GAR Memorial Foundation
 
 
Requirements and Selection Process
  1. Parents and/or legal guardians of the students applying must work in the financial services industry.
  2. Students must be graduating high school seniors who are enrolling as full time first year students in pursuit of a four-year bachelor's degree at an accredited college/university in the United States.
  3. Students must demonstrate financial need (as determined by the calculation of the Federal Expected Family Contribution). Students will be required to submit the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, which will be used to evaluate the students' eligibility for an award. The CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE form can be completed online at http://www.collegeboard.com.
  4. Students should rank in the top 20% of their class.

 

Continuing Eligibility/Renewal Requirements
The Gordon A. Rich Memorial Foundation requires an annual review of each scholarship award to determine renewal eligibility. Recipients must maintain full-time enrollment status and be in good standing with their college to have the award renewed for the next academic year. GAR Scholars are expected to exhibit satisfactory citizenship in both the academic community and in the community at large. Therefore, recipients may not be on any form of academic probation or suspension. In April of each year, a letter is sent to each recipient requesting confirmation of full-time enrollment status and intent to maintain that status, a current academic transcript, and a detailed update on the courses, projects, and activities with which the recipient has been involved during the current award year.

 

Selection Process
An independent scholarship committee composed of academicians who are familiar and experienced will be evaluating student credentials. The selection committee is appointed by Scholarship America. Members of the GAR Foundation are not part of the initial selection process. From the pool of applicants, a select group of potential GAR Scholars will then be presented to the GAR Foundation, which will in turn select the GAR scholarship winners.

All materials submitted to support a scholarship application are used only in the selection process. The folder of a scholarship recipient will remain in active status during the period the scholarship is in force and will be retained for one year thereafter. All records are confidential and available for reference by Scholarship America and the GAR Foundation.

Selection Procedures
Scholarship application forms and directions for completing the forms can be accessed through our website. Applications will require:

  • Applicant Data
  • Parent/Guardian Information
  • Applicant Appraisal to be completed by a high school counselor or a teacher from your junior or senior year
  • An essay response to a given prompt (500 words or less)
  • An official transcript of grades from each school attended
  • Cumulative GPA
  • Standardized test scores (SAT I or ACT)

Applications and all supporting materials must be submitted directly to Scholarship America.

 

Selection Criteria for "GAR Scholars"

  • Academic record and grade point average
  • High school activities and demonstrated leadership
  • Scores on standardized test (either ACT or SAT I test scores)
  • Responses to questions on the application form
  • Demonstrated financial need

Academic Talent
GAR Scholars must have high grades and standardized test scores; not necessarily the highest, but in the top 20%. It is essential that the applicant has already demonstrated academic excellence and/or creativity in some subject area of inquiry. An example would be experience or achievements in research. GAR is looking for students who have challenged themselves with their academic programs and who demonstrate a passion for learning.

Extracurricular Activities
GAR is seeking the student with an "extra dimension" which can often be demonstrated through extracurricular activities. GAR considers both "well rounded" people who have contributed in many different ways to the lives of their schools or communities as well as those who have pushed a single endeavor to the highest level of recognized achievement. Extracurricular successes can come in virtually limitless forms. Examples include athletics, community service, media and journalism, and the visual and performing arts.

Financial Need
GAR Scholars must demonstrate financial need. GAR's mission is to help excellent students with financial need to face less educational debt on graduation. GAR scholarships will enable a student to have more time to concentrate on the academic and extracurricular opportunities that made them GAR Scholars in the first place.

Financial need will be determined by examining the information provided by each student on the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE. The PROFILE consists of questions that are designed to collect information about family income and assets. The information provided on the PROFILE is then analyzed using a federally approved needs analysis formula. The CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE application can be completed online at http://www.collegeboard.com.

Overall
There will be no such thing as a "typical" GAR Scholar. GAR Scholars will all have certain similarities: exceptional talent, dynamism, passion and financial need. But as a group they will reveal a diverse mix of activities, interests and accomplishments as well as religion and ethnicity.




News
The 2008 Dinner was successfully held with the highest attendance on October 23. Andy Zweibel, a renowned comedy writer, entertained everyone.

Application Deadline
We are accepting applications from December 1, 2008 through February 28, 2009 (postmark deadline) for scholarships for the 2009-2010 academic year. Please read the requirements and fill out an application form.

Contribute
If you would like to contribute to GAR, either with an endowment pledge or a one-time gift, click here for the payment and pledge form. Or you can contact GAR at 212-325-2227.

Requirements
In order to qualify for the GAR scholarship, parents and/or legal guardians of the student applying must work in the financial services industry. Click here for the definition of Financial Services and Master List of Companies.

 
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