The Fall Common Application

1. Fall Common Application (Scholarship Essay Tips)Workshop Session 2Saturday 11:00 AM, Diamond Room Fall 2013 Regional Honors in Action ConferenceCamp Crestview – Corbett, OregonOctober 11-13, 2013

2. The Fall Common Application “All scholarships administered on the Fall Common Application are for use by students who are almost finished with their associate degree coursework and intend to enter the work force or intend to transfer to an accredited four-year college to complete a baccalaureate degree for the following upcoming academic year..” Transfer Students Fall Common Application Opened October 1st!

3. This hour we will explore: • Fall Common Application Scholarships (open now) • Where members access the Fall Common Application • Peer tips to help make your application more compelling • Recommendation Letter Sources • Academic Team Nominators on campus • Writing Prompts, Discussion of Essay format

4. Hites Scholarship • Up to ten Hites Transfer Scholarship recipients will be named. Every year, a total of $75,000 in scholarships will be awarded, with each scholar receiving an award in the amount of $7,500 • To be eligible to apply, a student must • be a member of Phi Theta Kappa in good standing, and • intend to transfer to a senior institution in the fall See Handout for full Eligibility Requirements

5. Guistwhite Scholar • Up to 20 members will receive scholarships of $5,000 each, for completion of baccalaureate degrees, awards totaling $100,000 • To be eligible, a student must post a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA and transfer to a college or university upon completion of coursework at a community college See Handout for full Eligibility Requirements

6. All-USA Community College Academic Team • Twenty students will be selected to the national team, each receiving a $2,500 scholarship and a medallion • These students will be featured in the USA TODAY newspaper and presented at the Awards of Excellence Brunch held during the Annual Convention of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) See Handout for full Eligibility Requirements,Ask about Nominators!

7. Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team • Fifty students will be named Gold Scholars, each receiving $1,500 scholarships, • Fifty students will be named Silver Scholars, each receiving $1,250 scholarships, and • Fifty students will be named Bronze Scholars, each receiving $1,000 scholarships All scholars will also receive special medallions A state may have multiple Gold, Silver, or Bronze Scholars See Handout for full Eligibility Requirements

8. All-State Community College Academic Teams • Students nominated to the national All-USA Community College Academic Team/Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team are automatically named to the All-State Community College Academic Teams • Ranking on the “All-State” Team is generally determined by the student's score in the national competition

9. New Century Scholar • 52 total awards • New Century is a $2,000 scholarship awarded to the *top scoring Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team nominee in each of the 50 states in the U.S., in Alberta, Canada, and in the other sovereign nations and U.S. territories where Phi Theta Kappa chapters exist *This means you do not apply directly for this one*

10. The Application Online-Only

11. Online-Only Application • Go to your Competitive Edge • Select the Eligibility Quiz for the Fall Common Application, the tab is enabled if you qualify • Click the ‘Fall Common Application’ tab • Expect to upload: • Transcripts • Recommendation Letters

12. Eligibility Quiz first! (myptk.org/edge)

13. Highlight Student Leadership Experience! • Student Jobs • Work-Study, Internships, Peer Tutor, Workshop Presenter! • Volunteerism • Phi Theta Kappa • Participation and Fluency • Student Government • Elected & appointed positions, board assignments, projects • Student Unions • Identity-based groups that work on issues of social change

14. Recommendation Letters • You will need letters from those who have direct knowledge of your extraordinary academic commitment, contributions to the chapter, and continued service to your peers • Honor Society, ASG, and other Club Advisors • Administrators & College Presidents • Faculty Instructors

15. Academic Team Nominator • Scholarship Nominator and Writing Resource Table RMCRHyperlink from this PowerPoint • Bydefault, the nominator is the college president • Presidents have the option of appointing someone else to choose their school’s nominees. When in doubt, ask them!

16. Writing Activity:Build your Essay Phi Theta Kappa’s Fall Common Scholarship Application

17. Writing Prompts • Describe your Leadership style, Communication style, and/or Presentation style • Chronicle your leadership developmentin ΦθΚ • Give us a brief reflection and solution summary on a ΦθΚ project challenge • Describe a large-scale campaign, where you exercised sound leadership and time management • In what role do you feel most effective within the team dynamic?

18. Writing Prompts • “Why should you get this scholarship?” In what way have you distinguished yourself from others? • “What contributions have you made to your chapter, college, region, or beyond?” • “What hardships have you overcome to reach this point, and what safeguards do you have in place to remain on course?”

19. Your ‘Essay’ is going to be in pieces • Word Counts vary from 250 for one – to 750 in a sequence, depending on how you look at it. There are multiple form cells where you answer questions (similar to writing prompt questions) [*JKC had very long ones] • What I did, was try to make those answers flow together like an essay. Those answers, when printed sequentially for the evaluators, had a cadenceand a rhythmthat I think helped me win 3 scholarships in ‘13

20. Discussion:Putting the Pieces Together

21. Does anyone have any Questions? Thank You