<p>Anyone have any insight about Villanova's Presidential Scholarship? I know the high school nominates a candidate. Villanova publishes this data: the average high school GPA among Presidential Scholarship finalists for the Class of 2017 was 4.26/4.00 on a weighted scale, the average combined SAT score (critical reading + math) was 1470/1600. Does anyone have experience re: extracurricular activities/achievements for finalists?</p>
<p>I applied last year. From what I remember, you have the nomination sent in by your guidance counselor / principal. Once that is done and sent in, you’ll get 8 or 9 short essay questions that are 200 or 250 words each to write and then you send those in. This is the time where you show off your extracurriculars and other achievements. I think that the essays have a huge influence on becoming a finalist or not because most of the people who are in the running have similar scores / GPA, but that’s just my opinion. I applied last year with a 32 ACT and 4.0 but didn’t get even semi-finalist. Good luck!</p>
<p>Were you ultimately accepted? Are you attending Villanova?</p>
<p>I’m trying to determine if the ECs for the presidential scholarship need to be extraordinary in terms of social justice, such as starting an orphanage in a third world country or doing cancer research at the Mayo Clinoc, or can they just demonstrate passion for something–such as debate/public speaking?</p>
<p>Yes I’m currently a freshman at Villanova. I made it into the Honors program and I still ended up with a $8000 “Villanova Scholarship”. I don’t think that you need anything incredible but whatever it is that you have as your extracurriculars should show your dedication / success (being the lead in a play, captain of sports team, winning awards for debate team etc.). Just make sure your essays display your enthusiasm and passion as what they’re looking for is someone that will be active and make an impact on campus in whatever it may be that you do</p>
<p>William95: Thank you very much. Your information is very helpful.</p>
<p>This may be irrelevant, but i would recommend opting out of honors. There is really nothing too particularly special about it unless you want to get an honors major or minor and you are in the liberal arts or you like the feeling of being called an honors student.</p>
<p>Plus, the walk to Garey…</p>
<p>William95, with those stats you only were awarded $8,000 per year? I’m shocked!</p>
<p>I’m currently in honors and I wouldn’t recommend opting out of it. You get to live in Caughlin (and therefore avoid Stanford or some dorm on main) and there are separate honors classes that have less people in them. Plus you have the chance to be in an honors cohort such as the one that I’m in now which is Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. You take ACS (a general literature / philosophy / theology combo course that all students must take) with the people in your cohort and my specific cohort is going to be studying abroad at Cambridge University in England during second semester of sophomore year. Plus there’s really no down side to being in honors, you don’t have to do much more than students not in it and you decide how involved you want to be in the program.</p>
<p>Yes I only received $8000 which was slightly disappointing. I don’t think they offer much more besides the Presidential Scholarship but I did also get some financial aid grant money.</p>
<p>you can go into a learning community and not live in stanford and you still take the same acs class with people you live with.</p>