Really, things have evolved in all dimensions of life, including the academic world. These days being involved in academic-related sports activities can fetch you various scholarships, including the Scholar-athlete awards. Also, being involved in social activities and dispositions of leadership qualities, or having a trace of organization skills, can expose you to a certain number of opportunities including scholarship opportunities. This is because most scholarship platforms are now looking beyond academic excellence when it comes to eligibility, they now focus on threats or passion which an individual possesses as criteria for the scholarship award. The Scholarship is designed for Freshmen College Students with a High School grade of 3.50 or better GPA. The table of content below will shed more light on why you need this scholarship, and how to apply for it.
Scholar-Athlete Awards
Scholar Athletic Awards is one of the scholarship awards that are not really academic excellence dependent, but also dependent on how well and a mast and individual is when it comes to athletics. The scholar-athlete scholarship has a variety of sponsoring platforms, and that is one of the reasons application criteria eligibility requirements fluctuate, that is, it varies annually. A person might be qualified for the scholarship the previous year but won’t be qualified for this year’s scholarship opportunity because of its constant change in electricity requirements. The Scholar-Athlete Awards have been an annual Columbus Dispatch initiative for more than 20 years and in that time more than $1 million in scholarships have been awarded to elite graduating seniors. This June 6th will mark our third-annual LIVE recognition event for these Scholar-Athletes and the community. That night, we’ll recognize the top female and male graduating seniors from 117 area high schools for their achievements in academics, athletics, leadership, and service. Twenty-two students will take home $94,000 in college scholarships. This award is available for basketball, baseball, cross-country, track and field, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, and women’s volleyball. Coaches determine recipients of these awards based on demonstrated talent and skill. If the athlete has an ACT of at least 27, they are eligible for this award
MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award
For the first time, all steps of the Scholar-Athlete Awards process will be online without any paperwork. Students will fill out the entire application online, including athletic and other extra-curricular experiences, short-answer questions and essays. Students have the choice of uploading letters of recommendation or letting recommenders upload themselves. Finally, our judges will also be reviewing and scoring applications online. Otherwise, the Scholar-Athlete Award program is the same as in past years. We ask for the same background info, short-answer questions and essays, and we score applications using the same point system as in past years.
Who is Eligible
Eligibility criteria have not changed from previous years. Seniors with an unrounded 3.50 or better GPA who have earned a varsity letter in an MHSAA-sponsored sport are eligible to apply.
How Many Students can Apply?
Schools are limited to the number of students who will be considered for the award. Class A schools can nominate 6 boys and 6 girls, Class B can nominate 4 boys and 4 girls, Class C can nominate 3 boys and 3 girls and Class D can nominate 2 boys and 2 girls. Just like in past years, you can have more students go through the application process. After the deadline and prior to judging, we will look at the list of completed applications and search for schools that have more applicants than allowed. We will contact the athletic director and ask him/her which applications we should consider for the award. ALL applicants, even those who are not considered for the award, will be recognized with a certificate.
How do Students Apply?
Direct students to mhsaa.com/scholarship to start the application process. Once there, students will create an account. Finally, students will need to enter the Access Code provided to you by the MHSAA. At this point, students can start to fill out the different parts of the application. If they leave the application, they will pick up where they left off when they return. Students also need two letters of recommendation. Students can upload PDFs or Word docs themselves, or they can use the system to have recommenders upload recommendations themselves.
How should I Coach my Students?
This document gives tips to students for completing the application.
How many Students will win and when will they be Announced?
We will select 32 total winners — 6 boys and 6 girls from Class A, 4 boys and 4 girls from Class B, 3 boys and 3 girls from Class C and 2 boys and 2 girls from Class D, as well as 2 at-large winners for minority applicants. The winners will be announced throughout February and honored during the Boys Basketball Finals on March 16.
What is the Deadline for the Scholar-Athlete Award?
The deadline is November 30 at 4:00 p.m. All parts of the application must be completed at this time.
Previous Information About the Scholarship
Am I Eligible to Apply?
Seniors with an unrounded 3.50 or better GPA who have earned a varsity letter in an MHSAA-sponsored sport are eligible to apply.
How do I Apply?
Go to mhsaa.com/scholarship Create an account Ask your school athletic director for the Access CodeClick the blue “Check Eligibility” button, enter the Access Code and start the application process.
What are the Different Parts of the Application?
Applicant information List of athletic teams and extra-curricular activities, focusing on achievement and leadership positions Two short-answer questions about how athletics and other activities have prepared you for life after high school 500-word essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics Two letters of recommendation
How are Letters of Recommendation Submitted?
You have two options for submitting your two letters of recommendation. In fact, you can upload the two letters yourself. You can enter email addresses for the two recommenders, and they will be sent simple instructions for adding their letters to your account.
What is the Schedule?
The deadline is Friday, Nov. 30, at 4:00 p.m. 120 Finalists will be announced in late January and the 32 winners will be announced throughout February. The winners will also be invited to MSU’s Breslin Center to be honored during one of the MHSAA’s Boys Basketball state final games. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, Contact Paige Winne at the MHSAA: paige@mhsaa.com or 517-332-5046.
Helpful Hints for Applicants
This is an Online Application
Go to mhsaa.com/scholarship to create an account and start the process. Contact your school’s athletic director to get an Access Code. You must have this code to continue the process. Please note the school is limited in the number of students that can apply for the award. The online application and the process should seem very intuitive. Email notifications will be sent to you throughout the process. You can start the application, fill out part of it, and then return later to pick up where you left off. Be sure you come back to submit the application prior to the deadline on Nov. 30. Decide if you are going to upload letters of recommendation yourself, or if you will invite recommenders to write a letter and upload themselves. VERY IMPORTANT: If you have your recommenders upload themselves, you must log back into the system and click “Mark as Complete” under the “Request Letters of Recommendation” section. When you are finished with the Application Form and Letters of Recommendation, click on the blue “Review and Submit” button. After reviewing, click “Submit Your Application” to finish the application process.
Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute
There are multiple parts to the application, so don’t get caught procrastinating. Make contact with the two people who will write your letters of recommendation, and give them plenty of time to submit a great letter on your behalf. Write, edit, and re-write your essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics. 500-words are the maximum for this essay.
Know-How the Applications are Judged
Essay (40%): Be creative in telling the judges why sportsmanship is important to educational athletics. VERY IMPORTANT: The judges will be reading dozens of essays – make yours stand out! Tell the judges a personal story about sportsmanship; don’t give them the Webster’s definition of sportsmanship. Extra-Curricular Activities Form (30%): Focus on significant leadership experiences and significant athletic achievements and academic awards won. Judges are looking for quality of experiences, not the number of experiences. Short-Answer Questions (20%): Use this space to tell us more about how you’ve personally benefited by staying active – both with school sports and with outside school activities. These are not throw-away questions, consider them mini-essays.Letters of Recommendation (10%): Approach coaches, teachers, school administrators, youth group leaders or others in your community to have them write recommendation letters so the judges can learn a little bit more about you. Thirty-two (32) student-athletes will win a $1,000 scholarship. A graduated scale based on MHSAA enrollment classification will be used to allocate the first 30 scholarships. In Class A, 6 boys and 6 girls will be selected as winners. 4 boys and 4 girls from Class B schools will be selected as scholarship recipients, while 3 boys and 3 girls in Class C and 2 boys and 2 girls from Class D schools will receive the $1,000 scholarship. The last 2 at-large scholarships are designated for minority candidates and will be chosen after the first 30 scholarship recipients have been selected.
