Distinguished Scholarship Invitational Application

    Distinguished Scholarship Invitational

    The Distinguished Scholarship Invitational at Wichita State is one of the area’s most prominent scholarship competitions, including the $64,000 Harry Gore Memorial Scholarships— the largest annual undergraduate scholarships in Kansas.

    To be eligible to compete, you must:

    1. Be a 2024 high school graduate
    2. Submit Wichita State admission application materials
    3. Meet ONE of the following criteria:
      • Have a minimum unweighted 3.5 GPA, or
      • Have a minimum ACT composite score of 27, or
      • Have a minimum SAT composite of 1280, or
      • Rank in the top 10 percent of your class at the end of your junior year

    DSI materials deadline: Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023 by 11:59 p.m. CST

    Competition: Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023

    All students who submit a DSI application are accepted to the competition. Students must be physically present on-campus for the competition on Nov. 18 to be considered for the scholarship. There is not a virtual option.

    Sessions (choose one): AM Session (8 AM-Noon) or PM Session (1:30-5:30 PM)

    Timeline of events

    • November 2023 – Applications are reviewed and scored.
    • Nov. 18, 2023 – DSI competition held on campus.
    • By week of Dec. 4, 2023 – Students will receive notification about moving forward as a DSI semifinalist.
    • Dec. 16, 2023 – Gore Core - a celebratory event held for the DSI semifinalists. This is not a mandatory or scored event – simply a way to celebrate being a semifinalist with other students from the competition.
    • By Dec. 18, 2023 – Semifinalists will receive notification about moving forward as a DSI finalist. 
    • Jan. 18, 2024 – DSI finalists will participate in a final interview with the Gore selection committee. 
    • Jan. 26, 2024 – Announcement of 2024 Gore Scholars.
    Questions about the DSI competition or Gore Scholarships can go to dsi@wichita.edu. 

    Ready to start completing your application? Follow these tips!

    1) Start by reviewing the following essay questions and preparing your responses. Each essay question has a limit of 500 words.
    • Essay Question 1 - Tell us about your educational goals while at Wichita State and your intended career goals after graduation. You can include why you chose your major, special interests/talents/goals, or unique experiences that have led you to your future career choice. If you haven't decided on a major, tell us about possible interests and goals.
    • Essay Question 2 - Donald McGannon said "Leadership is an action, not a position." Share your thoughts on this statement. Include personal experiences and examples to support your ideas.
    2) Type your essays in Word, and create your activities chart. Scroll to the bottom of the application to read more information about the activities chart. 
    3) Have someone proofread all of those.
    4) Come back to your application when you're ready to upload the essays and activities chart. 
    5) Complete the contact information and DSI event information. Upload your essays and activities chart. Hit submit!

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