Top Achiever Scholarship (for future applicants)
Wanted to make a quick post on what I did in my academics and *not* achieve the Top Achiever scholarship to make a point to any future applicants to not get your hopes up like I did.
Achieving 110 Excellence Credits, I had one single merit in English in Level 2, and exclusively Excellence in L3 so far. I had two NZQA scholarships (History and Art History) in L2, the only two I sat. I was a peer group leader, runner-up in Art Competitions, member of local board & community involved. Whilst I am not Maori/Pasifika, I am physically disabled.
Despite this, I did not get the top achiever scholarship, nor even a spot in the first-round of halls. Whilst many people have gotten it for less in past years, its important to remember that you are being based on your peers, and clearly, this was a competitive year. Congratulations to anyone who got them, you're an absolute star, and hopefully this helps people in the future to not get too worked up over losing out even though it's a major bummer!
Whilst I know they do value extra-cirricular, I've seen posts from people who got it with similar or worse grades, and equally little involvement in their school life. Truly, it is a bit of a gamble, but anything helps.