WC Scholars Competition yields full ride scholarships
Lead Summary
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More than 120 academically talented high school students had an opportunity to compete for full ride academic scholarships this winter in Wilmington College's Scholars Program Competition.
The contest is designed to identify students that possess a great potential to excel at WC - a career-oriented, liberal arts institution with a hallmark for personal attention.
The daylong program includes writing an impromptu essay, participating in a group interview with faculty members and engaging in informal activities designed to demonstrate students' leadership abilities.
Students also bring with them a prepared essay covering such topics as their career aspirations and personal experiences with community service and leadership.
Mark Denniston, vice president for enrollment management, said the day's activities often reveal students' critical thinking skills and ability to communicate effectively by tapping into their creativity and depth of understanding.
"We believe this program uncovers many students' positive traits that go beyond the simple criteria found in high school transcripts and ACT/SAT scores," he said.
All participants are eligible for a $1,000 academic merit award should they enroll at WC, while those selected as the competition's top finishers earn scholarships ranging from half to full tuition. Three students will receive a full ride covering tuition, room and board.
This is the fifth year for the competition and Denniston noted its success is evident in the quality of past participants that enrolled at the College.
He said these students become very active on campus in addition to excelling academically.
"They've become leaders in community service and some have spent semesters studying abroad; also, many are student-athletes, resident assistants and other high profile members of our campus community.
"Some have assumed leadership roles in such areas as student government, Greek life and campus organizations - they are the type of students that typically have an outstanding collegiate experience at Wilmington," he added.
Denniston said that, since the competition's inception, between 40 and 53 percent of Scholar Program participants have gone on to enroll at WC.
Indeed, the retention of those students has been "significantly" higher than their overall freshman cohorts.
The weekend competitions constitute a campus-wide endeavor as, in addition to the admission staff, the day's activities involve the president, vice president for academic affairs and dean of students, as well as numerous
faculty and staff members, current students and support services personnel.
While the student participants are engaged in their activities, a concurrent program for parents features sessions dealing with such topics as a college overview, financing an education and a panel discussion with faculty, administrators and current students.
"We want both students and their parents to come away from their day on campus with a comprehensive understanding of what Wilmington College has to offer and ways in which WC provides students with a distinct experience based upon our core values," Denniston said.
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