Only Enough for Three out of 25

During the last two weeks, I read applications for scholarships to NWTC in a methodical, well-rehearsed, and inspiring process. It was my first go as a reader. I think I would enjoy doing this again.

Each semester, dozens of groups of six readers are assigned 25 student applications from the almost 500 applications that the Foundation Office receives. Readers are asked to rank the applications in five descending categories: Outstanding, Above Average, Average, Below Average, and Why Did You Apply? Out of that group of 25, we are only allowed to award three Outstanding rankings. Those are the leading candidates to divide up $50,000 in scholarship money for the spring semester. The three of 25 become maybe 100 scholarship winners.

The NWTC Foundation recommends a weighted criteria: GPA (high school and college), Personal Essay, Financial Essay and Financial Need, and Letters of Recommendation. The GPA comparison was straightforward, assuming students had some college under their belt. The Financial Essay and Financial Need sections were less easy to consider since all my applicants could really use the extra money. Out of the 25 applications, 10 were an easy first cut for me. They received Average rankings.

The rest I ranked Above Average, and from that group, I planned to pick the Outstanding three. Since I have a writing background, I was especially interested in the personal essays. Unfortunately, some of the essays were more like personal paragraphs texted from a smartphone than well-constructed writing. Ignoring spelling, sentence fragments, misplaced commas and other rude violations of American Standard English, I concentrated on the stories the students had to tell. Those students who provided details and told a compelling story, rather than just fantasize about using their education to solve some fuzzy problem of the world, ranked higher on my list. I then looked to the letters of recommendation to support or add to the personal story of the students.

Out of the 15 applications that I seriously considered, I wanted to give half the Outstanding ranking. The seven were pared down to five, reapplying the GPA criteria, and then down to four. My last cut was very difficult. I hope I made the right choice.

In my opinion, my three Outstanding students demonstrated need, academic ability, and a drive to succeed in what they want to do. In a perfect world, there would be enough scholarship money for anyone who really wants to work for a college degree, but in our world, and on my list, there is only enough for 3 out of 25. That will have to be enough for now.