Can anyone shed light on the stats needed to be considered for the Belk Scholarship or other merit aid from Davidson? I see on their website that they offer “general scholarships” as well as “application scholarships” and Belk.
They also offer the Pepper Visual Art Scholarship. Our S19 will have a portfolio of drawings, painting, and photography from his AP Studio Art class. Anyone have experience with this scholarship?
My D was not able to apply for the Belk Scholarship because by the time I contacted her counselor in early September about being nominated by her high school, the school had already chosen the two students they would nominate. I never expected that I would have to ask about it in August! Anyway, D was notified this week that she was accepted to Davidson and is one of 5 finalists for the writing scholarship ($30,000/year) so she is very excited. I’m not sure if this is helpful or not, but she is top 5% of her very large class, has about 12 AP/IB classes, heavy theater involvement, and an ACT of 33 (34 SS). She had to submit a writing portfolio in addition to all the other stuff. No other “general scholarships” were awarded.
Thanks, @elena13 ! So, the writing scholarship was separate and your daughter had to do more work to apply for it, correct? I kind of knew about the Belk and being nominated. Last year, only four kids applied from our high school but I think it’s good to know that I’ll need to talk to counselor early to make sure she would nominate him. Maybe I’ll even put a little bird in her ear during junior year
Yes, @homerdog that would be a good idea to let her know early. I had no idea that school’s deadline would be so early and was naive in thinking others wouldn’t be that interested in Davidson. The writing scholarship did require a 10-page writing portfolio and a statement about her writing. I think it was due soon after she applied.
@elena13 thanks again. I did see that 11/1 is the deadline if you want to be considered for Belk.
“They also offer the Pepper Visual Art Scholarship. Our S19 will have a portfolio of drawings, painting, and photography from his AP Studio Art class. Anyone have experience with this scholarship?”
As a matter of fact, yes. I’m the art scholar for the class of 2020 and I’d be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
“Can anyone shed light on the stats needed to be considered for the Belk Scholarship or other merit aid from Davidson?”
I was one of 30 Belk Scholar finalists for this year and a current Belk alternate, and I would also be happy to answer any questions you have.
@Neverwhere Can you message privately on this website? I’m an alternate for this year as well, and I want to know when we’ll find out!
@Neverwhere @collegeart1 How did things turn out? Gathering intel for the coming year. Pls PM, thx!
@Neverwhere @collegeart1 Me too! Visiting Davidson this spring break with S19. Now that he’s got his SAT score from the August test, we can look in earnest.
Here too. S18 has been nominated for Belk and just needs to finish up his essays before we can submit his application for admission…
@gclsports So, your guidance counselor told you that your son was nominated? I was wondering how that works. I’ve already thrown it out there to S19’s GC. The school just considers you from the regular application, though, right? Maybe it has to be in a little earlier for consideration?
@homerdog My son spoke with his GC back in late August or early September and asked her to nominate him. She did, and he quickly (within a matter of days) received a confirmation from Davidson that he had been nominated. I don’t know if there was any deadline for being nominated or not, but the deadline to apply for admission to Davidson if you want to be considered for Belk is 12/1. There isn’t a separate Belk app, so once you’re nominated for the scholarship, you just apply for admission.
have the Belk Scholars Finalists been chosen this year yet? Any finalist out there willing to share their stats? Also, do all of the finalists interview or are there other “next steps” after receiving confirmation that a student is a finalist?
@homerdog all of the finalists interview at the Belk Finalist Weekend according to the website
@homerdog There is a deadline for the GC to nominate. It was extended this year, but I think it is by November 1. We got a letter and an email about D’s nomination confirming it.
Thanks @university2022. Just wondering if anyone on CC is a finalist and if they would share their stats, etc. @katespeare We’ve already given our school the heads up about nominating S19 next year. They make those decisions early fall. I forwarded our GC the deadline.
@homerdog From the Belk site… “A candidate’s record and recommendations must demonstrate academic excellence and purposeful engagement in the classroom, in student and civic organizations, on the athletic field, or in the arts. While academic achievement is paramount, Belk Scholars also exhibit intellectual curiosity and a commitment to both their local and global communities.”
I would say that your son must demonstrate lots of leadership in strong activities/volunteer work along with SAT/ACT in the upper 75% of Davidson students. Make sure, also, that his letter of recs from teachers show real connection. The letter of rec is so crucial in these situations, as when the Belk staff sorts through thousands of nominees, the rec letter gives a real look at how your son is viewed as a human, not just numbers and essays.
Coming back to see if I can find advice on the recommendation letter that needs to be written for Belk. Our GC will already be writing a rec for S19’s regular Davidson app. Does this recommending need to be different? Or can she send the one she already wrote? I was going to send her the characteristics of a Belk Scholar according to their website and, if she’s already covered everything in her initial rec, then would she maybe just rewrite the end and speak specifically to the award and why she’s nominating him?
For those that got a Belk nomination, other than your school administration telling them so, was anything generated by Davidson? My DD19’s counselor nominated her for the Belk and “took care of it”. Later that day, DD got an email from Davidson with her application number and the transcript, school report, and counselor recommendation with check boxes. DD has not yet submitted her common app yet. Does this mean her counselor nominated her through the portal?