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Applicant Information Application links:
Dear Earlham Applicant, I want to inform you about the scholarships available through Earlham’s Bonner Scholars Program. In order for your Bonner Scholarship application to be considered, you must have completed Earlham’s application process and meet the financial need criteria discussed below. Earlham has a rich history of engaging students in service and social issues. The Bonner Scholars Program is a vehicle by which students continue that legacy and dedicate themselves not only to service but also to making connections between their community experiences and their academic pursuits. On behalf of the Bonner Scholars Program, I would like to invite you to consider applying for this exceptional service learning scholarship. Bonner Scholars will receive a total of $2500 during each academic year contingent upon successful completion of school-year community service requirements as described below. Bonner Scholars also participate in two summer service placements at nonprofit organizations of their choice anywhere in the U.S. or abroad. During each summer, Scholars receive up to $1000 for summer living expenses and an earnings stipend of $1500 upon completion of 280 hours of summer service. Upon four years of successful completion of the Bonner Program, the Bonner Foundation awards $2000 toward student loan reduction or graduate school tuition. In addition, Bonner Scholars will receive a financial aid package from Earlham that meets the total verified financial need of the Bonner Scholar.The Bonner Scholarship provides financial support for those admitted students who demonstrate financial need and a commitment to service. Eligible candidates must have an expected family contribution (EFC) on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) of $9,500 or less in order to be considered. This year’s Bonner Scholars had an average expected family contribution of $3,781. Earlham College is one of more than two dozen colleges and universities nation-wide honored to host a Bonner Scholars Program. Each year, 15 incoming first-year students are selected to participate in the four-year scholarship program. The current application cycle, which this letter is inviting you to consider, is the only time you will have the opportunity to become a Bonner Scholar unless a Bonner Scholar later leaves the program at which time eligible students will be invited to apply to fill the opening. Bonner Scholars commit to complete an average of 10 hours of service a week (140 hours per semester) during the academic year. These hours are made up mainly of time spent serving at a community agency chosen by the Scholar from among dozens of possible service sites. Bonner Scholars are also required to devote some of their hours to activities such as in-service workshops, training sessions, and retreats that address pertinent issues and teach valuable, transferable skills. First year Bonner Scholars participate in a special orientation just prior to Earlham’s new student orientation and a weekly seminar during the fall semester. They subsequently participate in regularly scheduled Bonner meetings and activities which are designed to equip students to assume increasing levels of responsibility and leadership within their service. Participation in the Bonner Scholars program is much more than simply completing the required number of service hours. Bonner Scholars commit to become part of a community and to strive to develop their expertise and leadership during their four years of participation in the program. To apply for the Bonner Scholars Program, you must complete an application which includes six short essays and have someone familiar with your service and other activities submit a recommendation for you. The deadline for receiving all applications and recommendations is March 15. All materials are submitted via online forms. See below for a copy of the application questions and instructions for how to get information sent to the person writing your letter of recommendation as well as links to the actual online forms that should be used to submit your application. We will notify students who have been selected for the scholarship by early April. Shortly thereafter, recipients will receive a financial aid package reflecting the Bonner Scholarship and any other additional aid to meet the student's total verified financial need. As you consider whether or not you wish to apply to the Bonner Scholars Program, keep in mind that there are several other avenues open to Earlham students with a passion for service. Students who receive a work study award as part of their financial aid package can choose to work at one of a number of community agencies without the additional training and development requirements of the Bonner program. In addition, the Earlham Volunteer Exchange is a student-run program which will assist any Earlham student to find service opportunities that match his or her interests and availability. If you have any questions or concerns, send me an email or give me a call at: (765) 983-1893 or toll free at 800-EARLHAM. I hope you will consider joining us as we work together, “Changing the World through Service.”
Sincerely,
 Application Information for The Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Scholarship at Earlham College
PART 1: RECOMMENDATIONIn addition to completing the Bonner Scholars Program application, you should ask someone to write a letter of recommendation for you. This individual should be someone with whom you do volunteer work (a supervisor, fellow volunteer or someone served by your volunteer activities) or to someone outside your family who is familiar with the qualities and activities which qualify you for the Bonner Scholars Program. As soon as you decide to apply for the Bonner Scholars Program, you are strongly encouraged to take the following steps. Contact the person you have in mind and make sure he or she can write a letter of recommendation for you and submit it by March 15. Let him or her know that an email will be sent with information and instructions for submitting his or her letter. As soon as you know who will be writing your recommendation letter, complete the Recommendation Request Form. Once you have submitted this information using the online form, an email will be sent to the recommending individual with full information and instructions for submitting his or her letter. All recommendation letters and applications must be received in the Earlham College Bonner Scholars Program office no later than march 15 to receive consideration. It is therefore important to take the above steps in enough time for your recommender to meet the deadline. You may submit the recommendation information even if you are not yet ready to submit your application. If the person who will be submitting a letter for you does not have an email address, send us an email which includes your name and the name, mailing address and phone number of the recommending individual. We will send instructions to the individual. Online Recommendation Request Form PART 2: APPLICATIONThis document lets you know what is on the Application Form. You are strongly encouraged to write and save your answers to the six short answer questions before accessing the online form and then cutting and pasting your answers into the spaces provided on the form. You will receive an email confirmation that your form has been successfully submitted. Contact InformationApplicant full name: _________________________________________________________________________ High School:_______________________________________________________________________________ Date of birth:_______________________________________________________________________________ Email address:_____________________________________________________________________________ Telephone number(s): __________________________________________________________ Short Answer Questions 1. In prospective Bonner Scholars, we look for committed people who have shown dedication to activities of importance in their lives whether or not they have had the opportunity to participate in service or volunteer activities. Please describe the service, family, school, religious, athletic and/or work responsibilities to which you have been most committed. Specify the activities, positions held/major duties and length/frequency of commitments. If you have had relatively little involvement with service, please explain the responsibilities, circumstances or choices that have contributed to this. 2. Describe in detail one service, family or work activity listed in question 1 to which you’ve felt most committed. How is/was it meaningful to you? 3. Bonner Scholars value diversity of all kinds in their program and their service work. Please describe an experience you have had that has made you more aware of the diversity in our world. What makes this particular experience important? 4. The Bonner Scholars Program is founded on the belief that students can change the world through service. Describe a problem or issue that you feel is particularly urgent in your community and/or in today’s society at large, and explain why you chose this issue or problem. 5. How do you personally define service? What are your primary motivations for doing service and for being a Bonner Scholar? 6. We receive numerous applications for the 15 Bonner Scholar positions in each Earlham class. What will you uniquely bring to the Earlham College Bonner Scholar community and to your community service activity? How do you think being a Bonner Scholar will contribute to your college experience? Submission of applications by mail, email or fax should only occur if there is a barrier that prevents you from using the online form. Please do not submit additional copies by mail, email or fax if your electronic submission is successful. Materials may be mailed to: Applications may also be emailed to Earlham College Bonner Scholars Program, or faxed to 765/983-1894. Email submissions should be sent as attachments in Microsoft Word (.doc), Rich Text Format (.rtf) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format.
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Earlham College · 801 National Road West · Richmond,
Indiana 47374-4095 |