _____.

can take the test at a later date

cannot make up a test

can take a test with a doctor's note

Mrs. Smith: Listen. You know the policy of our program. If you miss a test for an unexcused reason . . . and a lie is definitely unexcused, then you get a zero on the test. There are no exceptions.

If the student doesn't pass the test, _____.

his girlfriend will leave him

his parents might get upset

he will quit school

Student: But Mrs. Smith. I lose my scholarship if I do poorly in the class; my parents will be really disappointed in me.

The teacher believes that students should _____.

get more sleep

enroll in classes early

be more responsible

Teacher: You need to be accountable for your own actions instead of trying to weasel out of your responsibility.

Post-Listening Exercise

Option 1:

Talk about people you know that have used similar excuses as the student in the conversation. What are the underlying causes of making poor choices? What are the short-term and long-term consequences of such behavior?

Option 2:

There are many steps that go into applying for academic scholarships, including some possible ones listed below. Discuss some of these ideas with a partner and add your thoughts about each one:

Talk with a school counselor
Decide which educational institutions interest you
Make sure you meet the scholarship requirements
Writing a resume and/or filling out a scholarship application
Get letters of recommendation
Write an admission essay
Prepare for scholarship interviews

Online Investigation

In addition to regular academic and athletic scholarships, there are many unusual scholarships based on a person's physical characteristics, special abilities and skills. One such example is the Chick and Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest.

Now, use the Internet to three unusual scholarships. What are the requirements for each? Who is the intended audience? Would you personally qualify for any of them?

See Listening Script

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