Graduate Test Preparation Award Info

GRADUATE TEST PREPARATION AWARD

Thank you for your interest in the ASUH Graduate Test Preparation Award. This opportunity was created to assist full-time, classified undergraduate students financially for graduate test preparation costs. (Awards may be subject to state and federal applicable taxes. This may also affect your financial aid status and cost of attendance.)

Depending on your application, you may be awarded up to $1,000.

Note: Past and present ASUH Senators, Executive Officers, Student Court Members and ASUH student employees are not eligible to receive these awards.

APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR SPRING 2024 APPLICANTS

APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 29, 2024 @ 11:59PM HST

APPLICANT INTERVIEWS: To Be Announced

GRAD TEST PREP AWARD REQUIREMENTS

Student seeking to apply for the ASUH Graduate Test Preparation Award:

Must be a full-time, undergraduate, classified student at UH Mānoa.
Must be at least a Junior class standing (60+ earned credits).
Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Student applying for the ASUH Graduate Test Preparation Award:

Must submit a copy of their most recently completed semester's official transcript to the ASUH Office; Incoming freshman applicants must submit their official high school transcript. Transcripts should be requested as early as possible to ensure that they can be submitted on time with your application. We are now accepting unofficial transcripts. All transcripts should be mailed to:

Associated Students of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa

2465 Campus Road

Campus Center Rm 211A

Honolulu, HI 96822

Must submit an essay and a detailed budget sheet listing costs of graduate tests, preparation courses, study materials, etc. and follow all Essay and Budget Guidelines.
ASUH will only fund one (1) exam fee, justified as form of preparation
ASUH will not fund personal items
Must submit a Letter of Recommendation from a non-family member.
Must submit a list of accomplishments you have been involved in while attending college.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

Letter of Recommendation can be overlooked upon request only due to extenuating circumstances. Please email asuhuaa@hawaii.edu two weeks prior to application deadline.
The UAA committee has discretion to fund all or part of any applications.
An applicant's GPA/transcript is a dependable indicator

Requirements

FUNDING DEADLINE FOR SPRING 2024 GRAD TEST PREP AWARD APPLICANTS

All applications are accepted until February 29, 2024 @ 11:59PM HST

All application materials must be submitted by [TBA]

The Undergraduate Academic Academic Affairs Committee will be reviewing applications within the month of October.

If awarded, you will be notified by email to pick up your award packet in person at the ASUH Office in order to receive a mandatory 15-minute briefing on required fiscal paperwork.

IF YOU DO NOT SUBMIT ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS ON TIME, YOUR APPLICATION WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. NO EXCEPTIONS!

*Students who have received this award are not able to apply again within the same academic school year*

Deadlines

APPLICATION PROCESSING

As of Fall 2014, all applications are electronic and all materials must be submitted by the deadline. Applications are processed by ASUH and reviewed by the Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA) Committee within two - four weeks of the submission deadline. Students will be notified of the decision via email after UAA has made a set decision.

ASUH GRAD TEST PREP AWARD APPLICATION FORMS

Online Application - application form for the ASUH Grad Test Prep Award
Letter of Recommendation - to be filled out by an appropriate reference

Application

Essay/Budget Guidelines

GRAD TEST PREP AWARD ESSAY & BUDGET GUIDELINES

BUDGET PROPOSAL

Please include an itemized budget as a supplement that justifies your projected expenses. This should be presented in an easy-to-understand format. You are asking for funding, so make it comprehensive, concise, and organized. The budget must be a table with the following columns.

Item number - for organization/understanding, group your items by categories. i.e. travel, supplies, etc.
Item description - i.e. chemicals, supplies, materials, postage, software, etc.
Quantity
Item Cost
Justifications - be as specific as possible, as times may be selectively awarded.

ESSAY GUIDELINES

Please follow the essay requirements for the award you are applying under. You will be scored upon how well your essay addresses the specific questions listed. The rubric can be found here.
Answer the required essay questions in no more than 1,000 words, single spaced, 12 pt font in Times New Roman.
Required questions:

What made you interested in your undergraduate major and the professional degree program for which you will be applying for in the future?
Why should the committee consider you to receive this award, and (if applicable) have there been any unique circumstances that have influenced your educational goals?
Where and at what kind of job do you see yourself working once you graduate with your professional degree?

NOTE: THE BUDGET AND ESSAY MUST BE SUBMITTED AS TWO SEPARATE DOCUMENTS.

ESSAY SCORING RUBRIC

The Grad Test Prep Award Essay is scored based on this rubric.
NOTE: All scores will be divided by 4 to create a score on a 4.0 scale, and then combined with GPA, Budget and Letter of Recommendation values. All components must be included for consideration.

Essay Scoring Rubric

4 points

Prompt is clear in the essay.

Informative with clear focus and supporting details.

Very well organized; easy to read.

Voice is confident throughout.

Sentence flow throughout essay.

Nouns and verbs make essay informative.

Zero grammatical errors.

3 points

Prompt is somewhat clear in the essay.

Informative with clear focus with some supporting details.

Has a beginning, middle, and end.

Voice is confident moderately.

Sentences mostly flow.

Decent use of nouns and verbs.

Few grammatical errors.

2 points

Prompt needs to be elaborated.

Focus needs to be expanded and supporting details are needed.

Little organization, needs transitions.

Voice is somewhat confident.

Sentences needs to flow.

Needs specific nouns and verbs; too general.

Several grammatical errors.

ESSAY PROMPT

IDEAS

ORGANIZATION

VOICE

SENTENCE FLUENCY

WORD CHOICE

CONVENTIONS

1 point

Prompt was not included, and essay is irrelevant

Topic needs to be developed.

Organization is needed.

Little to no voice; needs confidence.

Sentences are difficult to read and do not flow.

Little to no use of specific nouns and verbs.

Many errors which make it hard to read and understand.

GRAD TEST PREP AWARD FISCAL PROCEDURES

Fiscal Procedures

REIMBURSEMENT

ASUH will only fund applicants via reimbursement. If the UAA Committee awards you a Grad Test Prep Award, A reimbursement packet will be required for each individual/organization. The reimbursement documents required include:

REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST FORM
1. A form requesting reimbursement for money that was spent on goods related to the Senate Act allocation.
WH-1 TAX FORM or W-9 TAX FORM
1. The WH-1 is to be filled out by individuals who are seeking reimbursement. Please note that we do not allow dorm addresses. The W-9 is to be filled out if it is an organization seeking reimbursement.
RECEIPT LOG and COVER SHEETS FOR RECEIPTS
1. Please list any and all relevant costs incurred for your reimbursement on the receipt log and support it by attaching receipts to the cover sheets. All receipts must be itemized and have the pertinent information as outlined in the ASUH Fiscal Funding procedures.
2. If items were purchased before the event date, please create a letter stating the reason why items were purchased ahead of time.
CLARIFY LINE ITEMS FORM (if necessary)
1. If the receipt lists items that may not be easily deciphered, fill out this form to clarify what was purchased.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
1. Examples can be found in the fiscal funding procedures packet above. If items were purchased with a credit card, provide a front scan of the credit card blacking out all digits except the last four as well as a copy of the bank statement with the relevant purchases highlighted.
2. If items were purchased with a check, please provide a copy of the cancelled check (can be requested from your bank) and a copy of the bank statement with the relevant purchases highlighted.
3. If travel was involved, please provide the itinerary, booking confirmation, and boarding passes (if flight was already taken).