From Friday, Feb. 23 to Saturday, Feb. 24, the University of Dallas hosted its sixth annual Scholars of Excellence competition. The competition awards 10 prospective students a full-tuition scholarship on the basis of their academic excellence.
Carey Christenberry, director of undergraduate admission, said, “It was a wonderful group of students. It seemed like they really got along – there was a lot of positive buzz about the event. On paper, outside of the essays, they’re all very much typical of the best UD students we have. They represented themselves well and their schools well.”
Over 500 students considered top scholarship students were invited to participate in the Scholars of Excellence event. About half of these students submitted the application and essay for the event, and from there the group was whittled down to 90 students who were given the opportunity to come to UD and compete for the scholarship. 88 students attended the event, of which 78 were Catholic.
Friday, Feb. 23 consisted of a lecture given by Dr. Jonathan Sanford, president of the university, followed by dinner in the Haggar Cafè. On Saturday morning, the students wrote their essays, and the rest of the day was spent going on campus tours and attending faculty and student panels.
Aurelia Sutiono, a high school senior from Carrollton, Texas attending Faustina Academy, said, “I really enjoyed seeing UD like never before. My older sister is a sophomore at the university, so I am pretty familiar with UD. However, during Scholars of Excellence, I saw what the teachers and faculty were like and how the teachers taught their lessons.”
Margaret Frank, a senior homeschooler from Irving, Texas, said, “I really enjoyed the opportunity to be on campus. I was able to attend classes on Friday and found those fascinating. I also really enjoyed the opportunity to interact with the professors on the panel and talk to them after classes as well as meet a number of the current students.”
The primary factor in winning the scholarship is the essay, which will be read and graded by volunteer faculty.
The Scholars of Excellence is relatively new, now in its sixth year as a UD scholarship. According to Christenberry, the main reason for the scholarship was and is competition with other universities.
“Every other college has one,” said Christenberry. “All the colleges we compete against have an event similar to this. UD’s Scholars of Excellence competition was in response to that competition.”
Competition was not the only driving force: UD also wanted to expand its high-value scholarships beyond National Merit finalists.
“We really wanted to give more students a chance to earn a scholarship, because we recognize that while [being a National Merit finalist] is a great honor, that’s not the only arbiter of being a great student,” said Christenberry.
The Scholars of Excellence event is focused not just on the awarding of a full-tuition scholarship, but also on introducing prospective students to the culture, community and academic excellence of UD.
Clare Venegas, vice president for marketing and communications, said, “I think it’s a great way to get students who are admitted to come to campus [and] experience life here. We do tend to see [more] students deposit after they’ve visited campus. You get to [attend] faculty panels, observe classes, [and] hear information about financial aid, so it’s a good way to get to know [UD].”
UD wants as many students as possible, and although 78 students will not win the scholarship, Christenberry is hopeful that they will still attend.
“I’d say the community of UD is worth the cost of admission, if you will,” said Christenberry. “To me, the value of UD is far beyond the value of most other colleges.”
As far as introducing its culture to prospective students, it would appear that UD succeeded in that goal.
John Paul Jacob, a high school senior from Irving, Texas attending Cistercian Preparatory School, said: “I was truly grateful to get a closer look at what really makes UD special, and why its education and community change so many of its students’ lives. Dr. Sanford’s lecture was incredible.”
“I never saw students, professors and faculty members who love their university more than those in UD,” said Sutiono. “I don’t think there was a single person there who didn’t want to be at the Scholars of Excellence weekend or just UD in general.”
UD has something special to offer its students, and Christenberry believes that quality is especially highlighted during the Scholars of Excellence weekend.
He said, “Every year that I’ve been part of the Scholars of Excellence, that event has simply reinforced my belief that the UD community is an incredible, unique and wonderful community.”