Transcript Slide 1

2014
Scholarship
Season
Background
• The Carson Scholars Fund was founded in 1994 by
world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson
and his wife, Candy.
• The Carson Scholars Fund seeks to recognize and
reward academic and humanitarian excellence.
Numbers
• To date, the Carson Scholars Fund has awarded
5,700 scholarships.
• Carson Scholars have been named in all 50
states and Washington, DC.
• Carson Scholar alumni attend (or have attended)
over 450 different colleges and universities.
• More than $3 million has been paid out in
scholarship awards.
Important Dates and Deadlines
• Application Deadline
• January 10, 2014: Deadline for all applications.
• The online application must be completed by 5:00 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time.
• Hard copy applications must be postmarked by this
date.
• Mailed report cards must be postmarked by this date.
• Principal Verification
• January 17, 2014: Deadline to complete the principal
verification.
Check the events calendar at
www.carsonscholars.org frequently for updates!
For more information…
• http://carsonscholars.org/scholarships/prospective_scholars
• Check this site for additional information and answers to common
questions.
Application Process
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Prescreen; Create a Username and Password
General Information
Biographical Information
Report Card
Community Service
Teacher Recommendation
Essay
Picture
Signatures
Principal Verification
What’s next?
Prescreen
• The link in the email you receive will take you to our “prescreen”. You
will only have to answer these questions once.
Create a Username and Password
• Use your email as your
username and create a
password that is easy
to remember.
• Bookmark this page so
you can come back
and work on your
application:
http://carsonscholars.org/new-application
Main Menu
• To work on the main
part of your
application, go to
“create or edit
application.”
• Take note of the
options here for
recommendations
and printing your
application.
Step 1 – Read the Rules!
• Read all the rules carefully!
• Have a parent/guardian or teacher read them too.
• Be aware of all deadlines.
• Click “next” at the bottom of the page when you are ready
to get started.
Step 2 – Student Application Sheet
• Whenever you click “next” at the bottom of the
page, your application will save automatically.
You can also click “save draft” at any point.
• Tips for completing the Student Application
Sheet:
• Make sure you read the social security number
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agreement.
Dates should be entered dd/mm/yyyy
Phone numbers should be entered with no
punctuation (for example: 4108281005)
Use your school’s full name
Be careful that everything is accurate! Whatever you
enter here will go directly into our database – if you
enter your address incorrectly, we won’t be able to find
you!
Step 3 - Recommendation
• If you are completing the online application, your
recommendation must be completed online as well.
• You will need to go back to the main menu to start
your recommendation.
• Your recommender will receive an email with a link.
He/she should go to that link to upload the
recommendation.
• The recommendation is confidential – you will not see
it.
• The recommendation must be submitted by 5:00 p.m.
EST on Friday, January 10, 2014.
• Only one recommendation is required.
• You can check the status of your recommendation
request in your online application.
Step 4 – Biographical Information
• This section helps us get to know you better.
• Answers can be lists, but include details as
needed to help explain what something is. (For
example, if a club has a name unique to your
school, explain what the club does.)
• If you already have a document that lists all of
your awards/recognitions, you can upload it. An
uploaded document is not required for this
section.
Step 5 – Report Card
• Your report card can be uploaded as a PDF or
JPEG OR it can be mailed as a hard copy.
• We are only looking for a current year report
card. If that is just one quarter, that is fine.
• The report card must include your name and your
school name.
• The report card is the only item that can be
mailed separately if you are completing the online
application.
• If you mail a report card, it must be postmarked
by January 10, 2014. Include a letter with the
report card that says the rest of the application is
online.
Step 6– Community Service
• We are looking for community service beyond
what is required for school
• Elementary: This can mean something a student does
with his/her family, staying after class to help a teacher,
volunteering at church, participating in girl scouts or boy
scouts, etc.
• Middle: Activities should happen with some regularity
and/or be a large event that requires some planning
beforehand
• High: Activities should reflect some
leadership/organizational ability
• Hours and dates can be estimated.
• Make sure to point out unique accomplishments,
leadership roles, etc.
Sample - Elementary
• Secretary of Gale-Bailey Elementary School Student
Council
• Sponsored “Angel Tree” families, providing holiday gifts to needy
families
• Mitten Tree, providing hats, scarves, gloves, and mittens to needy
families
• Gale-Bailey Elementary School Science Club
• Learn about, clean up, and take care of the Chesapeake Bay
• March of Dimes Read-a-Thon – gold and silver medalist
• Cancer Society Relay-for-Life fundraisers
• Toys-for-Tots fundraisers
• Canned food drive fundraisers
• Indian Head Soccer Association
• Car wash and bake sale fundraisers
Sample – Middle
• Community
• My family helped donate blankets and other items to local families who
were having financial troubles.
• I collected soda tabs for the Ronald McDonald House.
• I have worked with a younger Cub Scout den to help plan their meetings.
• Boy Scouts
• I assisted the local fire department in their fundraiser by hanging
information sheets on doors and cleaning.
• I have assisted with a number of Eagle projects.
• My troop is working on an on-going program to monitor the water quality of
the Patuxent River (test water monthly).
• School
• I have participated in my school’s Harvest for the Hungry food drive.
• My school sent Thank You cards to Troops on Veteran’s Day.
• Church
• In CCD, we made Christmas cards to send to troops in the Middle East.
• We have made casseroles for a soup kitchen in Baltimore.
Sample – High
• Summer volunteering at the Chestnut Ridge Volunteer
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Fire Company, selling snowballs for fundraising drive.
Administrative tasks for the Foreclosure Prevention
Project of the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland (a
non-profit which coordinates free legal services)
Staff Assistant at the 20th Anniversary Gala of the Pro
Bono Resource Center of Maryland (helped with
preparations and the event itself)
As a member of the National Junior Honor Society,
helping to organize a school-wide Pennies for Patients
campaign for medical research
Participating in charity drives, such as the Susan G.
Komen Walk for the Cure
Assisting in photographing and coordinating a firehouse
charity event for a child with brain cancer
Step 7 - Essay
• Choose one question for your grade level.
• Write and edit your essay in Microsoft Word or another
similar program first, then copy/paste it into the online
form.
• The essay is worth the most points when we score
applications.
Step 8 – Picture
• If you are able to upload a picture, please do so.
• The picture is not required.
• Only upload a clear, recent headshot. (Look at the
samples!)
• Photos are used at our awards banquets.
Step 9 – Signatures and Review
• Complete this section with your parent/guardian.
• Make sure to review your application before submitting it.
Once you submit it, you can’t make any changes.
• We recommend you print a copy for your records.
Step 10 – Checklist and Review
Principal Verification
• On or around January 10th, the principal will
receive an email asking him/her to review and
verify the student’s application.
• This is the online equivalent of having the
principal sign a hard copy application.
• Principals will have until Friday, January 17th,
2014 at 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time to do this.
• Applications without a principal verification will be
disqualified.
• Principal verification is required for applications
for Previous Scholar Recognition as well.
Review
• After Step 10, you will be taken to a review page. Please
review all of the information you provided in the
application.
• You will need to scroll all the way to the bottom of the
page to click “submit.”
• Once you submit your application, you cannot edit it.
Tips and Questions
• Remember that all deadlines are final! Please plan
accordingly for school holidays, weather, absences, etc.!
• Make sure everyone (principal, other educators, student,
recommender) sets spam/junk mail settings to accept all
emails from @carsonscholars.org and @wizehive.com.
• Wizehive is the online application company we are
working with and emails will come from wizehive.com on
a regular basis. (Most likely [email protected].)
• For more information, please contact Katie Damaroda,
Scholarship Director, at 410.828.1005 or
[email protected].