How to Submit an Effective Application to the AACE International Competitive Scholarship Program
by Lawrence J. Bloch, ECCE - Education Board Member
Following is an overview of what you need to do to submit the best
AACE Competitive Scholarship application possible and how to avoid
errors commonly made by applicants.
AACE’s Competitive Scholarship program evaluation and grading process is
broken into three distinct elements. Your score is the composite result
of: Academic Performance, Extracurricular Activities and Essay.
Academic Performance
Academic Performance is worth 35% of the total.
This is strictly the relationship of your college GPA in
relationship to a standardized GPA of 4.0. If you attend an academic
institution that uses a grading scheme other than a 4-point basis,
the GPA is normalized to 4-point basis during the judging process.
Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular Activities are also worth 35% of
the total. This is a record of your activities while in college. It
is very important that every accomplishment be noted in this portion
of the application. For example, sometimes an applicant will note
that he or she was on the Honor Roll or Dean’s List without
mentioning that this occurred in multiple semesters. Credit is given
for every occurrence, so it is vital that you list every occurrence
(one each per semester), even if you have to append extra pages to
the application.
Essay
Essay is the third and final element, worth 30% of the total score.
You are asked to write a brief explanation of "what your academic
objectives and career goals are and why you feel some formal
training in cost engineering, estimating, planning and scheduling,
and project management will be an asset to you in the future". The
biggest "pitfall" here is that applicants do not properly and fully
respond to this question. AACE scholarship judges look to see that
the response directly addresses this question.
It literally pays to do your homework here. The essay should be well
thought out, clearly written and incorporate your life experiences.
You should incorporate your work experience into answering the essay
question even if you do not have work experience directly in the
cost engineering field. Being able to explain how cost engineering
is an integral aspect of everyday life can make the difference
between a good essay and a top scholarship winner.
If you still have any other questions feel free to contact Charla
Miller, Staff Director- Education and Administration at AACE
Headquarters by phone (1-800-858-COST) or email (cmiller@aacei.org).
