Dan Sayles
Staff Writer

Landis Leadership Scholars held a presentation Wednesday to discuss how to prepare for applying to their scholarship program.

The Landis Leadership Scholarship Program represents only the top one percent of students in the University, but people view the program as more than just a scholarship.

“You don’t get (many) opportunities to see yourself as you do (when) applying for the scholarship,” said Molly Morin, a senior.

The program consists of two semester-long, one-hour per week classes.

In the first class, students become immersed in theory and how to become a leader, while the next semester, President Stephen Morgan comes in to talk with the class.

The class is one unit, and in either semester the student is required to produce a five-page report about someone on campus who is, in their opinion, a good leader.

Throughout the meeting, Morin and senior Alex Lester stressed important aspects when applying for the Landis Scholarship.

“The interviews are like job interviews,” senior Chanel Kaufman said.

“You have to say what you want to get out of the program. You really have to prepare, talk to someone close to you, who knows you,” Kaufman said.

“It’s okay to have flaws,” Lester said.

Another tip leaders gave on the application process was a more pragmatic suggestion: proofread your applications.

Since there are many applications being sent, several of them are put aside if they have grammar, punctuation and spelling errors.

“You should also use resume paper,” Lester said.

Lester also stressed the importance of taking the time to really think about your response to the questions given during the interview.

Out of the many applicants for the program, approximately 30 students make it to the group interview, where they will have to provide a five-minute presentation based on a question that the committee gives them, as well as answer any questions the committee brings up after the presentation.

“It’s alright to take a few seconds to pause and think about your response,” Lester said.

“The pause may seem long to you, but to the person asking the question, it’s short,” Lester said.

Most importantly, they all agreed, interviewees should be themselves during the five-minute presentation.

“They’ll know when you’re not being yourself,” Lester said.

Dan Sayles can be reached at dsayles@ulv.edu.