CS Scholarship Pre-Application 2023-2024

Introduction

Welcome, Chicago Scholars scholarship applicants, and thank you for your interest in our scholarship opportunities! In order to streamline the application process, we have created a two-part application process for the following scholarships that are managed by Chicago Scholars - please stay tuned for additional scholarships to be added:

The Manjie Sikdar Scholarship (updated: now due 3/3)
The Manny and Pat Pulido Sanchez Legacy Scholarship (updated: now due 3/3)
The Rusty Cohen Legacy Scholarship (updated: now due 3/3)
The Generations Scholarship (due 4/1)
The Invenergy Scholarship (due 4/1)

In part one, the pre-application, you will submit general information that would be relevant for any of the scholarships in which you are interested (similar to the "Common App" for college admissions). Our goal is to simplify the process so that if you are interested in applying for more than one of the included scholarships you will only need to submit your general information one time.

Part two of the application process will be specific to individual scholarship opportunities and requirements. Depending on the requirements of a specific scholarship, part two might include completing a scholarship-specific essay, requesting letters of recommendation, or submitting an example of your work.

Scholarship applications will only be considered complete if both components have been submitted (the CS Scholarship Pre-Application and the individual scholarship application).

As always, Chicago Scholars is here for you! If you have any questions regarding the scholarship application process or need assistance along the way, please contact us at: scholarships@chicagoscholars.org.

Before you begin the pre-application:

Please ensure that you have all of the following materials available to you and ready to upload, if relevant. You will NOT be able to save and resume your work on the pre-application, so you will need to submit in one sitting.

Transcript including first-semester senior year grades (can be unofficial)
Your household’s gross income for 2022 (you will not be asked to submit tax documents, but you should use them as reference)
Your Student Aid Report from FAFSA (if applicable)
Financial aid award letters you have received from your preferred schools (if applicable)
List of activities or resume

Which scholarship are you interested in applying for?

If you submit the pre-application and would later like to revise your selections, feel free to email us at: scholarships@chicagoscholars.org

General Background Information

First Name

Last Name

Preferred Name

Pronouns:

Preferred Email Address

Email address that will be used after graduation (personal email)

This may be the same as your preferred email, but should not be a high school email address.

Phone Number

If you have completed the FAFSA and received your SAI, what is your SAI (Student Aid Index)? If this does not apply, please write "N/A"

We understand you may not have received your SAI yet. If/when financial info becomes available after you have submitted your pre-application, please let us know at scholarships@chicagoscholars.org.

What was your household's gross income for 2022?

Please use your parent and/or guardians' tax documents to help you, if available. The total gross income is the amount of money earned by a person in one year from all sources before taxes. Add these amounts for all individuals living within the household.

Number of family members in household (including you):

Are you considered an STLS (Student in Temporary Living Situations) student? The definition of STLS is Students who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time place of residence, including those who are: sharing housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason (sometimes referred to as "doubled-up:); living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, or camping ground due to lack of alternative, adequate accommodations; living in an emergency or transitional shelter; living in a car, park, public place, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus, or train station or similar setting; having a primary nighttime residence that is a private or public space not designated or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation; unaccompanied youth.

YesNo

Please select your citizenship status.

School and Program Information

You must be a participant in the Chicago Scholars program in order to be eligible for this scholarship. Are you a Chicago Scholar?

YesNoMaybe (please contact scholarships@chicagoscholars.org if you are unsure)

What is your Chicago Scholars cohort number?

Name of the school you presently attend:

Will you be graduating from high school in the spring of 2024?

YesNo

Your cumulative unweighted GPA is:

Your weighted GPA is:

Do you confirm that your school attendance rate is 85% or higher?

YesNoYour counselor must be able to verify this information.

Names of colleges/universities to which you have been admitted:

Do you already know which college you will be attending?

YesNo

If yes, which school?

If no, what are some of your top choices?

What is your intended major(s) or field of study? If unknown, what are you considering?

List other scholarships you have been offered, including scholarship amounts. If not applicable, write n/a:

Scholarship Name, Amount per year, Frequency (ex: one time award, renewable annually, etc.)

Additional Documents to Upload:

Activities

We'd love to learn more about your interests and activities! Please upload a list of activities that includes information about extracurriculars, volunteer projects, and jobs and/or internships that have been important to you during high school.

If you have a resume, you can upload it in place of your activity list, although it is not required. A simple list of your most significant activities is all that is needed. For each activity, please include:

Organization/Employer
Position held
Dates of involvement (ie. sophomore through senior year, summer of 2021, etc.)
Hours per week or total hours completed
Briefly describe or list your responsibilities and duties and/or any awards or accomplishments you'd like to include

List of Activities / Resume

Academics & Score Reports

High School Transcript, including 1st semester senior grades (can be unofficial)

SAT/ACT Scores (optional)

Financial Information

You are strongly encouraged to attach one or more of the following to demonstrate financial need: FAFSA Student Aid Report listing SAI (Student Aid Index) and/or Financial Aid Award letters from colleges. If you have not completed the FAFSA or it has not yet been processed, you are welcome to upload a brief note explaining the circumstances. Screenshots of your SAI and/or an estimated SAI and estimated award letters may also be uploaded.

We understand that there have been FAFSA delays this year, resulting in award letter delays as well. This form may be submitted without attaching financial information. If/when financial information becomes available after you have submitted your pre-application, we encourage you to let us know at scholarships@chicagoscholars.org and we will send you a secure link to upload the information so we can add it to your application file. Feel free to email with any questions - we're here to help!

FAFSA Student Aid Report, including SAI

Financial Aid Award letter from school you are considering attending

General upload (optional)

Optional: If additional information is needed regarding an aspect of your pre-application you can upload it here. In most cases, this will not be necessary.

Signature Page

I have confirmed that all my information is correct, and I am ready to submit my Chicago Scholars Scholarship Pre-Application.

YesNo

I understand that completion of this CS Scholarship Pre-Application form is only one part of my scholarship application(s). My CS scholarship application(s) will only be considered complete when I have also submitted the application(s) for individual scholarship(s) for which I am applying.

YesNoSee page 1 of pre-application for links to individual scholarship applications. Please visit chicagoscholars.org/scholarships for more information.

I understand that, during the application review period, the CS Scholarships Team may request additional information (such as recent financial aid award letters, updated information regarding other scholarships received, college admissions updates, etc.).

YesNo

I certify that this pre-application and all attachments are complete and true. I hereby authorize Chicago Scholars to furnish copies of my academic record, this application, and letters of recommendation to the Scholarship Committee and scholarship donor(s) for review. I authorize my college or university and/or Chicago Scholars to furnish information on my academic and general progress to the scholarship donor. If selected, I further authorize release of information for publicity purposes.

YesNo

My full legal name is

Date