Award: Millennium Scholarship

Value: $4,000, $16,000, $20,000 for local, provincial, and national, respectively.

Purpose: The Millennium Award seeks to “… recognize the leaders of today and tomorrow and emphasize the importance of supporting their contributions in our country’s future.”

Criteria (4):

• Community involvement.
• Leadership.
• Innovation: ingenuity and a talent for implementing new ideas.
• Academic achievement: ability to maintain a solid academic record.

Award: TD Canada Trust Scholarships for Community Leadership

Value: Up to $60,000, which includes up to $10,000 for tuition per year; $5,000 a year toward living expenses; an offer of summer employment.

Purpose: “The TD Canada Trust Scholarships for Community Leadership reward students who have shown leadership in the areas of local employment programs, environmental clean.up, support group creation, and family services initiatives.”

Criteria (3):

• Have demonstrated outstanding community Leadership.
• Are in their final year of high school.
• Present a minimum academic average of 75%.

Award: Bourse Loran Award (presented by the Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation)

Value: $8,000 (renewable each year of undergraduate studies).

Purpose: “Founded in 1988, The Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation was the first national organization in Canada to grant scholarships based on a mix of academic achievement, extracurricular activity, and leadership potential.”

Criteria (3):

• Community Service.
• Leadership potential.
• Character.

Award: Wendy’s Classic Achiever Scholarship

Value: $5,000 (top 8 regional winners), $1,000 (all other regional winners).

Purpose: “The Wendy’s Classic Achiever Scholarship Awards Program exists to recognize graduating Canadian high school students like you who excel in academics, extracurricular activities and community service. And to encourage you to keep up the good work as you advance to college or university.”

Criteria (4):

• Demonstrated involvement in community service.
• Are in their final year of high school.
• Participated in at least one extracurricular.
• Present a minimum academic average of 70%.

Award: The Blake, Cassels, & Graydon LLB Entrance Scholarships

Value: $1,000 – 5,000

Purpose: Open to students entering first-year Law at the University of Toronto

Criteria (4):

• Public Service.
• Extracurricular activities.
• Academic excellence.
• Financial need.

PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS:

University of Toronto Admissions:
“Many universities want to look at more than marks when they consider students for admission or for scholarships. Participation, leadership, contribution, and personal achievement are often important factors along with academic success.”

Queen’s Medical school
Applicants must "explain your past experiences in which you showed sensitivity to the needs of other people … [and] how you've worked as part of a team; describe your collaboration skills."

UofT Faculty of Law admissions
Potential students must also “highlight their non-academic accomplishments.”

PURSUING CAREERS:

Peter Beggs, Manager, IBM Software Dpt (involved in hiring):
“University graduates applying to IBM all have the “hard skills,” such as Engineering or Computer Science degrees. We spend most of our interviews learning about their “soft skills” that distinguish them from others. These skills include leadership, communication, teamwork, the ability to learn, maturity, trustworthiness, international experience ... now, for a University hire, how do we assess these job skills if there is little work experience? One way is to look at what the candidate does outside school.”