Overview of Coolidge Scholarship
Coolidge Scholarship Program: What you should know
The yearly Coolidge Scholarship is a full-ride presidential scholarship that pays for four years of undergraduate education in addition to tuition, living expenses, and books. Recipients of Coolidge scholarship may use the Coolidge at any US institution or university that is accredited. Anyone from any background and studying in any academic field is eligible to apply to this nonpartisan initiative, which disregards financial need.
During their junior year of high school, applicants submit a Coolidge Scholarship application. The Coolidge Historic Site in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, hosts a finalist weekend where finalists are flown in for an interview with the Coolidge Scholars Finalist Jury. The Coolidge Scholarship is awarded late in the junior year, prior to the application period for colleges (current high school seniors are not allowed to apply). A smaller, one-time college scholarship is available to finalists who are not chosen Coolidge Scholars.
The young New Englander Calvin Coolidge put a lot of effort into his studies; his only recreation was public speaking, frequently about public policy. Academic brilliance is the major factor that sets Coolidge Scholars apart. Additional requirements consist of showing an interest in public policy, respect for the ideals Coolidge promoted, humility, and service.
Newly chosen Coolidge Scholars spend three orientation days in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, the president’s scenic birthplace, during the summer before their senior year of high school. Scholars learn about Coolidge and his world while assisting the Coolidge Foundation in running its competitive debate programs. While attending college, scholars spend a week each summer at Plymouth Notch.
Despite the fact that only a small number of students are named Coolidge Scholars each year, 100 of the best candidates for these scholarships are referred to be “Coolidge Senators.” The Senators Summit, which takes place every summer in Washington, D.C., is open to Coolidge Senators with no additional costs. The Senators meet other top students from across the nation and explore the nation’s capitol while at the Summit. They also learn about President Coolidge.
Selection Timeline for Coolidge Scholarship: –
Fall 2023
The exact opening date for the application is still to be decided. For updates, visit the scholarship website. Application materials, including the two letters of reference, must be submitted by the deadline in order for an application to be taken into consideration.
Summer 2024
All applicants will be informed of their results by the summer of 2024. By logging onto their application portal, applicants can view their results. Finalist Interview Weekend will be held in Woodstock, Vermont and historic Plymouth Notch, Vermont, and applicants who are selected as finalists will be contacted by phone and invited. The Coolidge Foundation will pay for one parent and one finalist’s travel and hotel expenses so they can attend Finalist Weekend.
Selection Criteria for Coolidge Scholarship
First Criteria: Excellence in academics is the main criterion
Coolidge scholars must, above all, have an outstanding academic record. Candidates that stand a chance of being selected will have pursued and completed the most challenging course of study available to them. Recipients will exhibit an unusual breadth of knowledge and intellectual zeal. For the Coolidge Scholarship, depth is just as important as breadth. Coolidge Award winners are passionate in learning and intellectual pursuits outside of the classroom. A Coolidge Scholar is not defined by their mere accumulation of credentials. The inventor of the polio vaccine, Jonas Salk, serves as a good illustration. Salk skipped grades because of his academic prowess. But he was also academically curious, as evidenced by his statement that “As a kid, I was not interested in science. I was merely drawn to human affairs.
Second Criteria: Interest in Public Policy and Appreciation of Coolidge Values
Coolidge was interested in public policy from his early years in Plymouth Notch through his tenure as president. Therefore, . Contrarily, this prize recognizes the worth of all academic specialties. Candidates should also show that they understand and cherish the principles that President Coolidge championed throughout his life. These qualities include federalism, courtesy, initiative, government thrift, and constitutional government. Like the president, Coolidge Scholars will participate in today’s urgent challenges. Like Coolidge, Coolidge Scholars value courteous discourse over partisan attack at all times.
Third Criteria : Humility and Service
Leaders in the Coolidge tradition are known for their humility. In his memoirs, Calvin Coolidge stated: “It is a great advantage to a President, and a major source of safety to the country, for him to know that he is not a great man.” Young people who exhibit a sense of service and concern for the welfare of others are sought after for the Coolidge Scholarship. American citizens assisting their own communities and fellow citizens was highly valued by Coolidge. The Coolidge Scholarship targets young individuals who have a dedication to meaningfully bettering their communities. Genuine service that makes a difference is appreciated more highly by the Coolidge Scholarship than grandiose initiatives that a young person might not be in a position to carry out. A young person can frequently have a bigger impact by joining already-existing initiatives than by founding their own group. Young people receive additional rewards for developing their leadership skills during high school. Instead, this award emphasizes high school success that gives students the chance to be leaders in the future. A young person who prefers to work alone yet has the aptitude to carry out ground-breaking research, for instance, is a strong contender. This scholarship is open to introverts.
Recommended Guidelines
1. In the first paragraph of your letter, please include the applicant’s first and last names.
2. At the conclusion of the letter, kindly provide your full name, affiliation, and signature.
3. Describe your relationship with the candidate, including how you met them, how long you’ve known them, and in what capacity.
4. Be as specific as you can in your letter, offering pertinent instances and other details that will help to convince the Coolidge Scholars Program that the applicant is a deserving candidate.
5. The word count on your letter shouldn’t exceed 1,200.
6. Letters that are jointly written or signed by many people are not permitted.
7. You can send your letter as either a Microsoft Word file or a PDF file.
8. To learn more about the Coolidge Scholars, please visit their website:
Submission Guidelines
1. Click the link provided in the email you receive from the Coolidge Scholarship when it notifies you automatically that a student has identified you as a reference.
2. Fill out the form that appears after uploading your letter.
3. Before you upload your letter, save it as a Microsoft Word or PDF file on your computer. Then, at the bottom of the form, click the “+Select a file” button.
4. By doing this, a pop-up window will appear where you may choose the file to upload from your computer.
After finishing the form, press the “Submit” button.
Requirements
1. 2023-24 Applicants for the Coolidge Scholarship must have the intention of beginning their undergraduate studies full-time in the fall of 2025 at a recognized U.S. college or university. So, junior high school students, or their equivalent if they are home schooled, are able to apply. (Junior high school students who take a few classes at a nearby community college are, in fact, qualified to apply for the Coolidge Scholarship.)
2. By the time they apply for the 2023–24 Coolidge Scholarship, candidates must be citizens or authorized permanent residents of the United States.
3. Applicants for the 2023–24 Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation scholarship cannot be an immediate family member of any current trustee or employee of the Coolidge Scholars Program.
SEE ALSO: Edusave Scholarship Program 2023-2024: Apply Now for Application
FAQ
1. I study abroad; are I qualified to apply for the Coolidge Scholarship? Only citizens and permanent residents of the United States are eligible for the Coolidge Scholarship. Yes, applicants must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents who are currently enrolled in high school overseas.
2. Am I still able to enroll if I’m a junior in high school but take some courses at a nearby community college? Indeed, I do! Simply state that you intend to enroll full-time for the first time in fall 2025 at an accredited U.S. institution or university.
3. As a current high school student who plans to take a year off following graduation, I want to start college after the fall of 2025. Do I qualify? No, the 2023–24 scholarship is only open to current high school juniors who plan to enter as first-time full-time students in the fall of 2025. There can be no exceptions to this rule.
4. I’m now a junior in high school, but I’ll be leaving school early and graduating in the spring of 2024 rather than the spring of 2025. Do I qualify? No, applicants for the 2023–24 scholarship must be high school juniors who graduate in the spring of 2025 and enroll in college that fall.
4. I’m now a senior in high school; are I qualified to apply? No, applicants for the 2023–24 scholarship must be current high school juniors planning to enroll as undergraduates full-time for the first time in the fall of 2025. There can be no exceptions to this rule.
5. I’m a senior in high school right now, and I want to take a year off before I start college. Am I qualified to apply? No, only rising juniors in high school are eligible to apply. There can be no exceptions to this rule.
