By Elora Brow
Staff Writer
California Scholarship Federation is an academic honors organization that is used to show students academic achievements but appears to have no purpose other than the title. The title of being a CSF member may look very strong on college applications, but all it does is acknowledge one’s grades when it should be doing more.
To be apart of CSF one must qualify each semester with the proper grade requirements and apply for a position in the federation. In order for a student to be eligible to apply, they cannot receive an “N” or a “U” in citizenship and they must meet all 10 CSF points from the approved course lists.
According to Karen Cunningham, head of CSF, colleges and universities tend to look favorably on potential CSF life member when reviewing applications. To become a life member, students must qualify for four semesters in their last three years of high school and cannot receive an “N” or “U” in citizenship. These are high standards but a life member should have to exceed more than just four semesters.
It is said by many that colleges look favorably among CSF life members but it doesn’t appear as extravagant if the student receives good grades for only four out of the six semesters. In addition, colleges already receive a student’s transcript with their grades and GPA on it so the CSF title shouldn’t make a difference on a college application.
According to CSF member Emma Janson, she is in CSF because she knows that it looks good on college apps, but like many others is unaware of any other purpose that it may serve. The application given out is very vague and lacks useful information.
When applying to CSF there is a mandatory fee of $15 that each student must pay. This fee covers the costs of the cards that students receive, the certificates, and the pin and cowl received at graduation. This seems unreasonable that students need to pay just to have their hard work and grades acknowledged.
It would be helpful if more information were given out on the purpose of the federation when students are applying for it. Without knowing what they are getting into, students may not feel the urge to apply when the time comes around. Without further information students may be unaware of the fact that all that is received from this federation is the title and a possibility to tutor other students.
When filling out the application to be in the federation there is an option to sign up to be become a CSF tutor, which is just like any other ordinary tutor. This is beneficial to the students as their name gets promoted in a tutoring book and it does pay $15 per hour but any student who is not in CSF can still go find someone to tutor almost just as easily.
According to Cunningham students become more motivated to keep their grades so they can become a life member. These students, seal bearers, are awarded the CSF Gold Seal on diplomas and transcripts. In addition, Mira Costa students are awarded the official CSF pin, a Life Member Certificate and the honor of wearing a distinctive cowl at graduation.
The CSF program is used to acknowledge the achievements of hard working students but lacks a real purpose other than the title on a college application.
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