What are the district level requirements for the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship?

I'm applying for the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship and trying to understand what it takes to advance through the district level. Are there specific criteria or tips for making my application stand out at this stage?

The Elks National Foundation's Most Valuable Student Scholarship program is a multi-tiered process that works its way up from local, to district, to state, and finally national levels. As an applicant, the first task is to stand out at the local Lodge level, and then the district will review applications that have been advanced by the local Elks Lodges.

To excel at the district level and get your application noticed, the best strategy is to focus on the evaluation criteria the ENF has set forth. The scholarship is allotted on the basis of the following parameters:

1. Scholarship: 40%

2. Leadership: 20%

3. Financial Need: 20%

4. Service: 20%

The scoring is largely consistent across all levels of the competition, so focusing on your strengths in these areas can help your application get noticed.

To stand out, you can work on these aspects in your application:

- Scholarship: Give a strong recollection of your academic credentials including your GPA, test scores, class rank, and other academic honors.

- Leadership: Highlight leadership roles you have held and the impact they made. Emphasize the projects or initiatives you led, innovative ideas you implemented, and your contributions to the community through these roles.

- Service: Elaborate on your dedication to community service, including any projects or causes you're particularly passionate about. Add any service-oriented clubs or organizations you're part of, and how your actions have positively impacted others.

- Financial Need: Ensure that you submit your financial information accurately to demonstrate your need for the scholarship.

Finally, be authentic and genuine, while providing specific examples to illustrate your points. The more clearly you can demonstrate that you meet these criteria, the better your chances of advancing past the district level. As you progress through the levels, keep in mind that there may be interviews involved too, so be prepared to express these same qualities verbally.