Mu Alpha Theta is a national organization that promotes scholarship in, and enjoyment of, mathematics among high school and two-year college students. It also partners with professional math organizations to provide opportunities for its members.
Start by identifying what makes you unique. This can include your strengths and passions, but also your vulnerabilities.
Know Yourself
Whether you’re applying for scholarships that require letters of recommendation or essays, it’s important to know yourself so you can make sure the things you put on your application reflect who you are. Scholarship committees can tell when you’re just trying to tick boxes. They want to see you genuinely care about what you’re doing.
You can start to get to know yourself by participating in activities with your Mu Alpha Theta chapter, such as the Rocket City Math League or Log1 Contest. You can also organize a virtual Applied Mathematics Day, in which you invite guest speakers from local industries or universities to talk about how their occupations involve mathematics. You can even apply for a chapter grant to help you fund your chapter’s activities and events. These grants can help cover things like materials, travel expenses and speaker fees. These are opportunities to showcase your passion and commitment for math, while also showing you’re a well-rounded student.
Know Your Purpose
Mu Alpha Theta is the national high school and two-year college mathematics honor society dedicated to inspiring keen interest in, developing strong scholarship in, and promoting the enjoyment of math among high school students. The organization partners with professional organizations like the Mathematical Association of America and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics to provide student members access to scholarships, awards, competitions, and math-related activities.
Organize a Sponsor and Teacher Workshop: Host a workshop for your sponsors and other teachers on mathematical modeling. Invite speakers from local companies or universities to talk about their research and career paths that use computational science techniques. Funds could be used for travel expenses for participants, speakers, meals and organizational expenses.
Organize a Math Competition: Host a contest for your chapter and other schools in your area. Typically, students would compete in the TXMl (Texas Math League) which is a six problem, 30 minute, math contest administered at six meetings each year. Students will be released from class to compete. High scoring MATh members can advance to the American Mathematics Competition 10 & 12 and compete nation-wide.
Know Your Options
Mu Alpha Theta is an honor society for students with a strong interest in math. To join, you must meet certain requirements: completion of two years of college-prep math (including geometry and algebra), a high GPA in these classes, purchase of club t-shirts, and attendance at meetings throughout the year. Prospective members who do not qualify may still interact with the organization and its activities, but as associates.
The scholarship essay is an opportunity to show your personal uniqueness and passions. Use it to your advantage!
It’s also a great chance to highlight your strengths and vulnerabilities. Remember, committees are looking for students who have grown from their experiences and shown maturity in the face of adversity. Be sure to include a few examples of these moments in your application! A great way to do this is by sharing your personal experience about the LGBTQ community. This is a very important topic and something that will make you stand out from your competitors.
Know Your Strengths
The scholarship application process is a busy time for students. They’re juggling schoolwork, preparing to transition from high school to college and looking for ways to pay for their education.
It’s important for scholarship applicants to be themselves and showcase their strengths, but they must also be careful not to come across as boastful. Many scholarship committees look for applicants who take their organization’s mission into account when writing their essay.
This may mean highlighting your leadership skills in an essay on community service or discussing a tough moment in your life that you’ve overcome to show you have resilience. However, it’s important to keep in mind that scholarships are often competitive. If you’re unable to demonstrate your abilities through the content of your essay, you’ll be unlikely to win. Be sure to proofread your essay and share it with a trusted mentor or parent for feedback. This will help you catch any grammatical errors and ensure that the essay aligns with the prompt.
Know Your Vulnerabilities
Oftentimes, people view vulnerability as a weakness; however, this characteristic can actually be a strength. Vulnerability is a quality that helps us build trust and foster authentic relationships, as well as encourage personal growth and resilience.
It can also help you be more open to constructive criticism and feedback, which is necessary for professional development. In fact, many of the most successful leaders display a high degree of vulnerability in their day-to-day interactions, both up and down the organization.
Mu Alpha Theta is a national honor society dedicated to inspiring keen interest in mathematics, developing strong scholarship in the subject, and promoting the enjoyment of mathematics in high school and two-year college students. Students interested in joining the Mu Alpha Theta Chapter at SUSCC should talk to Mrs. Hise, MATh Sponsor. Generally, students with a 3.0 GPA or higher in all math courses and who take Precalculus Algebra (MTH 112) may apply. High scoring students may compete in the American Mathematics Competitions, a twenty-five problem, 75 minute, math contest administered twice each year, where they will compete against students from across the nation and some foreign countries.
Know Your Timeline
The scholarship application process can be a stressful time for aspiring college students. They are often applying to multiple schools, working through tough course loads and transitioning from high schoolers to young adults. Adding an essay to the mix can be overwhelming.
To be as efficient as possible, apply to scholarships that use similar essay prompts. This way, you can repurpose your strongest essay and make minor tweaks to fit each individual prompt. It’s also important to allow yourself enough time to write and revise your essay. Give it to a friend, family member or teacher to read and offer feedback. Make sure your essay is grammatically sound and paints a picture of who you are. Be genuine; scholarship committees can see through applicants who put on a fake persona. Lastly, don’t forget about your other application materials like transcripts and recommendations!
Know Your Recommendations
Getting another set of eyes on your essay is a good idea, especially if it’s going to be submitted to multiple scholarships. It’s also helpful to have a friend or family member read it over for content and flow. It’s also important to avoid flat out begging for the money or mentioning your financial situation in any way. This sends a bad message and may come off as offensive to the donors.
The Mu Alpha Theta Scholarship for High School and Two-Year College Students is available to all members of the national honor society in grades 9-12 who meet the eligibility requirements. The scholarship awards are based on participation in national conventions, regional events, and the school sponsored math competition. Each chapter receives a $1,000 grant to support activities that provide interesting mathematical experiences for their members and others at their school or local community. The grant covers registration for three students and a sponsor.
Know Your Deadlines
Often, scholarship applications have very specific deadlines. If you miss a deadline, your application will not be considered. In addition, many scholarships require transcripts, letters of recommendation or other documentation that will take time to gather. Make sure that you have these items in hand well ahead of the application deadline.
This scholarship provides funds for Mu Alpha Theta chapters to provide interesting mathematical experiences for their members, others in the school, and in their local communities. Examples include purchasing and displaying an iPod in a raffle, organizing a field trip to Oakridge National Laboratory for a talk by one of their scientists, or hosting a math club activity such as a lecture by a local scientist. The winning chapter receives a $1,000 grant award. The chapter sponsor is responsible for choosing the chapter nominees for this award. A representative from the winning chapter need not be present at the national convention to win this award.
Know Your Format
With more than 100,000 members in over 2,420 chapters across the United States and 23 foreign countries, Mu Alpha Theta provides a structured approach for schools to support students who excel in and enjoy math. It offers a range of academic and extracurricular activities to connect students with their peers and teachers, including contests and national conventions.
The Mu Alpha Theta Scholarships page lists specific criteria and application details for each award. The national organization also sponsors chapter grants of up to $1,000 per active chapter to provide a variety of mathematical experiences for their members, others at their school, and the local community.
To become a member, you must complete two years of college-prep math or be currently enrolled in your third year, and have a minimum 3.0 GPA in those classes on a 4-point scale. Other requirements include payment of the membership initiation fee, participation in local events like the Rocket City Math League and Log1 contest, and attendance at a set number of club meetings each month.