Capital City A&M Club & Capital City A&M Foundation 2017 Scholarship Application

Capital City A&M Club &

Capital City A&M Foundation

2017 Scholarship Application Guidelines

I. Amount

The Capital City A&M Club (the “Club”) will award no less than ten (10) $5,000* scholarships to Austin-area high school students who plan to start their freshman year at Texas A&M University this upcoming fall. Each recipient will receive no less than $1,250* each fall and spring semester for a total of four semesters. Funding for the scholarships come from the Capital City A&M Foundation (the “Foundation”). The Club coordinates the administration of the scholarships.

*amount subject to change by Foundation approval

II. Eligibility

1. Initial Eligibility

To be eligible, applicants must be a high school senior and meet one of the following criteria:

Reside in Travis County, or
Attend a high school within one of the following Austin-area school districts:

· Austin ISD / · Hays CISD / · Leander ISD
· Del Valle ISD / · Hutto ISD / · Manor ISD
· Dripping Springs ISD / · Lago Vista ISD / · Pflugerville ISD
· Eanes ISD / · Lake Travis ISD / · Round Rock ISD

In addition, the student must have already applied for admission to Texas A&M University (College Station campus only) for the upcoming fall semester.

The student does not need to have been accepted to Texas A&M University prior to submitting this scholarship application, but the payment of the scholarship award is contingent upon their acceptance and enrollment at Texas A&M University in College Station for the 2017 Fall semester.

2. Continuing Eligibility

Scholarship funds for the second year are contingent upon the scholarship recipient achieving a grade point average of at least 2.0 for their freshman year. For purposes of this application the term “recipient” refers to the applicant chosen for the scholarship award.

3. Other Financial Aid

It is the policy of the Club and Foundation to assist as many students as possible with available scholarship funds. Accordingly, in the event a recipient obtains significant financial assistance from other sources, the Club and Foundation reserve the right to review the award status and withdraw the scholarship.

III. Deadline and Other Information

Applications must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, March 8th 2017 and received by Monday, March 13th 2017.
Additional copies of this application can be downloaded from http://www.austinags.org. Click on “Scholarships” in the menu at the top of the page, and then select “How To Apply”.
Scholarship recipients will be notified during the second week of April. (Applicants not chosen as a recipient will be notified by mail before April 21st.)
Scholarship recipients will be introduced and recognized for their accomplishments as part of the Aggie Muster ceremony on April 21, 2017 (http://muster.tamu.edu/ ). Recipients are also expected to participate in the annual Coach’s Night event. Recipients are expected to attend both events. After the 2017 fall semester, recipients are expected to attend as guests at the annual membership luncheon held during the winter break in Austin to report to the Club on their fall semester.
Funds will be disbursed through the Texas A&M University financial aid office.
In some instances, personal or phone interviews may be conducted to assist the Scholarship Committee to select the scholarship recipients.

IV. Criteria for Selection

The Club Scholarship Committee will choose recipients using the following factors and weights:

Financial need: 30%
High school grades and college entrance exam scores: 20%

Extracurricular activities, community involvement, and work experience: 25%
Essays and a letter of recommendation from principal, teacher, or community leader: 25%

Winners will be determined without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, or educationally unrelated handicaps.

V. Tips on Applying for a Scholarship from the Capital City A&M Club

We are glad you want to attend Texas A&M University, and we wish you success in your college career. Every scholarship application is evaluated very carefully. We choose our recipients on the basis of financial need, academic achievement, and general factors such as motivation, community service, letters of recommendation, and the overall impression given by your application.

Academic achievement and financial need are facts, and we have transcripts and IRS forms to verify that information. However, we only know about your motivation, community service, and you as a person from what you tell us about yourself, and how you tell us about yourself. Both the “what” and the “how” are important and can really influence our decision. Therefore, we are including the tips below to help you present yourself well. This advice may seem obvious, yet we receive applications every year with mistakes that these tips address.

Overall Tips:

Start working on the application as early as possible. We can tell who spent time and effort on the application and who did not. The short essays at the end will require some time to complete successfully.
Make it easy for the committee to learn about you: use the automated word document or type your application. Occasionally we may give scholarships to people who hand-write the application; however, a typed application is definitely more professional. If you hand-write your application, please print and use a black pen. Be aware that at Texas A&M University you will need to type your assignments.
Do some research about Texas A&M University. Even if everyone in your family graduated from Texas A&M University, browse through some recent publications or visit their website at www.tamu.edu.
Write clearly. You do not have to write prize-winning prose; just give us clear sentences in formal English. Write something and then read it aloud to see how it sounds. If you make careless errors, we will conclude that you do not take the scholarship seriously.
When you are finished, proofread your application. Read it aloud. Proofread it again!

Tips for the Application Sections:

Eligibility: If you have any questions about your eligibility, you may contact your high school counselor, or contact the Club Scholarship Vice President directly via email at .

Background Information: Please be sure to complete all requested information in this section.

High School Curriculum and Performance: This portion of the application comprises 20% of the evaluation. Please include the most recent grade information possible. Please attach an official High School transcript and your SAT or ACT score report.

Financial/Family Information: This portion of the application comprises 30% of the evaluation. Please fill this section out as completely as possible. Give us additional information, where applicable and useful, about your family’s finances.

Work Experience/Extracurricular: This portion of the application comprises 25% of the evaluation. This section gives you an opportunity to identify what you consider to be your most significant, non-academic accomplishments. We are particularly interested in knowing about the leadership roles you have held and the volunteer activities you have performed. These experiences may include activities in clubs, athletics, churches, and civic organizations. This section is also the place to describe any special family responsibilities, work experiences, or other extracurricular activities outside of the classroom. Always list the most important items first. Be brief, but thorough. Make sure each item is understandable to someone who is not familiar with a specific organization.

Essays/Letter of Recommendation: This portion of the application comprises 25% of the evaluation. You may not attach additional sheets here. We want something short but full of information.

Describe your career goals and vocational objectives.

Specific goals and a passion for a particular career are impressive to the committee, but if you are still unsure about what you want to do, that is alright, too. Just write sincerely and generally about what interests you and what you hope to accomplish.

Describe a significant experience or situation in your life that you feel has shaped your outlook, abilities, or academic credentials.

Describe an event in your life that you feel somehow changed your life. Have you had to face or overcome an exceptional hardship or setback? What particular personal experiences have you had that have shaped your outlook or abilities and/or provided you with the motivation and determination to succeed at A&M?

Explain why you want to continue your education at Texas A&M University.

Give reasons associated with your career and life goals. What does A&M offer you that other schools do not? Are there unique personal reasons that will help distinguish your desire to attend A&M from other scholarship applicants?

Letter of Recommendation*:

Select the person to write your letter of recommendation very carefully. Make sure this person understands your specific goals so they can emphasize the aspects of your personality, academic performance and extracurricular activities that relate to that goal.

The letter should explain the position or status of the person writing the letter and their relationship with you. It should contain specific examples that illustrate your abilities and accomplishments. Other topics they may wish to include are your intellectual abilities, personal motivation, work habits, or emotional maturity. The letter should not exceed one page in length.

*It is a good idea to share this with the person who writes your letter.

Capital City A&M Club

2017 Scholarship Application

DEADLINE: The application must be postmarked on or before Wednesday, March 8th 2017 and received by Monday, March 13th 2017. Mail the application to the address below. Do not include the previous guideline pages 1-5.

Scholarship Committee

Capital City A&M Club

P.O. Box 332

Austin, TX 78767

ELIGIBILITY:

Applicants must be high school seniors who have applied for admission to Texas A&M University for the Fall 2017 semester. Eligible applicants must also be either a resident of Travis County, or attend a high school within one of the following Austin-area school districts:

FORMAT:

Copies of this application are available online at from http://www.austinags.org. Click on “Scholarships” in the menu at the top of the page, and then select “How To Apply”.

It is strongly recommended that you download this form, type in your answers, and print the completed application. Be sure to complete sections A-G and attach the following items with your application in order:

1.) 2017 Scholarship Application (pages 6-13 of this document)

2.) Your official high school transcript

3.) Your SAT or ACT score report*

4.) One letter of recommendation. (one page max)

Please include all items in one envelope in the listed order.

* or substitute certified transcript if the testing information is included.

A. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Note: Please use the “Tab” key on your keyboard to navigate from one field to the next.

Name:

Last First M.I.

Address: City: Zip:

Telephone: () - Age: Date of Birth:

Mo Day Yr

Email Address

When did you apply for admission to TAMU?

Mo Yr

What is the status of your application?

Have you applied for a scholarship from another A&M club? If so, which one?

Have you been awarded the scholarship?

List family members who have graduated from A&M or who are currently attending A&M and include their class year:

B. HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM AND PERFORMANCE

High school you currently attend:

When will you graduate? Estimated rank in class: out of

Mo Yr

Cumulative Grade Point Average:

Grading Scale: A= points ACT Score:

SAT Math Score: SAT Reading Score: SAT Writing Score:

SAT Math and Critical Reading together Score:

What college major(s) and/or minor(s) do you plan to study?

REMEMBER: Attach a certified copy of your high school transcript and your SAT or ACT score report if it is not on your transcript. If available, please attach explanation of your school’s grading scale.

C. FINANCIAL INFORMATION*

Name: Soc. Sec. #: - –

(repeat) Last First M.I.

Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) as reported to the Internal Revenue Service:

EST 2017 2016 2015

Father / Stepfather / Guardian / $ / $ / $
Mother / Stepmother / $ / $ / $
Total or Parents Joint Return / $ / $ / $

Are you willing to provide documentation of the above amounts if requested? Yes No

Please list any other financial support (e.g., child support, trust fund, social security, Texas Tomorrow Fund, etc.) that will be available to you.

Source Annual Amount

Have you applied for or are you expecting any other scholarships or financial aid that could be applied at A&M? Please list the source of the scholarships, grants, gifts, etc, and the amount of funds awarded so that financial awards can be maximized.

Source Award Amount

*Note: Please notify the Vice President of Scholarships if you are awarded any financial support after you submit this application or are a recipient. Please refer to section G: Applicant Agreement and Certification for responsibilities beyond the awarding of the scholarship.

Other financial information you wish to be considered:

Family Information

Siblings supported by your family:

Name Age Classs/Grade

Other family information or special needs you would like considered:

* This section will only be seen by the VP of Scholarships

D. WORK EXPERIENCE, EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, AND LEADERSHIP

Are you employed? Yes No

If so, how many hours per week do you work?

Please describe the kind of work have you done?

Do you have unusual home care responsibilities? Yes No If yes, please describe.

List your most significant extracurricular activities from your high school years in the spaces below (athletics, clubs, organizations, church, civic, etc.). Please list the years in which you participated in the activity, and any leadership roles you held in the activity. You may add an additional page if needed.

For Example:

Activity: marching band

Years: 9-12

Leadership Roles/ Year Held: Section leader, senior