Article written by Abigail Nolan, 11th grade
Leadership, Curiosity, Service, and Integrity. Those are just a few of the many characteristics that were discussed at JCPS’ first Scholars Information meeting on September 17th. This Merit Scholars meeting was designed to educate the families of Juniors and Seniors across Johnston County about upcoming college scholarships and opportunities, along with application season.
A representative from North Carolina A&T State University’s Honors College introduced its main Honors reward, called the Distinguished Scholars. The goal of the Distinguished Scholars Program is to “enrich the academic experience.” The key highlights are fully funded awards, study abroad enrichment grants, the office of Honors research, an Emerging Leaders workshop, and a community service focus. A&T is looking for motivated, well-rounded students. To this program, the ideal student possesses four main criteria: Leadership, Excellence, Integrity, and Legacy. The only drawback to this program is that students must attend the School of Education or have a Humanities-based major once they are accepted into the University.
ECU’s Brinkley-Lane Scholars followed next. It is housed in the University’s Honors College, but this specific program only accepts around 20 students annually. The scholarship itself is valued at $79,000, about $5,000 of which goes toward a study abroad stipend. The monetary funds from this scholarship are good for up to eight semesters, but your credits could allow you to use the leftover funds for their fast-tracked Masters degree. The opportunities here are service-based experiences, study abroad trips, and internships. The program covers the full cost of attendance, three “high impact experience trips,” leadership and research internships, alumni and donor engagement, and an Enrichment Grant. The representative sent for Brinkley-Lane Scholars explained that you may have “guaranteed qualification,” though not necessarily acceptance, if you have a 3.7 unweighted or 4.0 weighted GPA and/or submit your scores that are equal to or above a 1330 SAT or 29 ACT. She explained that you do not need to fit all of these qualifications, but at least one must be true for you to be considered for the scholarship. In addition, she explained that Brinkley-Lane Scholars’ ideal student is someone who has curiosity, leadership, collaboration, and service skills.
The third program the meeting explained was NC State’s Park Scholarship. Its preferred qualities are Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character. This kind of student is not just someone who is engaged in the classroom, but someone who actively seeks extra service and is not afraid to lead behind-the-scenes. Park Scholars have their tuition, housing, meals, books, and personal expenses paid for along with other opportunities like trips, retreats, and seminars. The program also includes faculty mentoring, which is similar to ECA’s Advisor or Mentor program. One of this program’s focuses is to prepare students for the real world. It does this by enrolling students into comprehensive training for personal and professional development. The program requires students to have a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.8, but test scores are not required.
Lastly, the event invited a representative from UNC Charlotte’s Levine Scholars Program to the stage. He explained that, unlike the previously mentioned scholars programs, Levine Scholars is separate from UNC Charlotte’s Honors College. The scholarship itself covers the student’s full tuition, housing, meals, book stipends, four summer experiences, and a Civic Engagement Grant. The program focuses on service and international exploration. The main qualifications for a Levine Scholar are intellectual curiosity, commitment to community service, and ethical leadership. The GPA requirement for this program is also much higher than the other three. The average GPA of a Levine Scholar is 4.51 weighted or 3.96 unweighted. The application for Levine Scholars requires 3 essays, 3 letters of recommendation (one for each main qualification), and 1 activities list.
At A&T, the early action deadline is November 1st, whereas the school application deadline for ECU, UNC Charlotte, and NC State is November 1st. The final selection for A&T’s Honors College is February 26th and 27th. The Brinkley-Lane Scholars application must be completed after the general school application and the deadline is December 1st. UNC Charlotte’s Levine Scholars Program requires a nomination, due by October 15th. You can be nominated by staff or you can self-nominate. The Levine Scholars Program application deadline is November 15th. Lastly, NC State’s Park Scholarships have semifinal interviews on January 16th and the final selection is around March 5th.