BBAA Scholarship

Requirements and Information

Back Bay Amateur Astronomers (BBAA) has established a $1000.00 scholarship program to offer financial assistance to graduating high school students who have demonstrated an avid interest in astronomy.  The scholarship award will be distributed in the spring of 2011.  The scholarship award shall be in the form of a check payable to the college or university listed on the recipient’s scholarship application, or to such other college or university designated by the recipient to which the recipient has been accepted.

 Eligibility Criteria.  In order to be considered for a scholarship, candidates must, at a minimum:

1. Deliver a completed application package to BBAA by no later than May 1 2011, or, if mailed, by mail postmarked no later than May 1 2011;

2. Reside in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, or Newport News Virginia, or, if nominated in writing by a BBAA member in good standing, reside within a fifty (50) mile radius of Virginia Beach.

3. Be a graduating high school student planning to attend an accredited two (2) or four (4) year college or university;

4. Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher;

5. Have an SAT score of at least 1650 or an ACT score of at least 26; and,

6. Have attained a grade of B or higher in a formal high school astronomy course, or, if no such course was available at the applicant’s high school, otherwise demonstrate knowledge, enthusiasm, and aptitude in the field of astronomy.

 Application Package.  The application package shall include:

Download the application form in pdf format.

1. A typed 400 to 500-word essay whose subject shall be the applicant’s experiences in astronomy, or, in the alternative, if the applicant has completed a project requiring the applicant’s knowledge and use of astronomical instruments, a report describing the project, the objectives of the project and what was accomplished in carrying out the project;

2. A printed or typed 200-word or less letter of recommendation on school letter head from one of the applicant’s high school science teachers that clearly indicates the subject(s) taught to the applicant by such teacher;

3. A copy of the applicant’s high school transcript;

4. A completed scholarship application form;

5. A copy of the applicant’s SAT and/or ACT scores; and,

6. A self-addressed stamped envelope.

7. Complete applications packages are to be mailed to:           

Back Bay Amateur Astronomers
P.O.Box 9877
Virginia Beach, VA. 23450-9877

 Evaluation and Selection.   Each component of the application will be assigned a score on the following basis:

1. The combined total of Reading , Math and Writing SAT score multiplied by .010417 and rounded to the nearest thousandth, for a maximum score of 25.

2. The ACT score multiplied by .694444, and rounded to the nearest thousandth, for a maximum score of 25.

3. Only the highest of the above scores shall be used (the “SAT/ACT Score”).

4. The GPA shall be multiplied by 6.25, and rounded to the nearest hundredth, with no maximum score.

5. The letter of recommendation shall be given a score in the range of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest score.

6. The essay or project report shall be given a score in the range of 1 to 40, with 40 being the highest score.

7. Applications shall be evaluated, and the scholarship recipient(s) selected, as follows:

            (i) Each member of the BBAA Scholarship Committee shall independently review the letter of recommendation and the essay or report submitted by each applicant, and assign a score thereto.  The scores assigned to the letter of recommendation shall be averaged with one another (the “Average Letter of Recommendation Score”) and the scores assigned to the essay or report shall be averaged with one another (the “Average Essay/Report Score”).

            (ii) Each application shall be assigned a score (the “Application Score”), which shall be the sum of the SAT/ACT Score, the GPA score, the Average Letter of Recommendation Score, and the Average Essay/Report Score.

            (iii) The scholarship(s) shall be awarded to the applicant(s) whose application(s) received the highest Application Score(s).

            (iv) In the event applicants have equal Application Scores (“Equal Score Applicants”), the Equal Score Applicant with the highest Average Essay/Report Score shall be deemed to have the highest Application Score.  In the event Equal Score Applicants have equal Average Essay/Report Scores, the Equal Score Applicant with the highest GPA score shall be deemed to have the highest Application Score.

Download the application form in pdf format.

Back Bay Amateur Astronomers

P.O.Box 9877 Virginia Beach, VA. 23450-9877

Name:

Address:  

Address:

 City:                                                                       State:

 Phone (optional):

 E-Mail (optional):

 High School:

 SAT score:           and/or                   ACT score:

 GPA:

SAT points                                      _____

   and/or

ACT points                                      _____

Highest of SAT/ACT points                                                                _____

GPA points                                                                                             _____

Recommendation Letter points     _____        _____        _____        _____

Essay points                                  _____        _____        _____        _____

Total points                                                                                              _____

The BBAA Scholarship Program does not discriminate in the publication of the Program, in the selection of scholarship recipients, or in any other manner, on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, religion, national origin, or disability.

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