Apply Today for 2019 BBW Scholarship – Go here for Scholarship Application Guidelines.
Suggestion: If you intend to apply for the Building A Better World Scholarship it is suggested that you review this link to learn all that you can about the scholarship and about how past winners found success.
Frequently Asked Questions:
#1 – Who Donates to the Building A Better World Scholarship – Answer: All sorts of folks. Teachers; current and retired, High School, Middle School, and Elementary. Community Members. Businesses – local and national. Ex-students. And best of all ex-scholarship winners. Last year we had 108 donors. Please go here for a list of everybody.
#2 – What separate scholarships make up Building A Better World? Answer: #1 Global Awareness. #2 Community Involvement. #3 Independent Travel. We award three separate scholarships. To know the specific requirements for each of the awards, go to the linked Scholarship Application Guidelines, above.
#3 – Can I apply for multiple scholarships? Answer: YES. You may win only one, but you may apply for one, two, or all three scholarships.
#4 – How long should my essay(s) be? Answer: Read the Scholarship Guidelines page linked above for requirements in regard to your specific essay. However, in regards to length successful applicants in the past have submitted essays between one and two pages.
#5 – What type font and size and spacing should I use for my essay? Answer: Read the Scholarship Guidelines page linked above for requirements in regard to your specific essay.
#6 – How significant is grammar and spelling? Answer: Vital. As with any essay that you submit for school or work, have somebody review your essay for grammar and spelling. This is a $3000 scholarship. Edit. Edit. And. Edit.
#7 – Who selects the winners? Answer: A Panel of Ten Donors, including current and retired Oakridge High School and Middle School teachers, a parent from the community, and past student scholarship winners, meet, read, and discourse to decide winners. PS…if you are a past scholarship recipient, and you would like to serve on this year’s reading committee, please contact Mr. Wood and we’ll let you know the date of our essay decision meeting.
#8 – If I am currently enrolled in the Early College Program what graduating class should I apply with? Answer: Your original class, had you not enrolled in Early College. If you win, we will hold your winnings until after you graduate from MCC, and move on to the next stop, where you may use the scholarship.
#9 – If I qualify for the Muskegon Promise, can I still win Building a Better World? Answer: YES. If you win the Community Involvement or Global Awareness portion of the the Building A Better World Scholarship and go to Baker or MCC on the Promise, we will hold scholarship earnings for you, until you move onto to your third year of college at a new location. If you choose to continue your education at Baker, we will work with you to release funds for living expenses, prior to your Baker graduation. If we did not hold these funds from Baker or MCC, you would lose a portion of your Muskegon Promise. The Promise is a last chance scholarship, so any additional grants that you might earn replace the funding that you would have earned from Baker or MCC or outside scholarships. The Independent Travel Scholarship is not affected by The Muskegon Promise.
#10 – What if my college financial aid department practices Aid Displacement? Answer: We will work with you to release your scholarship in separate increments, so that it is not displaced by specific college financial aid displacement practices.
#11 – If I win the Travel Scholarship when do I receive funds for travel? Answer: Read the Guidelines carefully on the Scholarship Application linked above. Because of our non profit tax exempt status we have specific requirements on the Travel Scholarship that must be fulfilled. Go here to access those specific requirements. If you win, you will be expected to thoroughly plan the trip, estimate costs, and document travel via the linked application prior to travel. These forms are necessary to comply with IRS law. They do not need to be filled out in the scholarship application process; only if you win. However, the more planning that you do on your competitive essay, the more that the selection committee will realize the seriousness of your proposal.
#12 – What should I write about in my essay? Answer: Personalize it. You may take your essays whatever way you deem most effective. It’s your philosophy. It’s your life. It’s your dreams. However, as with any essay written for submission to college, really any writing at all, tell us what you know about the individual who you know best; yourself. What is it about YOU? What have YOU done in your life? What will YOU do in your life? What moves YOU to action, to learn, to care, to make this planet a better place?
#13 – How much money is each scholarship worth? Answer: This year we hope to award $10,000 between the three scholarships.
#14 – When will I know if I won a Building A Better World Scholarship? Answer: Friday May 24. Winners will be announced at the school wide Awards Assembly.
#15 – If I win, am I required to donate to Building A Better World Scholarship in the future? Answer: NO. However, one of the coolest things about this scholarship is that past winners do donate. In 2018, 21 past scholarship winners donated to the 2018 Building A Better World Scholarship…some $10, some $20, some $100. Pay it forward baby…
…and help us to build a better world.
