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Medallion Scholarship competition attracts top students

Jan. 18, 2008

KALAMAZOO--Nearly 500 of the brightest high school seniors in Michigan and nine other states will gather at Western Michigan University from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, for the 24th annual Medallion Scholarship Competition.

This year, each competitor will receive a one-time Dean's Scholarship worth $3,000 and be able to compete for a Medallion Scholarship worth $40,000 over four years. The awards will be offered by March 1 and are for students planning to attend WMU this coming fall.

The Medallion Scholarship Competition is one of the biggest events of its kind in Michigan. Since it began in 1984, about $86 million in four-year scholarships has been offered to more than 14,000 students. Medallion Scholarships alone have amounted to nearly $8 million and been given to 387 students, including 16 students in 2007.

Only the top of this year's high school graduating classes is invited to attend the Medallion competition. To be invited, students needed to apply to WMU by Dec. 7, 2007, and have a grade point average of 3.70 or higher by the end of their junior year as well as an ACT composite score of 26 or higher (or an SAT math and verbal score of 1170 or higher).

During the competition, students participate in essay writing and group problem-solving activities. The top 35 competitors are invited back to campus in February to interview for the Medallion Scholarships. A committee will select the 2008 recipients based on their performance in the competition and interview.

Student and parent registration for this year's competition will take place from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. in the first floor lobby of the Bernhard Center.

At 9:15 a.m., the Medallion competitors' parents will gather in the center's East Ballroom for welcoming remarks by Dr. John Dunn, WMU president. The competitors will be welcomed at the same time in the center's West Suites by Rebecca Schmidt, assistant director of admissions and competition coordinator.

In addition to the essay writing and group problem solving activities, students participating in the event will attend an Academic Showcase featuring faculty members from a wide variety of University departments. They also will attend a panel discussion composed of current Medallion Scholarship recipients and representatives of the Lee Honors College.

The parent agenda will include sessions on financial aid, housing, dining services, study abroad, and parent and family programs, as well as a panel discussion with current scholarship recipients.

Much of the Medallion Scholarship Competition will take place in the Bernhard Center, but various activities also will be held in Wood Hall, the Fetzer Center and Schneider Hall.

For more information about the competition, contact Rebecca Schmidt, event coordinator, at rebecca.schmidt@wmich.edu.

Media contact: Jeanne Baron, (269) 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu

WMU News
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(269) 387-8400
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