S.T.A.R.T. Essay Contest Details

Eligibility

Full-time undergraduate students enrolled at any Penn State campus are encouraged to submit an abstract for consideration in the S.T.A.R.T. Essay Contest. The topic is open to the student’s own thoughts, experiences or ideas related to diversity.

For the purposes of this award, an abstract is a brief summary of your topic or in-depth analysis of a particular subject or discipline, and will be used to help the readers quickly ascertain the paper’s purpose.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_%28summary%29 (modified)

Criteria

• Quality of writing
• Relevance of topic
• Adherence to guidelines
• Cover page with title of paper, student name, major, semester standing, and e-mail address
• One to two page abstract (NOT including cover page), double-spaced
• Submissions longer than two pages will not be considered
• 12-point Times New Roman font
• One inch margins

Timeline

First round – Abstract is due on Thursday, February 9, 2012, by 5:00 pm, by electronic submission to axg130@psu.edu. No late or hard copy versions will be accepted.

Finalists will be notified by Thursday, February 16, 2012, to prepare and schedule their presentation for final judging.

Second round – Final presentations will be given the week of February 22, 2012.

Winners will be notified by Friday, March 2, 2012, via email.

Judging

Members of the S.T.A.R.T. Committee will make selections for the finalists and winners. The Committee includes undergraduate students, Director of Undergraduate Diversity Enhancement, the Program Advisor, the Program’s MBA Graduate Assistant, and additional Smeal advisors.

Awards

Winners will be recognized and are required to present their final paper at the S.T.A.R.T. Conference on Thursday, March 22, 2012, at the Nittany Lion Inn.

Disclaimer

Please note that if at any time your scholarships, grants, and other types of student financial aid are in excess of your federally computed “financial need” or your “cost of attendance”, it may be necessary for the Office of Student Aid to make adjustments to your previously awarded aid sources.

In order to receive the scholarship, you must be enrolled as a full-time student in good academic standing at the Pennsylvania State University. If you are planning to be on internship, are registered for less than 12 total credits, or if you are studying abroad through a non-Penn State program, your scholarship funds will be forfeited and awarded to another deserving student. It is your responsibility to notify our office of your change in enrollment.