The Gates Millennium Scholars

Program What Can One of the Most Comprehensive Scholarship

Applications Teach Students About the Scholarship Search Process

Abra McAndrew

Lorenzo Chavez

Tucson GEAR UP Project

• Recommends research-based non-

quantitative assessment for

admissions and scholarships

• 8 Non-Cognitive Variables (NCV’s)

predict success for

non-traditional students

• Can suggest developmental actions

• Admissions & Scholarship Applications

o Opportunity to increase awareness of key characteristics

o Opportunity to encourage best preparation for success beyond grades and

testing

• Gates Millennium Scholars Program

o Informed by Sedlacek’s research of NCV’s

•Tucson GEAR UP Project revisions of NCV’s– College Street Smarts

o Employ activities specific to each NCV to help students understand how to

acknowledge their strengths

o Working with counselors to start using ‘College Street Smarts’ with students at

earlier grade level

• Using NCV’s helps us as educators, admissions officers, and

scholarship grantees to take a closer look at talented students and

gauge their demonstrated:

o Involvement (Traditional & Nontraditional)

o Resiliency

o Ability to Plan for the Future

o Social Responsibility

o Potential for Success

• 3.3+ Cumulative GPA

• Ethnic Minority

• African American

• American Indian/Alaska Native

• Asian Pacific Islander American

• Hispanic American

• Pell Grant Eligible

• Demonstrated Leadership and Community Involvement

• U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident

• Comprehensive scholarship application

• Students are assessed on academic backgrounds, but emphasis is placed on non-

cognitive variables such as: volunteer and leadership experience, positive self-

concept, and self appraisal are also important.

• Students are asked to write responses to eight prompts

• In addition, students will need to identify a NOMINATOR and a RECOMMENDER

• Nominator: Principals, teachers, guidance counselors, higher education reps,

and other professional educators familiar with the academic prowess of student

• Recommender: Any adult, who is not a family member, familiar with nominee’s

community service and leadership activities, such as a supervisor at work or a

community leader

Gates Millennium Scholars Program

The Application

Discuss the subjects in which you excel or have

excelled. To what factors do you attribute your

success?

Discuss the subjects with which you had difficulties.

What factors do you believe contributed to your

difficulties? How have you dealt with them so they will

not cause problems for you again? In what areas

have you experienced the greatest improvement?

What problem areas remain?

Briefly describe a situation in which you thought you

or others were treated unfairly or were not given an

opportunity you thought you deserved. Why do you

think this happened? How did you respond? Did the

situation improve as a result of your response?

Discuss your short and long-term goals. Are some of

them related? Which are priorities?

Discuss a leadership experience you have had in any

area of your life: school, work, athletics, family, church,

community, etc. How and why did you become a leader

in this area? How did this experience influence your

goals?

Discuss your involvement in and contributions to a

community near your home, school or elsewhere.

Please select an experience different from the one

you discussed in the previous question, even if this

experience also involved leadership.

Other than through classes in school, in what areas (non-

academic or academic) have you acquired knowledge or

skills? How?

Is there anything else you would like to tell us

about personal characteristics, obstacles you

have overcome, etc. that may help us evaluate

your nomination? Please do not reiterate

information you already have provided. This is

your opportunity to state something about

yourself that was not asked previously.

• Why?

• The financial component of preparing for college is one of the main concerns

low-income families use as a deciding factor for the continuation of their

children’s education, even for high-ability students

• EAO and GEAR UP saw an opportunity to offer a program that could potentially

benefit families within the cohort, and help to relieve their financial stress

• 20-25 students participants recruited per site

• Comprehensive 12-hour scholarship preparation program

• 3- 4 hour Saturday sessions hosted at The University of Arizona, facilitated by

school site instructors (1 per school)

National Scholarship Essay Workshop Program

• GU College Coaches at each site prescreened candidates based on GPA and

ethnicity

• Some sites used free/reduced lunch status as an indicator for Pell Grant Eligibility

• Current GMSP Scholars invited to information sessions to share testimony and

encourage students to apply

• Students used the FAFSA4Caster online tool to determine Pell Grant Eligibility

• www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov, EFC Range: 0-4617

• Students submitted registration form to participate

•Facilitators use Writing Workshop Process to help students think through and write

responses to the 8 prompts during the three sessions

• Students required to hold follow-up conferences with site facilitators between

workshops to further develop and refine responses

• GU will also assist participants in selection process of their Recommender

• Host a Recommenders’ Dinner to share useful tips as they complete their

recommendations

• GMSP application is released early in the fall semester and closes mid-January of

the following year

• Program is ideal for implementation mid-fall semester, dependant on resources

Gates Millennium Scholars Program

www.gmsp.org

To Learn More Visit:

Questions?