Application Requirements
Before you begin, please ensure that you have the following documents ready to upload. The application cycle for the 2024 class is currently closed. Please check back for more information about the 2025 program in late fall.
Resume Rubric
Complete the attached form to highlight your leadership, academics, and service experiences during your high school years. Describe your club involvement, your leadership positions, academic honors, CLEP/IB/AP/AICE/dual enrollment courses, and actual amount of community service hours for each service involvement activity. Service hours do not need to be verified through your high school, but must be verifiable through an organization (i.e. Red Cross, Key Club, etc.)
If you submit a resume other than the provided form below, we will not process your application until we receive this completed rubric.
Steps to complete rubric: Open the word document below first.
- LEAD-Scholars-Resume-Rubric-2023-4
- Save document.
- Input all pertinent information.
- Upload document.
Project
Answer the following prompt:
Describe a community service project OR a leadership experience different from the essay requirement below, that has required a sustained commitment for a period of time. Please include:
- the specific leadership actions that you performed in this project,
- an explanation of your motivation, and
- a reflection of your experience and the impact that resulted.
You are strongly encouraged to be creative in your project submission. You can use the follow prompts below (we highly recommend the PowerPoint/Prezi or video options) :
- PowerPoint or Prezi (15 slides max)
- Movie/YouTube/Video (5 minutes max)
- Essay (750 words max, 12pt font, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, double-spaced, header needs
to specify which of the two topics you are answering)
Please see here for a great examples of projects!
If you have a URL for your project (Prezi, YouTube, etc.), please paste the link into a Word document and upload the document as your project in the following submission page. If you are having issues uploading, email us at leadexcellenceboard@ucf.edu.
Essay
Choose one (1) of the following three (3) prompts. Essays should be 750 words max, in 12pt Times New Roman font, have 1-inch margins, and be double-spaced. Please include your chosen prompt and your name in the header of the essay.
- What historical social change movement do you believe has had the most positive impact on society, and what lessons can you as a leader draw from it to inspire your own efforts today?
- The world around us is always changing, and it is those with passion who create positive social change. Do you see a social area or issue you think needs more recognition in your community or in society? If so, how could you bring awareness to it on UCF’s campus and beyond?
- Choose a quote about leadership that resonates with your leadership style. Reflect on a leadership experience that supports your choice.
Letter of Recommendation/Statement of Extenuating Circumstances (optional)
This section is an optional opportunity for applicants to upload a letter of recommendation or a statement of extenuating circumstances that may have impacted your high school academic or co-curricular career. The letter of recommendation should be from a high school administrator (principal, vice principal, teacher, guidance counselor, student council advisor, program or organization advisor) or a community advisor who can attest to your leadership experience. In lieu of a letter, you may also use the standard evaluation form. ) If you don’t have your letter of recommendation at the time of submission and would like to submit one later, feel free to email it to us at leadexcellenceboard@ucf.edu
Sometimes family or personal circumstances can impact your academic credentials or alter your perspective. If you have extenuating circumstances that have impacted you in any way, please use this application section to tell us about them.
To succeed as a LEAD Scholar, you must uphold each and every tenet of the UCF Creed, and to submit an application to the LEAD Scholars Academy, you must first and foremost uphold the tenet of Integrity. Failure to submit your own, original work or having someone apply on your behalf will not help you gain admittance to the program or in your future endeavors.