Information for the Palmer Alumnae Endowed Scholarship 2016 Award

1. Palmer Alumnae
Endowed Scholarship
INFORMATIONAL PRESENTATION

2. Important Dates
 Scholarship
Applications
open on
Tuesday
August 4, 2015
 Scholarship
Application
deadline is
Saturday
September 12, 2015

3. 2016 Awards
The Palmer Alumnae Endowed
Scholarship Fund will award $4,789.40 in
scholarship(s) for the Spring 2016
semester

4. Distribution of Awards
 Determined by the interview panel and
approved by the Scholarship Board
 The Alumnae community supports giving
multiple awards (2-3) between $1,000-
$3,000
 The number and amounts of the awards
will reflect performance on application
and at the interview

5. Why multiple awards?
 The Scholarship Panel and Leadership Council goals
include helping our members reach their full potential
 One approach is to help our members earn quality
positions coming out of undergraduate so they are more
likely enter a leadership position during their career
 The preparation and experience of applying for the
award reflects the process of competing for top job,
post-graduate education, and internship positions
 Giving more awards will encourage more members to
apply and expose them to this exercise therefore more
will be better prepared for their next step

6. Criteria
 Awards will be given to a currently Active
member in good standing who models the
values of the Palmer Society as stated in
our Mission and Values Statement.
 This is a merit based scholarship.

7. What does "Good Standing"
Mean?
 Fulfill all duties and responsibilities of a
member therein written and implied in the
Palmer Society Constitution.
 Retain all voting privileges, if appropriate
to member status.
 Owe no outstanding monies or dues to the
Palmer Society prior to Fall 2015

8. Additional Eligibility Requirements
 Be an undergraduate member of the Palmer Society with a
graduation date no sooner than Spring 2016
 Must have completed one full semester of service as an
Active member
 Maintain Active Member Status the semester the award is
given. Awards are applicable for the Spring 2016 Semester
 Enrolled at Whittier College
 Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
There is no limit to the number of times
you can win the scholarship

9. What is our Mission & Values
Statement?
Values
 Friendship: respect, commitment,
spirit of cooperation, fair share,
stewardship
 Loyalty: fairness, work for best
interests (community, Whittier
College, The Palmer Society, and
each other).
 Sincerity: truth and honesty in
both our actions and words
Ideals
 Friendship: selflessness, helping
each sister become the best
person she is truly meant to be.
 Service: give of oneself freely
 Loyalty– trust & love
 Scholarship is the pursuit for truth;
excellence, curiosity and
problem solving
The Mission and Values Statement is defined in the instructions. Here are
some highlights:
The Palmer Society mission is to promote and to develop aesthetic
appreciation amongst its members in an effort to attain to the
highest ideals of American womanhood.

10. Format
 Phase 1- Written Application
 Phase 2- Interview
Finalist from Phase 1 go on to
Phase 2

11. Scoring of Written Application
Written Application Scoring Break-down
 Participation and Leadership (30% hard score)
 Mission and Values Assessment (70% evaluated score) –
Short answer, Resume, Reviewer Impression
Participation and Leadership
 Formal Participation (15 pts)
 Formal Leadership (15 pts)
Mission and Values Assessment
 Short Essay (3 total x 15 pts each)
 Professional Resume (15 pts)
 Overall Reviewer Impression (10 pts)

12. Part 1. Applicant Information
Provides a complete picture of the
applicant
 Basic Information: Name, contact info, major,
etc.
 Cumulative GPA (through Spring 2015)
 Unofficial transcript (use My.Whittier.edu)

13. 2. Participation and Leadership
 Record of participation- Active, Associate,
Inactive Status
 Committee Participation
 Leadership Roles: Elected Offices & Chair
Positions
 Only completed service is factored into
scores (through Spring 2015)

14. Notes about Participation and
Leadership
 Hard Score: 15 pts Participation; 15 pts Leadership
 Formula
 Committees & Offices scored in a Survey of Recent Alumnae and Members (2013 to
present)
 Participation ranked for time, effort, and contribution to Society Mission, Values, and
achieving Goals.
 Leadership ranked for how a position compares in developing and utilizing
leadership qualities, especially when executing Mission and Values; takes into
account Participation
 Weighted for the opportunity you've had to participate (new members, study
abroad neutral)
 Time weighted for length of position
 Rewarded for continuous Active Status; Associate status and Inactive status
more punitive
 Scoring is based on a distribution of participation and leadership for past and
current active members (percentile)

15. Pointers on Participation &
Leadership
 Develop and promote time management so you can remain active–
avoid going associate or inactive
 Communicate your financial concerns and promote sound spending
policies that permit participation without forcing members to go
inactive because of debt
 Keep track of your service; a complete record can make a
difference
 Be a reliable participant- it helps your sisters have confidence in you,
leads to leadership roles
 Be open to learning/mentoring
 Go after leadership roles: chairs and offices
 Roles that have more responsibility garner more points

16. 3. Short Essays
 3 questions x 15 pts each = 45 pts total
 Mostly Behavioral-based Questions
 Designed to elucidate how you
uphold and promote the Mission and
Values of the Palmer Society
 Grammar, spelling, and organization
of the answers are important
 Follow instructions to the letter. Long
essays and any section that exceed
the word limits are cut.

17. What do you mean "behavioral
based"?
 Behavioral questions are used by to learn
about your behavior in particular situations
 Common in job interviews: Past
performance indicates future behavior
 Common Answer format: The "S.T.A.R."
technique
 Describe the Situation you were in or the Task
you needed to accomplish; describe the Action
you took, and the Results.

18. Tips for Behavior Based Questions
 Be specific, not general or vague
 Focus on your part in the story; others are contextual
 Use actual behaviors
 Okay to explain what you learned, especially if you would
behave differently
 SHORT- usually 5-7 sentences; must be less that 300 words. Do
not ramble
 BE SINCERE AND GENIUNE
Reviewers easily spot when applicants are just restating the Mission, Values
and Ideals statement, reciting from the Pledge Book and pandering to them-
saying what you THINK they want to hear. Avoid hype, being emotionally
manipulative, and exaggeration. These answers typically get very low scores.
 Use your own voice but avoid casual language and slang.
The sentences do not need be elaborate but they do need to
be well written

19. Resources
 Behavioral Based Interview Seminar Webcast
http://keckmedia.usc.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=22498a123
78444f5b79180b9bd1f6074
 On line information
 http://www.career.vt.edu/Interviewing/Behavioral.html

20. 4. Professional Resume – 15 pts
 Ready for use for real world job, fellowship, or internship
applications.
 Clearly document your personal record and goals
 Must stand on its own, apart from the application
 Especially want to know you in roles outside of Palmers
(student, community member, work experience)
 Resume is key to providing that picture of you beyond
Palmer
 1 page; Focus on content
 Organization and aesthetics are important but don't get
bogged down in formatting
 Highlight leadership and achievements, i.e. what impact
you had in your different roles

21. Use Campus Resources!
 www.whittier.optimalresume.com —
“Basic Undergrad” template a good
place to start
 Make an appointment with the Center
for Career Planning & Internships

22. 5. Reviewer Impression
Each reviewer will have the opportunity to
rate your total application in context and
assign an overall impression score (10 pts)

23. Think you might need help?
Alumnae mentoring support is available for applicants wishing to
receive coaching on their written application.
New this year! Draft Deadline for Mentor Requests Monday,
August 24, 2015
What is needed:
 A draft or outline of all three essay questions
 A draft resume
 Submit drafts in any word processor format with your name at
the top of the document
 Indicate if you will be able to meet with alumnae mentors in
person or by phone/Facetime/Skype technology

24. Role of Alumna Mentors
 Coach applicants on their essays or the
resume, wherever feedback is desired
 Sessions should 30-45 minutes
 Mentor sessions are confidential
 Mentors are exclude from the scholarship
evaluation process

25. Applicant Obligation to Mentors
 The content is the sole responsibility of the
applicant.
 Applicants must contact mentors within 48 hours
of receiving their mentor assignment
 Mentoring sessions should be completed with
sufficient time to be of benefit to the application.
We recommend that sessions occur before
September 10

26. Ready to submit?
 Submit as an attachment to an email to:
 thepalmersociety@yahoo.com
 Give the submission a unique file name

27. Interview
 2-3 Finalist will go on to be interviewed
 20-30 minutes with 3-4 panelist
 Behavioral based and regular interview
questions
 Mock interviews available
 The interviews will be scheduled in early
November. Timing is dependent on
interviewee and panelist availability

28. Common Questions

29. What is taken into consideration
for this scholarship?
 Participation & Leadership with Palmers
 How you behave as a Palmer to support
our Mission, Values and Ideals, Goals
 Your role in your community outside of
Palmers
 How well you communicate

30. Keep in mind…
 Participation and Leadership are important but
only 30% of the application score.
 That score is weighted to reward those who take
advantage of their opportunity. Those who pledge early
have no implicit advantage on this part of the
application
 The application is designed to relate how Palmer
Values and Ideals are a part of your life and are
the larger part of the application score
 Having more experiences does lend itself to being
more skilled at relating how the Values and Ideals
are a part of your life— something all Palmers can
accomplish if they are engaged in our Society
and our Values and Ideals

31. How can we better our chances
now or in the future?
 Be an engaged member
 With all Palmer Members – active and alumnae
 With the Society– learn, challenge, participate, promote
 Remember our Values and Ideals: Embody and Promote
 Problem Solve & Evolve: Personally and as a Society
 Think about how you exercise a leadership role even if you
do not hold a chair or office
 Take initiative to be a leader in some aspect of your daily
life, not just as a Palmer
 Have a positive presence so your Sponsors know who you
are as a Palmer; they may need to vouch for your role and
how you support our Values & Ideals

32. What will make me stand out as
an applicant?
 A well organized and complete
application
 Excellent communication: grammar and
spelling, directness
 Well thought out essay answers that
address the question succinctly and on
topic; organized answer
 Following instructions
 Being truthful

33. Why do we do interviews?
 Interviews are designed to further determine how well
the applicant upholds the Mission, Values, and Ideals
 In addition to the written application, the panelists are
assessing the interviewees’ sincerity and passion when
relating their experiences and answering questions.
Communicating in person is as important as written
communication in promoting the Palmer Sisterhood.
 Interviews are a critical part of anyone professional
success. The Alumnae want our sisters to be competitive
at the top level of their field. Providing the experience of
interviewing to our active sisters in front of their
supportive Alumnae sisters lends itself to the actives best
possibility of succeeding in the future.

34. How are the interviewees
determined?
 Top 2-3 applicants with the highest
written application scores
 The cut off is dependent on the
applicant field.
 If there is a large gap between the 2nd
and 3rd place scores, only two
applicants are invited
 All interviewees invited are similarly
competitive

35. How will the award amounts be
determined?
 The interview panel will rank the interviewees
based on all the data that is presented and
in context to their interview performance.
 Interviewers and reviewers are encouraged
to make a recommendation to the number
of scholarships to present when they deem it
represents a fair award based on the
outcome evaluation scores.
 In the event that consensus is not clear, the
Scholarship Board will be presented with the
findings of the panelists and interviewers to
make a final determination in consultation
with Scholarship founders.

36. Does the scholarship go directly
into my Whittier account?
 Yes
 Those on need-based aid, it
becomes part of your financial aid
package

37. How many times can I apply?
 You can apply as many times as
you wish as long as you are in good
standing, an undergraduate, and
active
 If you are the best candidate two
years in a row, then you will get the
scholarship

38. Any other question?
CONTACT SANDY JOHNSON '90 AT
THEPALMERSOCIETY@YAHOO.COM OR PERSONALLY
FACETIME – SKYPE
CALL/TEXT 562-318-9098 OR INSTANT MESSAGE VIA FACEBOOK
TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT