<p>Hey, here’s a few links to get you started: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/675094-ucla-alumni-scholarship-interview.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/675094-ucla-alumni-scholarship-interview.html</a>
Read posts $6 and #9 (and there are some other good ones too, but at a quick glance, that covered how it “works”).
[url=<a href=“http://www.alumnischolarsclub.org/]ASC”>http://www.alumnischolarsclub.org/]ASC</a> - The Alumni Scholars Club Official Website<a href=“click%20on%20the%20%22Leadership–%3EE-Board%22%20link%20on%20the%20left%20to%20see%20the%20organization’s%20AMAZING%20leaders”>/url</a>!</p>
<p>I’m an Alumni Scholar, and it actually is what brought me to UCLA (along with honors). So hopefully I can lend you some insight:</p>
<p>Firstly, just to clarify, as the link above states, the scholarships actually range from $4k-$17.5k over 4 years. You get $1,000 per year, but as long as you do the 30 hours of service, that $1,000 is renewed every year.</p>
<p>Now, on to the good stuff!</p>
<p>So some of the benefits DO overlap with honors (e.g. priority enrollment…but the good thing is that should you ever drop honors (which many eventually do for various reasons), you still have priority through ASC). Along with priority enrollment, your scholarship comes with peer (who are upperclassmen) and alumni mentors, free printing, money (obviously haha), and DEFINITELY most importantly, an incredible network of fellow Bruins whom I assure you you will come to love and respect in your 4 years here. There are ASC members who turned down schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Brown, Virginia, Berkeley, Georgetown, Notre Dame, and more to attend UCLA because of the benefits the scholarship offered; not one of us regrets it. It’s actually hard to put into words what ASC means to most of us who are actively involved in the club, but I can confidently say that your friends quickly become your family, and the campus becomes a home away from home. It’s hard to describe the impact ASC has on you (assuming you do your part and get involved, which is really easy) until you actually experience it. Because the interview process is so competitive, ASCers are truly the best of the best at UCLA; not only are they smart, but especially well-rounded. This past year, one scholar was named a Rhodes Scholar; another former scholar won an Academy Award (Dustin Lance Black, Best Original Screenplay, “Milk”). ASC members come from a variety of backgrounds- they are varsity athletes at UCLA, Congressional interns, leaders of numerous philanthropic events on campus and in the community, and some of the most modest people you will ever meet; I’m never surprised by the level of accomplishment among Alumni Scholars, but I’m constantly impressed by the level-headedness of virtually every single ASCer I’ve met. </p>
<p>Now, as for the "perks: Alumni Association events are awesome networking opportunities, assuming you attend them and make an effort to get involved (which again, is really pretty easy). You are given an alumni mentor, and many of them are pretty accomplished people (this year alone, one mentor was the marketing director at Disney; another is a prominent doctor in Beverly Hills). You are paired with a mentor based on interest and future occupation, though the level of similarity often depends on seniority (juniors and seniors tend to get their 1st and 2nd choices more than freshman, for example). One of my friends was offered an internship at a major entertainment company by his mentor; another alum offered to write his mentee a letter of rec for graduate school, where he’d completed his degree. Whether or not you “click” this well or not really depends on how receptive you both are to the opportunities presented, but there are tons of opportunities available if you’re willing to take advantage of them.</p>
<p>The peer mentor is also very helpful, and again, depending on how well you connect (which is normally pretty well, assuming you make some effort), can definitely be one of the most fun parts of ASC. I know peer mentors who have tutored their mentees in certain courses, who’ve gone out to dinner every few weeks, helped each other choose classes, etc. Keep in mind that the students who volunteer to be peer mentors do it because they believe in the values of the program, so they are pretty dedicated to the cause. </p>
<p>I really hope that helped you out! I want you to come to UCLA, just so you can experience it for yourself…it’s a pretty laid-back organization, in that you can be as much or as little involved as you’d like (as long as you complete the service hours lol), but those who make the effort to get involved are truly rewarded with the experience of a lifetime. You make life-long friendships and learn what it means to be a True Bruin. Hope to see you at fall quarterly!</p>