<p>Alright so I got an email today about this scholarship.</p>
<p>A question for all you currently attending UCLA or anybody else with some expertise in the area:</p>
<p>What does it take to win such a scholarship (obviously its very competitive)? What kind of EC's/essays is UCLA looking for?</p>
<p>Should mediocre kids (like myself) just not bother applying? </p>
<p>Any feedback will be appreciated</p>
<p>Everybody gets that email. There are like 250 scholarships available. I don't like those odds personally.</p>
<p>I remember that e-mail... didn't even bother applying... :rolleyes:</p>
<p>not everyone gets that e-mail. i talked to some of my friends who also applied to UCLA and they didn't get it.</p>
<p>nobleguy and kfc4u are alumni scholars (which means we got the alumni scholarship). </p>
<p>
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What does it take to win such a scholarship (obviously its very competitive)? What kind of EC's/essays is UCLA looking for?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>well, first you have to fill out the application. show that you've been involved in EC's, service, leadership, etc. no specifics that they're looking for... try to get at least one of your recs from an advisor of one of your EC's or service events, cuz they're basically looking for involvement. then they'll read all the apps, and if you get selected, you compete at a local interview against other applicants from your region. the interview itself isn't too hard; the questions are mostly open-ended creativity questions like "if you could be someone for one day, who would you be and why?" </p>
<p>
[quote]
Should mediocre kids (like myself) just not bother applying?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>up to you. so many people don't bother applying that they just end up missing out. that's okay anyway, because the ucla alumni association wants people who really want to be at UCLA and who are going to be future leaders of the alumni association.</p>
<p>Thanks, kfc4u. Good info. I will encourage my D to take a shot at it.</p>
<p>If you received that e-mail, does it mean you were admitted?</p>
<p>and if you didn't receive that e-mail, does it mean you're out of luck/rejected?</p>
<p>Apply. I don't think they look too much at grades/scores (honestly don't even remember if I had to give them)</p>
<p>It's based initially of course on the set of essays. Then interviews, which are actually pretty interesting. They ask really unique, thought-provoking question and want interesting, original answers, so that has nothing to do with if you're a "mediocre kid". I think it's a rare (and nice) opportunity for kids who aren't necessarily good scorers show off their intelligence</p>
<p>Also, no, all applicants I believe receive the email. Nothing to do with admittance (unlike Regents notification, which does imply admittance)</p>
<p>no... not all the applicants receive the e-mail. several of my friends also applied to UCLA, and none of them received the e-mail.</p>
<p>How do they determine who gets it and how many do they give? Maybe it's worth a shot.</p>
<p>oh okay. well, at any rate, it doesn't mean you're in</p>
<p>yeah i figured that..
i wish it did though! haha : )</p>
<p>however, since they didn't send it to everyone, i wonder how they got the names of the people to whom they DID send it... i know nobody here can answer that question, but its been bugging me...</p>
<p>you're special</p>
<p>gee.... thanks... : )</p>
<p>well, as an alumni scholar myself... if I remember correctly, they try to get lots of people to apply, they are looking for really well rounded people, not necessarily the smartest... some of the people I've met have made that distinction between this and the regents scholars program. Anyways, if you do apply, which i highly encourage, you will be judged on the app of course, then there is a county interview, then a regional interview and like a prelim state interview, and if after all that you've wowed them, you go to the state finals competition... honestly one of the funnest weekends of my life. first day was just random ice breakers, get alot of talks from faculty and such, meet all the other scholars, a rather unique campus tour, westwood scavenger hunt, and coffee/movie/comedy club with whomever your student host is for the weekend; they take you in for the night, take you to the dining halls, show you around and talk about thier experience with you. The second day is the actual competition... which is in three parts. Yes, another interview, funky fun questions. And a writing/public speaking activity, where they put you in a room, give you a prompt, and after you're done, they take your essay, project it onto a wall, and you get up in front of a panel and present your paper. And a group project of some sort. After all this is a awards presentation and dinner... they announce your final award amount (you go into state finals with what you've won in region and county already locked, you simply have the opportunity to get more...) and hear from some speakers about what UCLA can be for you. And the advantages of being an alumni scholar are cool too, and not just the money. You get priority in housing, or parking if you don't live on campus, priority in enrollment for classes, use of the honors counselors, free photcopying in the alumni scholars office, and automaticly a part of Alumni scholars club, which has mentoring programs, tons of community service and leadership opportunities, and fun people. Okay, enough plugging for this... I was a ASC meeting tonight, so all this was refreshed in my memory. If i muffed any of the info, someone please feel free to correct me!</p>
<p>Can out of staters apply too? If so, how?</p>
<p>i dont think out of staters can apply, but im not 100% sure on that</p>
<p>I think if you get the e-mail, you can apply. You might be able to apply even if you don't get the email, but I doubt it. You can look up the alumni site with information about the scholarship for the answer to that. Do out of staters get the e-mail? I'm not sure.</p>
<p>I'm out of state and I remember getting some kind of alumni scholarship e-mail offer during freshman year... :rolleyes:</p>