1. Take the Application Instructions and Directions Seriously:

Allow plenty of time to complete your application, so you have time to review and double-check it. Stay within the maximum word counts for your essays and short answers. This lets our selection committees know that you understand and know how to follow directions. Don’t include extra items if specifically given number  “limits” in certain categories such as recommendations. The CDB Scholarship asks for two recommendations. We know that you’re a spectacular applicant, but again this falls under the follow directions rule of thumb.

2. Start Your Preparation EARLY:

Be mindful of the CDB application deadline. To ensure you meet the deadline, start gathering everything you need, begin brainstorming essay ideas and request letters of recommendation months ahead of time as a courtesy to your recommenders who more than likely have a lot in their schedules to take care of aside from your recommendation… and potentially that for other program applicants in addition to yours. 

Be sure to check the deadlines of upcoming Upper Level SSAT test dates and register as early as possible to be assured of your requested test date and the location of your test center. You can also register to take the SSAT at home. Be sure to indicate that you’re in eighth grade when you’re registering. This will allow you access to the UPPER LEVEL SSAT which is the required SSAT option for the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship. It also doesn’t hurt to do a “trial run” to the test site so you know in advance not only where it is but how long it will take to get you there whether driving or on public transportation. The less stress you can put into test day realities, all the better for you to focus your energy on the test itself… and not on getting there.

3. Recommenders:

Make sure that your recommenders know you well enough to support a POSITIVE letter of recommendation that makes it clear they know you in the context in which they are writing your letter and that they have the time to write and submit your recommendation in accordance with the deadline. It is YOUR responsibility to give your recommenders all of the necessary details and deadline information, not theirs to research. You do not want to make this process difficult for them, but should focus on presenting yourself in a positive light to any person willing to support your application. You can certainly provide your recommenders with details, as they may think highly of you but not remember your record-setting time in the 100 meter butterfly or the essay you had published in the school’s literary magazine. Many teachers and coaches routinely write multiple letters of recommendation over the course of an academic year. It’s fine if you supply them with appropriate data on YOU—which is not to say that YOU write your own recommendation for them to sign. Any recommender who asks you to do this is NOT a recommender that would be appropriate for you to utilize.

4. Don’t Lose Focus of the Detail:

Make sure that you know and are eligible for the specific requirements of the CDB Scholarship. Overlooking a direction or neglecting any of the submission requirements—i.e. not answering the required number of essay prompts, not submitting a work sample, not completing a parent or recommender statement—can disqualify an otherwise eligible applicant from consideration. Read the directions carefully, and don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of the CDB Scholarship team either by phone or e-mail if you have any questions.

5. The 7^th Grader is the Applicant- NOT Your Parent:

I’m going to let you in on an insider secret:  NO ONE on the CDB team wants to get a phone call from a prospective applicant’s parent that begins, “I’m filling out the application for my son/daughter…”  unless their question specifically refers to the Parent Statement  or general directions-related queries. The application is the responsibility of the student to complete. Yes—a parent or responsible adult can assist with making sure all elements of the application are in order, but it’s up to the actual applicant to be proactive when it comes to requesting the recommendations, school transcript and all of the essay writing and submission of activities, work sample, etc.

6. Stay Organized:

Keep track of various deadlines and test days with your planner or a calendar app. It’s also a good idea to keep an online or paper folder with all of the components of the scholarship application as “saved” documents prior to submission, as well as the specific people and dates you’ve gone to for your recommendations and school transcripts. Stay on top of the application components that others are responsible for in a respectful manner which does NOT mean asking them every week if they’ve completed and submitted your materials. With the CDB application, you can check online under your name to see if and when outside pieces of your application have been submitted.

7. Make Sure You KNOW The Scholarship That You’re Applying For:

It’s irritating to a reader when an applicant misspells the name of the scholarship or mistakenly lists the incorrect name if they’re applying for multiple scholarships.

8. Proof Your Work and Have Someone Else Review Your Application For Errors BEFORE You Submit:

It’s perfectly acceptable to ask another person—parent, teacher, older sibling—to read your work and ask for their input or to check your grammar and spelling. A second pair of eyes can often spot errors that you might have missed in the umpteenth reading of your work. But to be clear– this is application should be the work, ideas and creative submission of the applicant who is a 7^th grader, NOT THAT OF AN ADULT. Our readers are well versed in reviewing applications, and the “voice” we expect to be presented with is that of the student applicant, not an over-arching parent.

9. Pay Attention to Presentation:

If you’ve written great essays and have followed all of the scholarship directives and guidelines but submit an application that is sloppy or not what should be considered as a final draft, you could jeopardize your chances of being a stand-out applicant. All things being equal, the student who submits a neat and professional looking application is going to have an advantage over what appears to be a rushed and not well-proofed submission.

10. Be Original:

Many of our readers say that a great essay opening line or a slice-of-life story captures their attention and makes that applicant memorable. Write about specific aspects, experiences, memories or moments of your life in your responses to the various prompts that are unique to YOU.

11. Your Activities:

As important as your scholastic performance may be, we want to see what you do outside the classroom that has your interest and focus, which is why the CDB application asks for the time commitment and length of time that you’ve put into a particular commitment, as well as any leadership roles you have assumed in your extracurricular life. It’s fine to dabble in a lot of different pursuits, but the limited number of response slots on the CDB application are meant to reveal your passions— the areas that you have seriously devoted your out-of-school time, effort and outreach towards.

The Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship and the annual cohort of selected CDB Scholars takes into account more than an applicant’s numerics—grade point average and test scores.  Our team looks at each application as an amalgam of the multiple aspects of what contributes to present YOU as an accomplished, multi-faceted, high-potential individual, which we hope is indicative of the CDB application in all of its component parts.  We want you to be as engaged in the application process as we will be in its reading and getting to know you.

As the program director for the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship with fifteen-plus years selecting and working with the CDB Scholars and families, I’m asked this question more than any other, so I’m here to provide some inside information that you won’t find on High School Confidential or through the grapevine.

Every eligible CDB application is read thoroughly by at least two members of the CDB staff at the Institute for Educational Advancement and logged into our online data system, one folder for each CDB applicant. If any elements of the application are missing, we will e-mail the applicant well before the submission deadline. We also send a DEADLINE COMING UP!! e-mail to every applicant who has begun to fill out or worked on an application within three weeks of the deadline. Staff members evaluate each application individually with written notes pertaining to each element of the application as well as an overall score and assign a numeric to the applicant. This score is then added to an evaluation grid comprised of the totality of that year’s eligible CDB applications. This compilation is what the CDB staff uses to determine which applications will move forward to one of three national selection committees comprised of deans and directors of admission at selective high schools, colleges and universities throughout the United States, heads of independent schools, educators who work with gifted students and CDB alumni, two-three per committee. Our CDB Scholar alumni are outstanding ambassadors and having successfully gone through the application process themselves, quite capable of helping select the Finalists.

The selection committee meetings last two days and result in the selection of between 45-55 Finalists from across the country. These Finalists will be interviewed in person or via zoom (as occurred for the 2020 Scholar selection due to the pandemic restrictions on travel and in-person gatherings) throughout the summer with one or both of their parent(s) or guardian(s) present for a portion of the interview. From the Finalist pool, each year’s CDB Scholars will be selected early in September to begin working with the CDB staff to help find each Scholar’s optimal high school fit.

In reading and evaluating hundreds of CDB applications annually, here are some tips for prospective applicants:

We always offer choices in the essays to help applicants find areas that resonate with them academically and personally. We hope that you will use the 500 word count or a close approximation to elaborate on the given topic and help us get to know what drives and motivates you as an individual in response to the prompt. In my experience, it has rarely if ever been the case that a two or three sentence “essay” has the ability to wow. If anything, it feels to the readers that you’re completing the application under duress and not of your own volition.

By all means use engaging, sophisticated vocabulary and concepts IF you have a clear understanding of their correct usage. Few things stick out more to an experienced application reader than “big” words or phrases put in for effect rather than to enhance a thought or statement. Clunky word choice is not a note you want next to one of your essays.

If you identify as a math or STEAM/STEM person, you are not alone in this applicant pool, so what can you write to set yourself apart from the pack? Well, you can be creative with your words and describe what it is about math that excites and engages you, and you don’t need to be a wordsmith to accomplish this. As readers, my team and I look forward to understanding what drives and motivates an applicant to complete this long and complex application, so help us better understand you. There are few more positive notes I write than, “I want to meet this person and get to know him/her!” It means that you’ve successfully captured my attention through an aspect of your application that presents YOU as the unique individual you are in YOUR voice.

Select your recommenders with care. I cannot emphasize this enough. Since the recommenders—academic and professional—are required to submit their grids and comments directly to the scholarship, you won’t have the opportunity to see what’s been written about you. Few things can derail an otherwise solid application more than comments by someone YOU’VE chosen who either does not have positive things to say about you or who just goes through cursory motions to complete a form without providing any real insight or approbation to heighten your application. Make sure your recommenders are people who know you well and who have shown themselves to be supportive, encouraging, helpful mentors or role models—people who you admire and respect and who feel the same about wanting to encourage and support your CDB application, because they know you well enough to be a staunch supporter of your candidacy.

You are welcome to employ your parents or teachers as proofreaders, but the core ideas should be yours, as well as the writing of your essays, submission of your work sample and finalizing all aspect of the application components. The CDB application is meant to be a reflection of you as an applicant, not your parent. There is a one-page parent letter that should handle that aspect of the application. More to come on this element in the Parent Section of this blog.

If you describe yourself in your CDB application as a dancer or a musician or an artist or singer or inventor or photographer, by all means SHOW US, either as a work sample or in the additional information portal. This is less about you impressing us as a superstar and more about sharing your passion(s) with our team. It’s frustrating to repeatedly read about a special skill or area of interest in your application and not see any visual or oral indication of this element of you.

It is up to you—not your parent—to check in with your recommenders and school office to make sure that the materials they’re compiling for you —recommendations, standardized tests and transcripts—are submitted well within the CDB deadline. You don’t have to make a nuisance of yourself, but go about completing each element of the CDB application in a timely fashion, so you’re not driving everyone around you CRAZY with completing the application minutes or hours before it’s due.[blockquote text=”Make sure your recommenders are people who know you well and who have shown themselves to be supportive, encouraging, helpful mentors or role models—people who you admire and respect and who feel the same about wanting to encourage and support your CDB application, because they know you well enough to be a staunch supporter of your candidacy.” show_quote_icon=”yes” text_color=”#000000″ width=”90%” quote_icon_color=”#aa230d”] 

And now to the parent responsibilities…

While you are always welcome to call or email the CDB Scholarship team with questions or information that’s needed to help with the application, please do not word your questions to us as, “I’m completing the CDB application for my son or daughter.” This is a HUGE red flag for us as to the efficacy of your child’s application and not at all what you should be doing in regards to his or her submission.

As parents or guardians, you are offered a page to let us know about your son or daughter—what makes him or her unique, special talents, areas that perhaps only you as a parent see or know from having lived with this young person more than anyone else. Please don’t use this as a forum to reiterate what’s already been noted in other places of the application such as grades or awards received. This is meant to be your personal statement, and we always appreciate you staying within the one page limit without utilizing the smallest font and no margins top to bottom or side to side. We want to know as parents, what you see, know, feel and value about your child that you want to pass along to us. If you want to tell us about particular vulnerabilities or issues that your son or daughter has had to contend with or overcome, we look upon this as informational and not judgmental. Strengths and weaknesses as well as other aspects of character only help us round out the reality and clarity of an applicant. Perfect superstars as described by parents are immediately suspect to an experienced reader. If your child meets the CDB Scholarship eligibility criteria, by all means support their application, but please do not coerce, bribe or force the issue. The decision to apply—as well as complete and submit—a CDB application should be the responsibility of the applicant. As a parent, you can certainly support the process, but from the sidelines and not as a “co-writer.”

Finally, when decisions are made—whether it’s in selecting the Finalists or ultimately the annual CDB Scholars– please understand that in any competitive process, there will sometimes be results that are not to your liking or expectation. The decisions have less to do with what your child did “wrong” on his or her application or wasn’t “enough” in any given area and more with the reality that the CDB Scholarship draws an incredible, awe-inspiring applicant pool of truly stellar young people from all echelons of the seventh grade national gifted population. The selection process is one that the CDB team takes very, very seriously and meticulously as we evaluate and discuss hundreds of highly accomplished young people and always wish we had the resources to recognize many more of these highly accomplished young people than we are able to do each year with the 25-30 CDB Scholarships we award.

I can’t reiterate this enough, but the CDB team always looks at the multiple aspects of an application, not the singularity of test scores or an applicant’s GPA. Every Institute for Educational Advancement program is centered around the whole child—his or her academic, social, emotional and character-based aspects that all work together to comprise an exceptional individual who will find engagement and fulfillment as a Caroline D. Bradley Scholar within a cohort of peers, mentors and role models spanning selection since 2002.

Now through March 30, 2021, current seventh-grade students may apply for the scholarship. Students are required to complete a rigorous portfolio application process, which includes essays, middle school transcripts, two recommendations, and a work sample. Eligible applicants must also achieve scores at or above the 97th percentile on nationally normed standardized tests. The application can be found by clicking here. 

“A gifted and talented student needs a specialized education to truly reach their potential,” said Elizabeth Jones, President and Co-Founder of IEA. “By nurturing each student’s intellectual and personal needs, this scholarship helps shape the next generation of leaders.”

Three selection committees, comprised of a diverse group of nationwide high school and university admissions directors, CDB alumni, community members, business leaders, and IEA staff will meet both virtually and in-person to review scholarship applications. Due to COVID-19, students will only need to provide standardized test scores for the 2018-2019 school year. Standardized test scores are not necessary for students in programs that do not offer them, including home-schooled students.

The program, which began in 2002, is currently funded by The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. It is one of the few merit-based, need-blind scholarships of its kind in the United States. To date, IEA has awarded 349 scholarships to gifted learners and alumni who are already making their mark on the world. Currently, there are 196 alumni, 112 of whom have graduated from college and are in the work force, attending graduate school, or participating in international service and fellowship programs.

For more information about this scholarship or any of IEA’s other programs and services, visit www.ieastaging2.wpengine.com or follow us on social media:

• Facebook: @IEAGifted
• Twitter: @IEAGifted
• Instagram: @IEAGifted
• LinkedIn: Institute for Educational Advancement

About the Institute for Educational Advancement

The Institute for Educational Advancement (IEA) is dedicated to the intellectual, creative, and personal growth of our nation’s gifted and high-potential youth. Central to the mission of IEA is a commitment to the development of the whole child through engaging educational experiences that promote optimal challenge, mentorship, exploration of ideas, and recognition of personal potential. IEA seeks to connect like-minded individuals through dynamic and engaging year-round programming. Additionally, IEA supports a diverse community that creates a sense of belonging and affirmation. For more information, visit www.ieastaging2.wpengine.com.

About the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Program

IEA’s Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Program is one of the few U.S. high school scholarship programs that is need-blind and awarded based on merit to highly gifted seventh graders. Since its inception in 2002, the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship has served over 300 students with academic and social support, high school tuition and a lifelong network for mentorship and peer connections.

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When it comes to sharing what’s so unique and special about Academy, our students tell it best! This fall, we asked students to share what they like about their class, what can make it even better, and what classes they’d like to see offered this spring. We would like to say thank you to our students for their feedback, and share these highlights from two questions on our survey:

“My Favorite Activity/Topic So Far Was…”

• Subatomic particles.
• Building a beaver dam!
• The virtual microscope.
• Designing adaptive Xbox controllers.
• Building a catapult.
• Making story boards.
• Exploring and talking about philosophical arguments.
• Learning the elements and the rings of bonds.
• Talking about each other’s stories and giving feedback.
• Castles.
• Rodents.
• Silly poems.
• North America.
• South America.
• The periodic table song.
• Structures and support design.
• Siege engines.
• All of them!

“Because of this class, I am able to…”

• Do fun experiments.
• Build cool stuff.
• Think laterally better.
• Tell better stories.
• Talk to other kids.
• Identify stars.
• Make chemical equations.
• Write and enjoy poems.
• Use Tinkercad to create my own designs.
• Have a digital microscope and make observations.
• Learn about the world and its cool features.
• Learn about different ways to think about life.
• Think in a new way about how to make things for people with disabilities.
• Tell my parents facts they don’t know.
• Tell my friends all this cool info.
• Have fun while learning.

Students also shared feedback on what makes Academy different from other classes they take. As one student wrote, “I’m actually learning more about 3d printing, just like how in another (Academy) class I was actually learning about how rockets and engines work.” As these pictures of student work show, there’s no better way to learn than by doing!

NOW ACCEPTING NEW AND RETURNING STUDENT APPLICATIONS

FOR SPRING 2021!

Session Dates: January 25 – April 26, 2021 (no classes April 5-10)
Early Bird Application Deadline: December 18, 2020
Application Deadline: January 4, 2021[button size=”big_large” icon=”” target=”_self” hover_type=”default” font_weight=”700″ text_align=”center” text=”Apply Now” link=”https://ieastaging2.wpengine.com/programs/iea-academy/how-to-apply/” color=”#ffffff” hover_color=”#aa230d” background_color=”#aa230d” hover_background_color=”#ffffff” border_radius=”4″ margin=”0px 0px 0px 0px”]

We know so many seventh-graders are eager to apply for the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship, which offers a full scholarship to an optimally-matched high school or learning program for highly gifted students. The application process will begin soon but to get your creative juices flowing, we wanted to share info and tips about the reflective prompt section of the application.

The reflective prompt section of the application is where the applicant has a chance to show the scholarship committee who you are and what your passions are. Part A is mandatory and needs to be done in essay form. Part B consists of responding to two of the five prompt options. ONE of these responses can be a more creative approach and include a collage, artwork, audio, or video recording. The best way to attach this to your application is to include a hyperlink in a Word doc or PDF that links to either a Dropbox, Google Drive, or a similar platform. Be sure to include a brief explanation of what you are uploading. Essays should be 500 words or less. If you are answering the essay in a more creative approach, please make sure to let us know what essay question you are answering.

One thing to note: if in your essays you talk about an activity that you love to do, it would be in your best interest to show us that activity in the additional information section.

The prompts are below.

A. Mandatory

1. Describe the world you come from and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

B. Respond to two of the five following prompts:

1. We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, and responsibilities, some of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do for its own sake – simply because you like to do it.

2. Talk about an academic or intellectual subject you are passionate about and why. What about this topic excites you? How have you pursued this particular interest in or outside of school?

3. Tell us about an obstacle you have overcome or a challenge you have taken.

4. Include a photo of an image that speaks to you in a special way and tell us why.

5. What do you feel is lacking from your academic background?

Looking for more application tips? Check out this blog article from Bonnie Raskin, Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Manager.

The application will be available soon! Be the first to know when the application is open by signing up for IEA’s newsletter here.

In the course of my fifteen years at the Institute for Educational Advancement at the helm of the Caroline D. Bradley (CDB) Scholarship program, I’m often asked, “What exactly do you do? What’s a typical workday?” So I’m here to set the record straight and hopefully provide some answers. First of all, there is no “typical” day which is precisely why I never get bored as the program director of CDB. In short, CDB runs year round with very little down time per se. The CDB team is comprised of myself and my extremely effective and efficient colleague, Mallory Aldrich. We are responsible for the approximately 150 CDB Scholars who are active within the program from 8th grade through high school, as well as maintaining contact with parents, CDB alumni, educators, organizing our CDB Selection Committees and the annual three day Bradley Seminar, collaborating with partner organizations who work with gifted students and assisting people interested in learning about and applying for the CDB Scholarship. Mallory and I are ably assisted by the IEA team who help with our marketing, tuition payments, Finalist interviews, development, data collection and all manner of IT assistance.

We base our schedule around an academic calendar beginning anew for the year right after Labor Day in early September with the annual selection of new CDB Scholars. Roughly, the CDB year plays out as follows: the new class of Scholars is announced in early September which begins the cycle of “virtually” introducing the nationwide CDB rising 8th graders to each other and learning about them as the exceptional individuals they are. Then begins several months in the fall months of interactive research about high school programs and our follow up with each Scholar as they visit and apply to at least three high schools or programs that best suit their learning styles and academic goals. At the same time, we’re actively monitoring the transition from middle school to freshman year of high school for the entering 9th grade CDB class, making sure the returning high school Scholars are still well placed at their schools, working with the CDB high school seniors in their college application process, checking with the new class of CDB alumni as they enter college and begin work on the upcoming year’s CDB application and important program dates, organize our national selection committees who work with us to select that year’s CDB Finalists and begin sketching out the three day Bradley Seminar which encompasses travel, lodging, meals, activities, workshops and socializing for our entire CDB community of high school students, parents, guest speakers and educators with support from the entire IEA team. All of the CDB Scholars are responsible for submitting their midterm and final term grades and teacher comments to the CDB team which is followed by individual feedback we proved to each Scholar. Within the new class, it’s rare that we are not in touch with them either by phone or email every two weeks to check in and get to know them and how their high school selection process is going.

Winter involves making sure all of the high school and college CDB applications have been completed and submitted within their deadlines, as well as personal recommendation letters and CDB information to all of the colleges being applied to by our college applicant Scholars. The new CDB application is online by now, so in addition to at least three webinars we conduct to provide information and answer questions, we are available to work with prospective applicants, recommenders and schools by phone or email. Plans for the Bradley Seminar are solidifying with the theme selected and agenda being meticulously planned out. Individual Scholars are inquiring about recommendations for summer internships that we will assist with. Winter term grades are coming in and holiday wishes extended back and forth. Scholars are hearing from their Early Decision and Early Action colleges, so that always brings a round of congratulations or calming messages about hanging in there and doing whatever we can to alleviate stress and anxiety on the part of our Scholars. This is also the time we work with any of our high school Scholars who are considering transferring for any number of reasons to a different high school program or looking for an alternate educational experience. One of the exceptional aspects of the CDB program is our flexibility to handle each individual’s ongoing academic requirements and to advocate for each Scholar should they seek to expand their horizons.

Spring is the Bradley Seminar, a highlight of the CDB program for all involved and in April the due date for that year’s CDB applications when Mallory and I go into lockdown mode to process and read the hundreds of eligible applications that we receive. By early May, we have divided the top tier applications into groups of approximately 55-60 each that will be sent to the members of our mulitple selection committees for their evaluations. The end of May- early June involves Mallory, our IEA president and my travel to meet with the selection committees to select that year’s CDB Finalists who we will spend the summer traveling throughout the United States to interview them as the next phase of the CDB selection process. Spring is also when our Scholars hear the results of their high school and college applications, so it is a time filled with tremendous emotions and a lot of support extended to our Scholars as we support and work with them to finalize their high school and college decisions.

Summer brings extensive travel for the CDB team as well as support from our SoCal staff in conducting local CDB Finalist interviews and helping organize our schedule that extends from June- August when we have the heady experience of meeting a group of awesome and awe-inspiring CDB Finalists and parents from coast to coast. The end of the summer brings the selection of that year’s CDB class.

Mallory and I function as connectors throughout the work we do during the year. We help new Scholars connect with high school Scholars when they visit new schools that have current CDB Scholars in attendance; we connect CDB alumni and parents with current CDB Scholars looking for potential mentors or having questions to ask of fellow community members regarding their careers, current occupations or life out in the “real world.” We connect organizations interested in the work we do with IEA programs and initiatives as well as attend local and national conferences and conduct webinars and monthly gifted support group meetings on site to inform interested people in what CDB and IEA are about.

It is impossible to fall through the cracks, so to speak, as a CDB Scholar. Mallory and I simply won’t let that happen. We work very hard to develop ongoing trust-based relationships with all of our Scholars and communicate regularly with them as additional support systems or advocates when it comes to any issue they might be facing at school—with their classes, teachers, peers– or as they navigate finding balance in their often very fully scheduled lives. We work to impart life lessons to the CDB community about being proactive when it comes to their own educational paths, seeking guidance and assistance from teachers and mentors when/as needed and strive to help them develop strategies and skills to alleviate the stresses, anxieties and expectations inherent in being teenagers in general and being at competitive academic environments in particular.

So going back to the first paragraph of this attempt to de-mystify CDB, Mallory and my day always encompasses reading and responding to MANY emails from our Scholars, their parents, admissions officers at the high schools we work with as well as introducing new schools to the CDB program and Scholars. We attend regular weekly meetings that are part of IEA as well as appointments outside the office or with visitors by people interested in learning more about CDB who are visiting SoCal and stop by our office in Pasadena, CA. We spend time daily checking in with each other as collaborators in working with an incredibly diverse population of students in how best to support and assist them in areas as varied as course selection to confidence building when it comes to trying new activities or accelerated classes outside familiar comfort zones. We are ever-present cheerleaders, confidence builders and at times deliverers of wakeup calls when needed to help motivate Scholars to get back on track should their grades slip. CDB is a merit-based scholarship program with contractual guidelines that are monitored and enforced. That said, our motivation as the officers of the CDB program is to always work with our Scholars to enable them to be the prime movers on their own academic journeys, accounting for ups and downs as they occur. With many of our students who always expect super-human results from every test and each class grade and teacher comment, we work to “humanize” sometimes unrealistic goals and perfectionistic tendencies that can trip up even the most accomplished, high achievers among our cohort.

It is a tremendous pleasure and privilege to get to know and work with the CDB Scholar community and watch these young people develop their full potentials from the “newbies” we meet as middle schoolers, through high school, college and beyond. With nine classes of CDB college graduates since the program’s inception in 2002, we now have CDB alums who are married, have their own future CDB Scholars and are well into their adult lives. It’s not many jobs or careers that afford its staff the incredible opportunity to change someone’s life for the better and to experience tremendous appreciation and gratitude for the largesse of all that the CDB Scholarship offers and the work we do in support of this program and these fabulous young people . I feel truly blessed to experience these rewards on an almost daily basis through my colleagues at IEA and the CDB community at large. Perhaps I don’t skip into work every day, but I am so grateful for the work I get to do and the people I do it with.

Click here to learn more or to apply for the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship!

In the course of being the Program Manager for the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship (CDB), I’m often asked, “How do you evaluate a CDB application? What do you look for?” With the 2019 CDB application season in full swing, I thought this would be the perfect time to address these questions and speak candidly about my process.

To first present a broad overview, all of the annual CDB applications come to the scholarship@educationaladvancement.org mailbox when they’re submitted online. The CDB staff initially makes sure all of the component parts are included in each application, and if anything is missing, we routinely—and promptly– email the applicant to inform them what’s needed before the deadline. Every CDB application is read thoroughly multiple times, always by me and at least one other member of the CDB staff. After our initial in-office evaluations and team discussion, the highest ranked applications are then sent to our four selection committees throughout the United States comprised of deans and directors of admission from high schools, colleges and universities; heads of schools; educators familiar with gifted educational programs; members of organizations that work with gifted students; and CDB alumni who are represented on each committee. The CDB Finalists are selected from the four committees and will be interviewed in person or via Skype over the summer by the CDB team and CDB alumni who travel from June-August to cities throughout the United States. Each annual CDB class is selected early in September.

The first aspect of any CDB application that I look at is the applicant’s photo. While this is not a requirement, I highly recommend submitting a photo to go along with your application. When hundreds of applications are received, it’s common sense to personalize YOUR application as much as possible. For me, this means early on being able to put a face to an applicant’s name. The photograph you choose is totally your choice, but personally, I always enjoy seeing a photo that shows something unique about an applicant—maybe your picture at a landmark that means something to you or doing an activity that’s directly related to a passion of yours or just an offbeat look at what makes you, you. There’s a lot of truth to the adage about a picture speaking louder than words. Really, there is no downside to including a photo of yourself. The only “message” you’re conveying by not doing so is that for whatever reason, you don’t want the reader to see you.

Next, I look at an applicant’s statistics to get an overall sense of the person I’m about to read in his/her home and family environment. I also pay attention to an applicant’s birthdate to get a sense of where they fit in age-wise as a current seventh grader. Has he or she been accelerated? (Btw, you don’t get “bonus” points for moving forward in school; it’s just one of many aspects of learning about you that we are interested in knowing and if you are being academically served by your current educational program). Then I look at where an applicant goes to school. If the applicant is or has been home-schooled, here’s an opportunity to let us know more details about your educational path.

I then move on to the ACT or SAT test scores to make sure the eligibility requirements have been met by at least one section of either test. While the numerics do matter—CDB is a merit-based application—each individual section of the entire application is taken into consideration as we evaluate the whole person who has applied. We know that each applicant is an individual who is way more than the sum of his or her GPA and test scores.

From here, I look at the various honors, achievements and activities that occupy your time outside of school. All of the application readers want to see what matters enough to you that you spend time and expend effort doing an activity in your discretionary free time, whether it’s sports, music, community service, a job, robotics, tutoring, competition or anything in between that rounds you out as a multi-dimensional person.

On to the Quick Takes section. I hope that you as an applicant enjoy completing this section as much as we enjoy reading it. This is really the first part of the CDB application where your originality and unique self come through and where, on this end, we want you to have fun filling out the questions in brief. Full disclosure– there are (often) times when I find myself doing a Google, Dictionary.com or Wikipedia search based upon your entries… and I don’t mind at all.

We always include a mandatory essay prompt to level the field, as every applicant will be expected to complete this particular essay which allows us to get to know your writing style and addresses a specific part of your personality, home life, background and what makes you the person—and student—you are.

We then provide several options for additional essays that can either be written or expressed in another form that helps you display a more rounded view of yourself and how you feel about certain aspects of your life and the world you live in.  It seems unfair to us to only limit an applicant to the written word if writing is not your particular forte, so we want you to have the option of expressing yourself in other ways that you’re comfortable with and give you a full choice of alternate approaches to several prompts.

A hint about the essays—please, please, please proofread your essays, or have another person assist here. This is not to say that anyone but you should be responsible for the meat and substance of your essay material, but the grammar, syntax and spelling are absolutely ok to have another pair of eyes scan.  Nothing stops a reader more abruptly than a poorly proofed essay.  Your writing should be your voice, period.  Don’t feel you need to pepper an essay with “big words” if the vocabulary is clunky or isn’t in keeping with how you verbalize your thoughts. If English is your second language, we do take how you formulate your essays into consideration. When I or a member of the CDB team approach an application, we do so out of a genuine desire to want to get to know and view you in a positive light, so help us help you by providing us with interesting, engaging responses that encourage us to keep reading.

Data-wise, your sixth and seventh-grade transcripts and nationally-normed standardized test scores paint a further picture of the academic side of the person you are that helps round out the whole person within each application.

From here, I move to what I refer to as the cheerleader part of the application—your recommendations. First and foremost, be mindful who you approach to be your recommenders—academic and extracurricular. Make sure these are people who not only know you well but who want to be supportive advocates for you. In fairness, there are recommenders who don’t tell an applicant otherwise and commit to submitting an application that is negative and can honestly derail your application. While as far as I’m concerned, this is unconscionable on the part of the recommender, it’s still up to you to know who and where to turn to for this portion of the application and to make sure that your recommenders are cognizant of deadline dates for them to submit their letters and that they have the time and inclination to  be ready, willing and able to meet the application deadline… and let you know when they have submitted their portion so you don’t have the awkward responsibility to keep asking them if they’ve done so. While not every recommender is going to say that you’re “the best student they’ve ever taught in 30+ years of teaching” or that you “define what it means to be the epitome of a CDB Scholar” (yep—I’ve received those exact words in a recommendation), a personalized, detailed account of both the person and student you are from an adult other than your parent is a definite plus to any application, CDB or otherwise.

On to the parent statement.  We hope that your parents understand that keeping their statement to one page double spaced is an important aspect of following directions which, on our end, we take seriously.  It also should come as no surprise that when reading hundreds of applications, the smallest font and virtually no margins are not going to start us out in great stead if we have to squint to read a parent statement. The best parent statements by far are those that don’t repeat information we already know from other parts of your application such as awards and honors you’ve received, your grade point average or test scores. In almost all cases, there’s no one who knows you better than your parent, so our hope is that they are going to tell us aspects about you that we don’t already know or have ascertained from other parts of your application. And since even the most stupendous applicant also might have a few foibles or vulnerabilities that make you human, we welcome these admissions and certainly don’t hold it against an applicant who comes across as a mere mortal in spite of the superstar you understandably are in the eyes of your parents.

In the area of submitting a work sample, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. If you’ve spent an essay or two writing about a particular interest or passion you have, LET US SEE IT! If you wrote about being a dancer or an artist, a musician or a singer, a robotics aficionado, it’s almost a tease to not support this with a sample that shows you participating in something that’s clearly meaningful to you and which we would also love to see demonstrated. It’s fine if there’s a particular school essay or science fair project you’ve done that’s significant and you want to showcase as your work sample, but please also consider adding the afore-mentioned passion piece in the Additional Information section which should not be a recapitulation of your resume or honors you’ve accrued and duly noted previously in the application.  When we read data that is repeated over and over throughout an application, it makes us wonder “Is that all there is?” to a particular applicant.

Without question, the rewards of being selected as a Caroline D. Bradley Scholar or Finalist can be life-changing and transformative, but simply being eligible to apply for– and complete– so extensive an application is beyond commendable.  My hope and that of the entire CDB team is that you come away from the experience with a positive sense of yourself and how extremely capable and accomplished you already are. It is a privilege for myself and the staff to have the opportunity to get to know YOU, so thank you for taking the time and making the effort to introduce yourself to us.

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As the Program Manager for the Caroline D. Bradley (CDB) Scholarship program, I’ve been asked by prospective applicants how to “best” prepare their application so that it not only gets read, but stands out. There really are no gimmicks or tricks to this, but there are effective guidelines that I’ve seen throughout my 12 years at IEA that I’m happy to share:

1. Take the application instructions and directions seriously.

Allow plenty of time to complete your application, so you have time to review and double-check it. Stay within the maximum word counts for your essays and short answers. This lets our selection committees know that you understand and know how to follow directions. Don’t include extra items if specifically given number limits in certain categories such as recommendations. The CDB Scholarship asks for two recommendations. We know that you’re a spectacular applicant, but, again, this falls under the follow directions rule of thumb.

2. Start your preparation early.

Be mindful of the CDB application deadline. To ensure you meet the deadline, start gathering everything you need, begin brainstorming essay ideas and request letters of recommendation months ahead of time as a courtesy to your recommenders who more than likely have a lot in their schedules to take care of aside from your recommendation… and potentially for other program applicants in addition to yours.

Be sure to check the deadlines of upcoming ACT and SAT test dates and register as early as possible to be assured of your requested test date and the location of your test center. It also doesn’t hurt to do a “trial run” to the test site so you know in advance not only where it is but how long it will take to get you there, whether driving or on public transportation. The less stress you can put into test day realities, all the better for you to focus your energy on the test itself… and not on getting there.

3. Choose recommenders wisely.

Make sure that your recommenders know you well enough to support a positive letter of recommendation that makes it clear they know you in the context in which they are writing your letter, and that they have the time to write and submit your recommendation in accordance with the deadline. It is YOUR responsibility to give your recommenders all of the necessary details and deadline information, not theirs to research. You do not want to make this process difficult for them, but should focus on presenting yourself in a positive light to any person willing to support your application. You can certainly provide your recommenders with details, as they may think highly of you but not remember your record-setting time in the 100 meter butterfly or the essay you had published in the school’s literary magazine. Many teachers and coaches routinely write multiple letters of recommendation over the course of an academic year. It’s fine if you supply them with appropriate data on YOU—which is not to say that you write your own recommendation for them to sign. Any recommender who asks you to do this is NOT a recommender that would be appropriate for you to utilize.

4. Don’t lose focus of the detail.

Make sure that you know and are eligible for the specific requirements of the CDB Scholarship. Overlooking a direction or neglecting any of the submission requirements—i.e. not answering the required number of essay prompts, not submitting a work sample, not completing a parent or recommender statement—can disqualify an otherwise eligible applicant from consideration. Read the directions carefully, and don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of the CDB Scholarship team either by phone or e-mail if you have any questions.

5. The seventh grader is the applicant- not your parent.

I’m going to let you in on an insider secret: no one on the CDB team wants to get a phone call from a prospective applicant’s parent that begins, “I’m filling out the application for my son/daughter…”  unless their question specifically refers to the Parent Statement  or general directions-related queries. The application is the responsibility of the student to complete. Yes—a parent or responsible adult can assist with making sure all elements of the application are in order, but it’s up to the actual applicant to be proactive when it comes to requesting the recommendations, school transcript and all of the essay writing and submission of activities, work sample, etc.

6. Stay organized.

Keep track of various deadlines and test days with your planner or a calendar app. It’s also a good idea to keep an online or paper folder with all of the components of the scholarship application as “saved” documents prior to submission, as well as the specific people and dates you’ve gone to for your recommendations and school transcripts. Stay on top of the application components that others are responsible for in a respectful manner which does not mean asking them every week if they’ve completed and submitted your materials. With the CDB application, you can check online under your name to see if and when outside pieces of your application have been submitted.

7. Make sure you know the scholarship.

It’s irritating to a reader when an applicant misspells the name of the scholarship or mistakenly lists the incorrect name if they’re applying for multiple scholarships.

8. Proof your work and have someone else review your application for errors.

It’s perfectly acceptable to ask another person—parent, teacher, older sibling—to read your work and ask for their input or to check your grammar and spelling. A second pair of eyes can often spot errors that you might have missed in the umpteenth reading of your work. But to be clear– this application should be the work, ideas and creative submission of the applicant who is a 7^th grader, not that of an adult. Our readers are well versed in reviewing applications, and the “voice” we expect to be presented with is that of the student applicant, not an over-arching parent.

9. Pay attention to presentation.

If you’ve written great essays and have followed all of the scholarship directives and guidelines but submit an application that is sloppy or not what should be considered as a final draft, you could jeopardize your chances of being a stand-out applicant. All things being equal, the student who submits a neat and professional looking application is going to have an advantage over what appears to be a rushed and not well-proofed submission.

10. Be original.

Many of our readers say that a great essay opening line or a slice-of-life story captures their attention and makes that applicant memorable. Write about specific aspects, experiences, memories or moments of your life in your responses to the various prompts that are unique to you.

11. Share your passions.

As important as your scholastic performance may be, we want to see what you do outside the classroom that has your interest and focus, which is why the CDB application asks for the time commitment and length of time that you’ve put into a particular commitment, as well as any leadership roles you have assumed in your extracurricular life. It’s fine to dabble in a lot of different pursuits, but the limited number of response slots on the CDB application are meant to reveal your passions— the areas that you have seriously devoted your out-of-school time, effort and outreach towards.

The Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship and the annual cohort of selected CDB Scholars takes into account more than an applicant’s numerics—grade point average and test scores.  Our team looks at each application as an amalgam of the multiple aspects of what contributes to present you as an accomplished, multi-faceted, high-potential individual, which we hope is indicative of the CDB application in all of its component parts.  We want you to be as engaged in the application process as we will be in its reading and getting to know you.

Interested in becoming a CDB Scholar? The 2018 application is now available. Apply by April 10, 2018.

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Bonnie is the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Program Coordinator at IEA and has extensive experience working with gifted middle school students to find the high school that best fits their individual intellectual and personal needs.

I have the pleasure and privilege to work with some of the smartest, most creative young people in the United States. While my comments are primarily geared towards high school, much of what follows is applicable to any phase of the application process that many of you will deal with in the course of your academic lives.

Applications to most of the so-called selective independent high schools throughout the country have increased 10% over previous years, resulting for many of these schools in their lowest admit rate as well. It’s therefore probable that not all of the students who might want to attend a certain school, regardless of their outstanding qualifications and eligibility requirements, may receive that coveted letter or e-mail of admission.

My first bit of advice is to remain calm. A rejection – or the buzzword among many schools today “nonadmit” or “deny” notification – does not mean that you as a parent or your child has some irredeemable flaw. In the vast majority of cases, this decision has more to do with the sheer number of uber-outstanding applicants from an international pool and what each admissions team views as compatibility (i.e. better matches) for their school’s program than any negative about you or your son or daughter. This is not about there being anything wrong with your child’s application or who they are as people and how they present themselves in interviews. As disappointing as a turn-down is, if the student is not right for the program or the curriculum, he or she will not flourish at that school.

Some of the best information on this subject comes from Jane Foley Fried, Director of Admissions at Phillips Academy: “For some of you, this may be the first disappointment of your young lives. We live in a culture that does not readily prepare opportunities for disappointment, with failure an experience to be avoided at all costs. Is it better not to try than to be disappointed? Is not being admitted to a secondary school a failure? When the news is delivered, I receive many calls from parents wanting to know what their child did wrong in an unsuccessful attempt for admission at a particular school. Success does not begin with one’s admission to their top choice nor does it end with a waitlist or deny letter. Seriously—when one door closes, another opens. Parents can be good models of resilience and reason. If you or your child dwells on the closed door, your child will never walk through the open door. School matches are made by the admission staff and the family. Do not waste time thinking about what could have been. Get excited about what is.”

In the big picture of a life journey, this is one step on a long road, often one that diverges into many paths, some different from the route you expected to take. No matter how incredible a student, artist, musician, performer, inventor or genius you are, disappointment is a part of life, everyone’s life. It may be helpful to assess what you have learned about yourself should you not receive the admission you were hoping for: are you someone who is resilient and can bounce back from disappointment, a key life skill? Writing about yourself as you had to do in your application is a terrific exercise towards self-knowledge. Take comfort in the hard work and preparation you put into the application process. Perseverance and tenacity to not only reach but attempt to reach goals are also valuable characteristics often honed through adversity. The admissions process is one that the applicant has limited control over. There should be some comfort in recognizing that everything happens for a reason. If you have received other acceptances, to only dwell on where you did not get in is a consummate waste of time and energy and will not change the outcome.

It has been shown to me time and time again that there is tremendous wisdom and value in UCLA Basketball Coach John Wooden’s quote: “Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.”

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