The Next Genius Scholarship Program School Handbook 2017 …cdn.buddy4study.com/static/scholarship_docs/doc_8752Student... · The Next Genius Scholarship Program School Handbook 2017-18

The Next Genius Scholarship Program

School Handbook 2017-18

[email protected] | www.next-genius.com | +91-91677-87851

Index


Contents

1. About The Next Genius Foundation

2. Our Scholarships

3. Eligibility

4. Past Scholarship Winners

5. Scholarship Timeline

6. Our Selection Process

7. Level 1: Online Critical Thinking Assessment

8. Sample Questions

9. Shortlisting Students

10. College Applications

11. Level 2: Scholarship Interviews & Awards

12. Final Awards

13. Scholarship Acceptance

14. The BL Mandhana Scholarships

15. Low-interest Education Loans

16. Contact Us

About The Next Genius Foundation


The Next Genius Foundation was co-founded by the dynamic father-son duo of Naveen &

Neeraj Mandhana. They follow in the footsteps of the late Shree Bhawarlalji Mandhana,

retired Judge, Rajasthan High Court and retired Law Secretary of Rajasthan.

Naveen Mandhana, Director of Videocon Industries Limited and an engineer by education

is an alumni of BITS, Pilani. He actively overlooks the management of the program.

Neeraj Mandhana is a distinguished career counselor based in Mumbai and is an alumni

of the University of Cambridge and UCLA. He overlooks the talent search process and

manages the college and corporate partnerships.

The program is made possible by generous donations raised from individual citizens,

Indian corporations and leading partner colleges abroad.

Founded in 2014, The Next Genius

Foundation is a registered

charitable trust in India that offers

full and partial tuition scholarships

to outstanding Indian high school

students to pursue their

undergraduate education in North

America and Europe. We are the

largest undergraduate abroad

scholarship fund in India.

Our vision is to identify world

changers, and connect them with

outstanding educational and career

opportunities. In working with these

students – beginning in high

school, through college and onto

their careers – we hope to

establish a community of future

leaders who will leave a strong

impact on society.

Enhancing college access to

students from families with diverse

income backgrounds is a core

beliefs of ours. In association with

our banking partners, The Next

Genius Foundation offers low-

interest educational loans to select

high school students.

Our Scholarships


The foundation offers full and half tuition scholarships in association with our partner

colleges, and the coveted BL Mandhana Scholarship award to highly promising Indian

students. In 2017, scholarships worth over USD 6 million will be awarded to the most

promising Indian students.

Full & Partial Tuition Scholarships

Winners are guaranteed college admission and provided a full or partial tuition

scholarship for four year of study in a subject of their choice at one of the following

colleges:

• Beloit College, Wisconsin

• Drew University, New Jersey

• Foothill College, California*

• Juniata College, Pennsylvania

• Lynn University, Florida

• Millsaps College, Mississippi

The BL Mandhana Scholarships

The winners of this highly coveted scholarship are awarded with a USD 10,000 award

towards their tuition fees at any college of their choice in North America or Europe.

• Saint Michael's College, Vermont

• Texas Christian University, Texas

• Union College, New York

• University of Rochester, New York

• Wheaton College, Massachusetts

Eligibility


Eligibility

Only high school students who are in Grade 12 (or gap year) as on November 12,

2017 are eligible for these scholarships. You must be an Indian citizen, a PIO card

holder, or studying at a high school located in India to qualify.

Conditions

The foundation welcomes applications from students with any learning or physical

disability. Equal opportunities are provided to everyone, irrespective of gender,

caste, geography, or economic background. Awarding the final scholarship is

solely at the discretion of the Next Genius Foundation. All awards are given,

subject to the eligibility criterion and availability of funding. In case of any foul play

(as determined by the foundation), we reserve the right to withhold awarding the

scholarships.

Past Scholarship Winners

Being selected as a Next Genius Scholar is a matter of great pride. The outstanding individuals

identified by us every year are highly valued by the colleges they attend and by the organizations

they pursue their internships with. As a Next Genius Scholar, you’ll join a select community of

distinguished individuals that receives continuous career mentoring, internship and job support

from our foundation in future years. A list of past Next Genius Scholars is provided below.

Full Scholarship Winners

Aliya Abdul Rahim City Montessori School, Lucknow

Anoushka Agrawal Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai

Gyana Srivastava The Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai

Meesha Gupta Neerja Modi School, Jaipur

Shivangi Ambardar St. Thomas' School, New Delhi

Tanvi Pande Bombay International School, Mumbai

Partial Scholarship Winners

Aditya Kanti Datta Chinmaya International Residential School, Coimbatore

Ajay Bijish Issac The King's School, Kollam

Amay Chaturvedi Alpha Junior College, Mumbai

Amrita Dilesh Barodia New Tulip International School, Ahmedabad

Ansh Bhatnagar Timpany Senior Secondary School, Vishakhapatnam

Chaitali Tongaonkar Mercedes-Benz International School, Pune

Danush Shekar Delhi Public School, Bangalore South

Dhruv Joshi UWC Mahindra College, Pune

Gazal Singh Amity International, New Delhi

Ishita Ratra Alliance World School, Noida

Jay Rawal St. Mary's School, New Delhi

Karina Khanna St. Xavier's College, Mumbai

Krish Wadhwana PACE Junior Science College, Mumbai

Manan Bhalla Delhi Public School, Gwalior

Manan Sanjeev Mittal The Cathedral and John Connon, Mumbai

Parth Shelgaonkar Nath Valley School, Aurangabad

Poorva Zope UWC Mahindra College, Pune

Prakriti Sharma Goldcrest International School, Navi Mumbai

Rahul Mittal The Emerald Heights International, Indore

Rajvi Thakkar Jai Hind College, Mumbai

Rishil Sheth Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai

Satvika Devrani Oberoi International School, Mumbai

Seemal Alok Malpani The Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai

Shlok Kothari Choithram International School, Indore

Simran Sharma AMS P Obul Reddy Public School, Hyderabad

Smrutam Siba Barpanda Choithram International School , Indore

Syamantak Sen Birla High School, Kolkata

Tanisha Nair Singapore International School, Mumbai

Twyla Rivalee Barkakoty Faculty Higher Secondary School, Guwahati

Utsav Tatu Mallya Aditi International School, Bangalore

Vanshree Mathur Goldcrest International School, Navi Mumbai

Vennila Pugazhenthi Alpha Wisdom Vidyashram, Trichy

Yash Mahadevan Iyer The Cathedral Vidya School, Lonavala


Scholarship Timeline


Student Registration (Open)

June 1, 2017

Student Registration (Close)

November 10, 2017

Level 1: Online Assessment

November 12, 2017

Students Shortlisted

November 30, 2017

Students Submit Full College Application

January 1, 2018

Level 2: Scholarship Interview & Awards

January 13, 2018

Scholarship Acceptance Deadline

March 30, 2018

School Registration Deadline

June 1, 2017

Our Selection Process


Prospective applicants for the scholarship will undergo a careful two-stage review

process. Successful candidates must be able to demonstrate a strong ability to think

critically, a passion for learning and a desire to bring a positive change in the world.

To win a Next Genius Scholarship, you must clear two levels as follows.

Level 1 - Online Assessment

November 12, 2017

(Conducted Online)

• Apply Online before November 10, 2017

• Scholarship application is free of charge

• Complete a basic profile

• Take an online critical thinking assessment on November 12 (Sunday). The

assessment will measure your ability to read effectively, reason, analyze data

and solve puzzles.

Level 2 - Personal Interviews

January 13, 2018

(Conducted in Mumbai)

• Shortlisted students from Level 1 will be interviewed by the Next Genius team

and the Admission Officer(s) from the respective colleges in a group setting in

Mumbai.

• Prior to the interviews, the students will be asked to submit their full college

application online, supporting financial aid documentation and a ZeeMee profile

by January 1, 2018.


To identify the best critical thinking students, the online test will be conducted on

November 12, 2017, at no cost to the contestants, or their schools. The application

deadline is November 10, 2017. After creating an account on www.next-genius.com,

students must log-in and complete their profile.

i. On November 12, 2017, registered contestants will log-in into their account on

the website and complete a critical thinking assessment.

ii. The assessment can be taken at any place of convenience like home, school

or even a cyber-cafe. Student will need a system (laptop/desktop) with good

internet connection and functional webcam.

iii. The test consists a total of 36 multiple choice questions with just one correct

answer. The online assessment will last 2 hours.

iv. The questions are divided over three sections with 12 questions per section.

The three sections are: Logical Inquiry, Functional Literacy, Data Analysis

v. Each question in the test is allotted limited time. Student needs to solve the

problem and mark the correct answer within the allotted time to score.

vi. To acquaint yourself with the type of questions asked in this online critical

thinking assessment, you can follow us on Facebook where we post a

‘Question of the Day’, log-in to the account and solve the practice question

section, and order a past questions booklet with us

vii. The next page contains a sample question in all the three sections.

Level 1: Online Critical Thinking Assessment

Sample Questions

Sample Question 1: Functional Literacy (180 seconds)

Passionate television viewers are more likely to take sleeping pills at bedtime

than people who enjoy listening to classical music. Listening to classical

music just before bedtime helps to get a more restful night’s sleep, whereas

watching television before bedtime has an opposite effect. Which option

would make the author’s argument weak?

(A) People who enjoy classical music typically like to read just before bedtime.

(B) Reading a book before bedtime helps to get restful sleep more than

listening music does.

(C)Sleeplessness is more common among people who watch late-night

television than among people who do not.

(D)Bedtime activity that is mentally stimulating interferes with a person’s

ability to fall asleep.

(E) A silent environment is less helpful to restful sleep than an environment

with calm music.

Sample Question 2: Data Interpretation (180 seconds)

Rahul, Sarath and Tarun are three friends. They live in different cities & have

different number of siblings. Using the additional information find out how

many siblings does Tarun has?

1. Rahul lives in Mumbai and has at least one sibling.

2. Sarath has at most one sibling.

3. The friend who lives in Delhi has two siblings.

4. One of them has exactly one sibling.

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) More than 2 (E) Cannot be determined

Sample Question 3: Logical Inquiry (180 seconds)

Two cars started traveling toward each other at 10 AM from Mumbai and

Aurangabad which are 392 km apart. They passed each other at 1:30 PM. If

the speed of the faster car is 8 km per hour more than the slower car, find the

speed, in km per hour, of the faster car.

(A) 112 (B) 56 (C) 60 (D) 52 (E) 57



Shortlisting Students

Interview Shortlisting

Following the Level 1 – Online Assessment, all contestants will be ranked on the

basis of their performance. Their performance will be gauged on their accuracy and

speed of solving questions. The top performers will be shortlisted for Level 2 -

Personal Interviews. Email notifications to these students will be sent within four

working days of the online assessment (by November 16, 2017).

Scholarship Matching

Shortlisted students will be provided detailed information about the various Next

Genius Scholarships. By November 21, 2017 these students will fill an online form

to set their college preference order (rank) and the scholarships they wish to be

considered for.

Combining their college preference order, critical thinking assessment scores and

profiles, the Next Genius team will allocate a college to all the shortlisted students

by November 30, 2017. This allocation will segregate all the students into mutually

exclusive cohorts per scholarship. Students will then have till December 5, 2017 to

accept the allocation (by sending confirmation email to [email protected])

and hence continue their candidature in the program.


College Applications

Shortlisted students will be provided an application fee waiver for the respective

colleges and be asked to submit their full application (ticklist to be provided by us)

by January 1, 2018. All applications will be under the Regular Decision enrollment

plan at this stage.

Prior to the final scholarship interview, the shortlisted students are expected to

submit the following documents to the college of their choice. All documents must

reach the college before January 1, 2018. This is the responsibility of the student.

The following is a sample list of college & financial aid application. The exact

requirements per college will be shared from our side in early December.

College Application

Completed CommonApp Application Form

Completed College Specific Supplementary Form

School Counselor/Principal Recommendation Letter

Submission of Grade 9-12 Transcripts by School Counselor

Two Teacher Recommendation Letters

SAT/ACT* (might be required by some colleges)

TOEFL/IELTS* (might be required by some colleges)

ZeeMee Profile Link

Portfolio * (might be required for certain majors)

Financial Aid Application

CSS Profile

ISFAA Form

COF Form

Scan of parents last 3 years Income Tax returns

Last 12 months bank statement of parents


Mumbai Interviews, January 13 (Saturday), 2018

Shortlisted students who have submitted their full college application will be invited to

attend a group interview with The Next Genius Foundation and the college admission

officer on January 13 (Saturday), 2018.

The tentative schedule for the day is as follows:

09:00 – 10:00 Student Registration

10:00 – 12:00 Interview

12:00 – 15:00 Break

15:00 – 17:00 Final Award Ceremony

17:00 – 18:00 Socializing with College Representatives

You will be updated with detailed interview-related information in early December by

our team. The Next Genius Foundation is not liable to incur the costs associated with

your travel and stay (or any other actuals costs incurred) in Mumbai. This is the

liability of the students and their family. We recommend that at least one family

member accompany the student while the attend the interview.

Please note that, under no circumstance will the interview be conducted in your

hometown or any other location/city. You must book your travel tickets and

accommodation in Mumbai only after accepting the allocated college and confirming

to Next Genius by December 5, 2017. If you are arriving for the interviews from

outside Mumbai, plan to arrive on January 12, 2017 evening and depart post 8 PM on

January 13, 2017. We are aware that smog in North India causes flight and train

delays at this time of the year, please book your tickets accordingly.

Level 2: Scholarship Interviews & Awards


Award Ceremony, January 13 (Saturday), 2018

The scholarship winners will be felicitated in a public ceremony in Mumbai on January

13 (Saturday), 2018. This is a moment of great pride for the student, their family and

their school. The Next Genius Scholarships are non-binding and guarantee admission

in the college.

Scholarship Inclusions

Full Tuition Scholarship

The Next Genius Scholarship only covers the actual tuition (fees) component of the

undergraduate education. A 100% tuition fees scholarship winner will be provided a full-

tuition fee waiver for only four years of their undergraduate education. The scholarship

does not offer money for actual expenses such as accommodation, food, stationery,

insurance & travel. Parents will be made aware that living cost in the US vary according

to the location and can range anywhere between USD 10,000 - 20,000 per year. Any

non-tuition expenses are the liability of the parents and the student.

Partial Tuition Scholarship

A partial scholarship winner would be provided a partial-tuition fee waiver for only four

years of their undergraduate education. The scholarship does not offer money for

actual expenses such as accommodation, food, stationery, insurance & travel. Parents

will be made aware that living cost in the US vary according to the location and can

range anywhere between USD 10,000 - 20,000 per year. Any non-tuition expenses are

the liability of the parents and the student.

Final Awards


Scholarship Acceptance

Full Scholarship Winner Enrollment

Next Genius Scholarships are non binding. The full-tuition scholarship winner

will have until March 30th, 2018 to decide if they wish to accept the

scholarship. In case they accept, the college will issue a letter of acceptance to

the winner. In case, they decline, Next Genius Foundation will identify a

waitlisted student who is in agreement of accepting the scholarship and issue

the letter of acceptance to them.

Partial Scholarship Winner Enrollment

The partial scholarship winners will have till March 30th, 2018 to decide if they

wish to accept their award and enroll with the college. In case they accept, the

college will issue them a letter of acceptance.


The BL Mandhana Scholarships

Students who wish to be considered for The BL Mandhana Scholarship must follow the

process below. These highly coveted and competitive scholarships will be awarded to

students who display extra-ordinary academic rigor, strong leadership skills and a

vision for their education. This scholarship awards the winner with USD 10,000 towards

their tuition fees at any college of their choice in North America or Europe.

Level 1 - Online Assessment (November 12, 2017)

Take an online critical thinking assessment on November 12 (Sunday). The

assessment will measure your ability to read effectively, reason, analyze data and

solve puzzles.

Shortlisting

All applicants of the scholarship program are eligible for The BL Mandhana

Scholarships and there is no separate application. Following the Level 1 – Online

Assessment, all students will be ranked on the basis of their performance in it. The top

performers will be shortlisted for the next level. Email notifications to these students will

be sent within four working days of the online assessment (by November 16, 2017).

Level 2 - Profile & Interview

The top performers will be asked to submit a basic profile, their ZeeMee link and an

essay in an online form by January 1, 2018. They will also be asked to select a

preferred interview slot (online or in-person in Mumbai) between Feb 15 – March 15,

2018.

Final Award

To avail the BL Mandhana Scholarships, the finalists must submit the proof of their

enrollment at a college of their choice (enrollment deposit receipt) to Next Genius by

May 1, 2018. The final award decision will be made on May 10, 2018 and the winners

will be notified via email. The scholarship awards USD 2,500 per annum for four years

of the undergraduate education (total of USD 10,000) in the form of tuition fee

payments. The first pay-out will be made on September 1, 2018.

Education abroad is expensive. We understand this. Enhancing college access

to students from families with diverse income backgrounds is a core beliefs of

ours. In association with our banking partners, The Next Genius Foundation

offers low-interest educational loans to select high school students. Only Next

Genius winners are eligible for these special loans.

Full tuition scholarship winners will have to arrange up to USD 15,000 per year

towards their living costs. Partial scholarship winners will have to arrange up to

USD 20,000 towards tuition expenses and USD 15,000 towards living costs per

year. The Next Genius Foundation will work with the winning families to plan

their educational budget in an appropriate manner.

Low-Interest Education Loans


Contact Us

www.next-genius.com

[email protected]

+91-91677-87851

Documents

The Next Genius Scholarship Program School Handbook 2017 …cdn.buddy4study.com/static/scholarship_docs/doc_8752Student... · The Next Genius Scholarship Program School Handbook 2017-18