Evaluating Your Applications

Luckyday Citizenship Scholarship Program awards are granted on the evaluation of the whole student. This can be defined as academic achievement, community service, servant leadership and commitment to and need of assistance in pursuing a higher education degree at The University of Southern Mississippi. The students who receive these awards are leaders, making positive and significant contributions to their communities.

Reading the Application in Context:

In evaluating each applicant, it is best to begin by contextualizing this individual – where they come from and what opportunities are available to them. The first three pages of the application give you information about the applicant’s background, education and family. Pages four and following should help you develop a sense of this applicant as an individual. Ask yourself:
·        What opportunities are available to them?
·        What do they want to do?
·        Where do they want to study?
·        How have they defined their community?
·        What activities are they involved in?

The answers to these questions give you the context you will need to evaluate and rate the application based on the criteria defined by the Luckyday Citizenship Program.

Servant Leadership:

True servant leaders organize and motivate others by choosing to serve first. We are looking for students who use their leadership positions to make positive contributions to their community.

Watch out for applicants who display a sense of superiority or who take on leadership positions to boost their egos (and their resumés). Pay close attention to the applicant’s use of “I” and “we” and be wary of a student who takes all the credit for a group project.

When evaluating resumes and their second essay question, ask yourself:
·        Do they take on significant and long-term leadership roles?
·        Do they describe their failures as a leader?
·        Do they have a mature and responsible attitude towards those they are leading?
 
Community Service:

The Luckyday Foundation Citizenship Scholars Program rewards those students who are committed to bettering their communities. These students take on volunteer positions that are long-term, meaningful and significant.

Be on the lookout for applicants who are involved only in short-term or one-time events. Also keep in mind that some students take on volunteer activities solely to meet academic requirements or to seem more impressive when applying to post-secondary programs. Many students have been “handed” volunteer activities by their school or are clearly unengaged in their volunteer work. We do not want to reward these types of applicants.

In assessing an applicant’s community service, carefully, ask yourself the following:
·        What is the depth of their community involvement?
·        Are they involved over a long period of time where they can truly make a difference?
·        Are they engaged with the people they work with?
·        What is their motivation? Are they genuinely interested in bettering their community?


Innovation:

We are looking for creative and innovative individuals who display true initiative and ongoing commitment. They are not afraid to take risks or take on new challenges. And when they undertake an activity, they follow it through to its completion.

Many students do not actually initiate things themselves – they merely follow the lead of others or are handed projects by their schools. Be concerned about an applicant who initiates activities but fails to follow through on them.
            
Look at the essay questions and ask yourself the following:
·        Are they problem solvers?
·        Have they taken on challenging situations?
·        Do they take risks?
·        Do they initiate projects?
·        Do they follow through on their actions?


Academics:

Luckyday Citizenship Scholarship recipients will have strong academic records. Look at their Counselor's Report to assess whether their academic performance will enable them to pursue their studies at The University of Southern Mississippi. We are not looking for a specific GPA (though it must at least be a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale). We need to ensure that the student has the academic proficiency to succeed in their future studies.

Top recipients will exemplify the same initiative in their academic studies as they do in other facets of their life. They learn new languages, play musical instruments, take courses in areas outside their major interests, play on teams, create art and challenge themselves in new ways. The resume is another area in which you will be able to assess if the applicant is likely to take risks and go out of his or her comfort zone.