V. Completing the Academic Merit Application - Tips

1. Complete the Academic Merit Award application. Under the "Activities" sections of the application list any honors, awards, leadership positions and/or responsibilities. Please do not use acronyms without at least first indentifying the acronym.

2. Provide the AFSA Transcript Form to your school guidance office to complete. Make sure you mark that you are applying for the Academic Merit Award. Your school needs to send/fax your (1) SAT scores, (2) grade point average for grade 9 through the first semester of 12th grade, (3) an official transcript, and (4) the AFSA Transcript Form. If you attend a non-American school, have an equivalent record sent. It is your responsibility to verify with your school that this will arrive at AFSA by February 6.

3. Two letters of recommendation (using the AFSA Recommendation Form) are required from someone familiar with your academic, extracurricular or volunteer work. Parents may not write letters of recommendation. The AFSA Recommendation Form must be used. Please inform the writer that only one page attachment is allowed. These can be sent, faxed or emailed with the application or under separate cover. All documents must arrive by February 6, and it is your responsibility to see that this is done.

4. Write a minimum of one page but not longer than two-page, double-spaced (12 point font) essay on "Describe your most memorable Foreign Service experience and why." Please use action verbs and run a spell check before submitting your essay. Grammar, analytical skills, conclusions drawn, etc., will be taken into consideration when scoring the essays especially the "why" part and what you learned from it. Include your name on the essay. Essays are worth 30 points out of 95 possible points, and the judges will score your essay not only on grammar and structure but on content and substance. See http://www.afsa.org/scholar/scoringmerit.cfm for complete details on how the Merit applications are scored.

5. In order for this application to be complete the following needs to arrive at AFSA no later than February 6: