The Resolve to Evolve Scholarship

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The Resolve to Evolve Scholarship is about more than just making resolutions — it’s about creating change and furthering our evolution as individuals and a society. We must resolve to proactively and progressively confront challenges, however daunting. The "R2E" essay scholarship is an opportunity to move beyond finger-pointing and offer constructive criticism and workable solutions for problems facing an administration or an organization.

Part I

Entry must be a response of no more than 5,000 characters to one of the following two-part questions:

Question #1

With many public universities facing massive budget cuts in the upcoming year, states have found a way to fill the financial void: offering admission to more out-of-state and international students who can pay thousands more in tuition and fees than their in-state counterparts. Do you think it’s reasonable for schools to accept students based on their home addresses instead of other factors? What should public institutions be doing to ensure local students seeking the affordability and convenience of state schools aren’t overlooked or shut out entirely?

Question #2

Copying information from another source and passing it off as original material has been long employed by students writing papers…and has long plagued educators grading them. Punishments are in place at most educational institutions and software has been created to make determining legitimacy easier but students are plagiarizing in other ways, like lifting information from user-generated social networking sites or citing their sources but merely regurgitating the information with slightly different words. And with the increased dependence on technology in academia, the problem is likely to continue: A Pew Research Center study found that 55 percent of university presidents believed student plagiarism had increased over the past 10 years and 89 percent of those surveyed placed blame on the increase of technology. Should more severe penalties be put in place for those who plagiarize? If so, what would they be and how would they be enforced?

Only original, unpublished essays will be accepted. Any writing found to be anything other than an original work of the applicant will be disqualified.

Part II

Please submit a response of no more than 1,200 characters that addresses why attending college is important and outlines the applicant’s academic and career goals. Please also include an answer to the following question:

What do you feel will be your biggest obstacle in attending college and how do you think obtaining a college degree will help you reach your goals?

Part III (for finalists only)

If selected as a finalist, applicant must provide proof of enrollment (i.e., official/unofficial transcripts, printouts of courses or certificate of enrollment/admittance from high school) as well as a letter of reference that specifically addresses the applicant’s potential and provides support for receipt of scholarship assistance. This letter cannot be from a relative (ask a teacher, employer, supervisor or coach) and we recommend securing all documents as soon as possible; this will expedite the award process if applicant is selected as a finalist.

Eligibility

The Resolve to Evolve Essay Scholarship is open to all United States citizens who are registered users of Scholarships.com, will be enrolled in high school during the 2013-2014 academic year and will be between the ages 13 and 19 at the time the scholarship is awarded.

Entries will be accepted only within the application dates and are limited to one per person. Entries do not carry over to subsequent contests but applicants are welcome to submit future entries if their essay is not chosen. Once an applicant has won, they are no longer eligible for future Scholarships.com-sponsored scholarships. All submissions from past winners will be automatically disqualified and discarded. Once submitted, all entries become the property of the Scholarships.com.

Awards

The applicant who submits the best overall essay will receive a $2,000 scholarship. One (1) winner will also be selected from each grade level (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) and will receive a $1,000 scholarship each.

Applicants may begin submitting their materials on June 19, 2013. The deadline for entries is August 30, 2013. Entries submitted before June 19th or after August 30th will be disqualified. Finalists will be notified by mid-October for additional materials. Winners will be notified in early November, announced in mid-November and awarded in early December.

Submission Method

All essays must be entered online through the submission form on Scholarships.com. Copy the text of essay from its original document and paste it into the designated boxes of the online submission form. Part One must consist of no more than 5,000 characters (including spaces and punctuation) and Part Two should be no more than 1,200 characters (including spaces and punctuation). Spelling and grammar do count; please provide the necessary checks prior to submission.

View past winners of the Scholarships.com Resolve to Evolve Essay Scholarship.

For official rules, please click here.