Dear Future Student Leaders Applicants

Dear Future Student Leader,
You're brave. You're lucky. And you might just be worth a million bucks.
Did you know that Bank of America spends over a million dollars on it's Student Leader program each year?
If they're willing to drop one million dollars on you, that means they must think you're pretty great.
To those of you applying, I have a few tips:
1) Be true to yourself! As my good friend Ibriham said on this blog a few post ago, "Make your application a clone of yourself." Be sincere! Bank of America is trying to find people who are geninue and real.
2) Edit! Make sure you're not writing your application in "text-speak." I student-aid occasionally, and you'd be suprised how many students slip up in a major paper with phrases like "LOL and BTW."
3) Don't be too stuffy! While you DO have to edit, again, make sure that you're speaking in your own voice. Smiley faces are okay! :) My application was filled with them.
4) Make sure to include all your volunteer hours. Volunteering is a big part of getting selected. Make sure you remember to include instances you've volunteered at your church, your school, even just helping your elderly neighbor rake! Every little bit makes a difference.
5) Explain how your work in the community has impacted YOU! Don't just give a laundry list of "I did this. I did that." Tell Bank of America how volunteering & community service made you FEEL. Tell them how it affected you. They care about YOU, and YOUR potential as a leader, not nessesarily the exact times and dates that you worked at church camp.
6) Use your words wisely, but don't cut your application short. When I applied, there was a word limit. I tried to utilze that word limit to the best of my ability and make sure I gave a full and accurate picture of who I was to the reader.
7) Cross your fingers and hope for the best. The Student Leader program is extremely competetive! Don't feel bad if you're rejected. If you can, try again next year! There's only so many spots and it's probably extremely difficult to chose from so many stellar applications.

The first step to being a Bank of America Student Leader is applying. Good luck, and may the odds be EVER in your favor. :)

-Mary Di Valerio
Student Leader 2013