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How to Submit an Effective
Application
To the AACE International Competitive Scholarship Program |
by Lawrence J. Bloch, ECCE - Education Board Member
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Following is an explanation of what you need to
do to submit the best application
possible, and explains how to avoid some of the errors that are
commonly made by
applicants.
The scholarship program evaluation and grading process is broken
down to three
distinct elements. Your score will be the composite results of three
elements: Academic
Performance, Extracurricular Activities and Essay.
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| Academic Performance |
| Academic Performance is worth 35% of the total.
This is strictly the relationship of your GPA in relationship to the
perfect 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
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, even if you
have to append extra pages to the application. |
| Essay |
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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 respond to this
question. The judges look to see that the response is directly related
to this question.
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 AACEI
Headquarters by phone (1-800-858-COST) or email (cmiller@aacei.org). |
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