Well-rounded students win nationally-competitive scholarships. Selection committees reward candidates who maintain excellent grades in challenging courses of study while, at the same time, excelling in a variety of activities outside the classroom.

To enhance your chances of receiving a prestigious scholarship, it is critically important that you participate in a diverse array of activities that reflect your many interests. However, do not simply join every club on campus! Selection committees want to see that you are significantly involved in activities that really mean something to you.

A good way to approach this, without overwhelming yourself with commitments, is to select one activity in four different areas - academic, social, community and physical - and then give those four specific activities your full attention. For example, you might participate in Ethics Bowl (academic), join a living group (social), volunteer at the Ripon Food Pantry (community), and play varsity or even intramural basketball (physical).

The key to grooming yourself for nationally-competitive scholarships and preparing yourself to lead a balanced and fulfilling life is to identify a few very different activities you really enjoy and give them your all!