For Parents and Families
Candidates will benefit from careful thought about how to prepare solid written materials. Parents and family members can help in this process by offering to provide feedback on essays, for example, or to proofread them, but should never directly prepare materials for students. While most questions about the process are addressed in the Frequently Asked Questions and Calendar sections of this Web site, additional queries should always come from the applicant directly, rather than from family members. Remember that candidates, rather than parents, are the only ones eligible to be considered for and receive a Park Scholarship.
Encouraging Family Members to Seek Consideration for a Park Scholarship: Why, Who and How?
Why?
The Park Scholarship has the closeness of a small community, yet the resources of a large campus, which provide a stepping stone to great achievements. It affords a student tremendous benefits and the opportunity to enhance the outstanding educational experience at NC State University, a Research I institution.
A sample of the benefits include:
- Faculty mentors collaborate with each student on unique plans of professional development and challenge them to seek the experiences that will enable them to reach their goals, resulting in a broad range of impressive achievements, including unique research opportunities.
- The Park Scholars have the opportunity to shape personal service philosophies by selecting and implementing the activities that are most important to them.
- As a group, the scholars enjoy an immediate, close-knit community and vibrant campus life through retreats that build camaraderie, shape their college experiences, and create lifelong friendships.
- They have the opportunity to plan class trips to places like Washington, D.C., securing unparalleled opportunities, such as meetings with Supreme Court Justices, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, or former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Hugh Shelton, at the Pentagon.
To see the full array of opportunities and more information about Park Scholarships and NC State University, please download a Candidate Brochure (requires Adobe Reader, available free from www.adobe.com).
Who?
Successful candidates are of the highest caliber in all four areas of the selection criteria (scholarship, leadership, service, and character) OR are exceptional in at least one area and show great potential in the others. Candidates with little or no evidence of commitment in a particular area, such as service, generally are not competitive for a Park Scholarship.
How?
Students should visit the Park Scholarships website to review the instructions for being considered and details on the appropriate route.
Helpful Links
Be Involved!
Parents are an important part of Park Scholars' lives, whether attending NC State's Parents and Families Weekend festivities or helping move their sons and daughters into residence halls.