What would you say is most important? Grades? Scores? ECs? Essays? I am looking at Ohio state but wouldn’t be able to go without a significant scholarship, so I am just curious. Thanks!
Also I am OOS.
According to OSU’s website (for the Morrill Scholarship) the applicants in the top of the applicant pool “academically exceptional” who submit an essay on diversity get the most serious consideration. But among this group the Essay is the single most determinative criterion on who gets selected for the scholarship. The essay needs to show not only that you have been an ambassador of diversity in your school or community but that you have and will continue to promote cross-cultural relationships amongst your peers.
Morrill’s a weird one. They award a lot of them I feel like but it’s 100% on the essay. It’s a diversity scholarship but that doesn’t mean you have to be racially or socioeconomically diverse…my friend’s a white football player at his HS and he got it lol even though he doesn’t really have much in terms of diversity. but it is all on the essay
On the other hand…I’m currently on the Eminence Fellowship. It’s an amazing program and I think even without the scholarship portion of it, would be a damn good alternative to being accepted to an Ivy League/top 10 school.
The essay is a VERY important thing with eminence as well. Eminence is truly about a mixture or academics and community impact. Personally I was top 10%, 36 ACT, and arguably my best essay I’ve ever written that had to do with a lot of the volunteer stuff that I did because of the passion I had for the subject of it and how it made a real difference in my city, region, and internationally. Another kid in my school who was top 2% with a 36 ACT and got into various colleges I didn’t get into wasn’t a finalist interestingly enough. So they really look for more than just scores/ranks but you definitely have to be “up there” academically to even be looked at. And on the other side of it, stats alone won’t get you past an initial look.
The interview after that is the biggest factor in selecting the final 25-30.
They look for people who are very adept academically and will thrive at OSU when given opportunities for various things. They also look for people who can speak very well, and not necessarily in the public speaking/debate sense. More about having interesting thoughts and perspectives and being able to talk about them. Service/impact is also a big component. Eminence Fellows are expected to be the spokespeople/role models and the faces of the university in many ways. A big help is being passionate about the university as well.
That’s about all i got, I’m open to questions though.
I received the Morrill Distinction Award which is the equivalent of the cost of attendance. The awards are based on what you’ve done to promote diversity and inclusion in your local community and the greater community. You’ll need to represent this in your essay and your extra-curricular activities. We want people at OSU who will actively promote diversity and inclusion. So find a way to positively impact your community. Don’t do it for the scholarship, do it because it ought to be done and there’s some need that only you can address. Then write about those efforts.
If you have more specific questions on what you want to write about, or some initiative or program you wish to start, feel free to ask me.
What is the specific prompt for the Morrill? thanks
I don’t know if the prompt changes from year to year, but this is the one from this past year’s application:
"Diversity is dynamic and inclusive; a destination and a pathway we travel to model 21st century global citizenship. Diversity matters because the exchange of ideas matter and because no one person or group has all the answers; it helps us to know ourselves in all our multiple dimensions and know each other better.
Based on your own knowledge, awareness, and experience, in what ways is diversity important to your personal, academic, or career goals and how have you successfully leveraged, enhanced, and promoted diversity and other cross-cultural relationships among your peers and non-peers. (To learn more about the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Morrill Scholars Program visit odi.osu.edu.)
(350-500 words)"
Anyone willing to look over my MSP essay? I can’t tell if I’m a match/reach (10 APs, 3.44/3.62, 2160 SAT w/ significant/related ECs) for the program, so some help would be most appreciated 
I had received the scholarship last year, I’ll look over it if you want me to. Also GPA/ACTs/SATs don’t matter for this scholarship.
Hi, as someone who also received this scholarship and will be a Freshman this fall, I agree with everyone else that the main focus is the essay. I was a mediocre candidate with an ACT of 31, unweighted 3.75, weighted 4.7, and hispanic (although I don’t look it so no one thinks that). Being out of state, OSU was pricey for me, so getting this scholarship is what convinced me to attend.
It’s a great scholarship to get, but I really think that in your essay you need to be sure to work as hard as you possibly can to express your passion and what you have done with it/how you can bring what you’re done to OSU and the Columbus area. For example, I wrote about the therapeutic horseback riding stable that I have volunteered at for the past 5.5 years, and how important it is to include the physically and mentally handicapped in society. (If that helps at all)
There is a 3,2 gpa for renewal, right? What happends if you drop below a semester/year, can you get it back? I’m wondering if it is too risky for an engineering student, say–I don’t know how brutal the curves are.
Most important is for you to be truthful to who you are and how your strengths and talents (as shown in your essay) can contribute to student life at OSU.