Scholarship Program
Program Description
The objective of the Women’s Bond Club Scholarship Program is to award college scholarships to young women in high school who are looking to pursue a career in business, finance or technology in a financial services firm. The WBC is a powerful force and committed to advancing women and shaping the future of our industry. Throughout our history, we have remained true to our original mission – to lead, learn and return. Since inception, The Women’s Bond Club has awarded 118 scholarships totaling $2.6 million. Currently, there are 57 schools in the program and we have had winners from over 32 of these schools.
The scholarships awarded are merit based and are disbursed to the student over the course of 4 years to pay for tuition, books, and other college related expenses. Currently, the award amount is $40,000 ($10,000 per year). The award does not impact further financial aid consideration. Proof of registration is required prior to each year’s scholarship payment. Each semester, a school transcript is also required to verify GPA and continued academic eligibility.
The WBC Scholarship Program is available to a select number of NYC public high schools. While the New York City Department of Education has many public high schools, the WBC currently offers the scholarship to business-oriented high schools in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island as a method of focusing on schools that would have likely candidates.
In addition to receiving the scholarship award, recipients are also paired up with a WBC Mentoring Committee member for their college years. WBC believes that forming mentoring relationships throughout life are key to helping women become the best that they can be. The WBC matches member’s colleges, majors, talents and skills with each winner to help our scholarship women be successful during their college careers. These mentors have regular meetings and are available to help with college choices, changing majors and other college issues. We also make internship possibilities available to our scholarship winners at our member firms. We believe that the WBC is a perfect opportunity for you to forge new connections and make a difference.
Scholarship Eligibility Guidelines
To apply for a WBC Scholarship, the candidate must:
- be a female high-school senior in an eligible NYC public high school (Click here to see Eligible High Schools)
- be nominated by their college advisor
- be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- have achieved a GPA of 90 or higher
- show demonstrated proficiency in any business/math courses taken
- achieve a minimum Total SAT score ≥1000 or Composite ACT score ≥19
- be a demonstrated leader (in academic or extracurricular activities)
- be well-rounded (participating in clubs or other extracurricular activities)
- clearly show interest in business, preferably finance, accounting, economic or technology
- apply to 4-year accredited colleges
- provide one teacher recommendation (from business or math teacher)
Once the award is granted, it is paid over the 4-year college period. To continue receiving payments, a WBC Scholarship winner must:
- meet the standards of the college they attend and remain in good standing in their program
- be enrolled for a minimum of 12 credits per semester
- maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and minimum grade of C in each class taken
- actively participate in the WBC Mentoring Program
Data Required to Complete Application
The scholarship application requires the following information:
- Applicant Information (Name, Address, Phone #, Date of Birth, Parent/Guardian contact #)
- Academic qualifications (GPA, Class Rank, Transcript, SAT or ACT scores)
- Extracurricular Activities (teams, clubs, student govt, plays, volunteering, etc.)
- Awards/Honors
- Jobs/Internships
- Colleges Applied/Accepted/Attending
- List of other scholarships applied for and whether received
- Essays: Career objectives (50 words or less), Personal statement of education goals and objectives and their effect on career plans (500-1,000 words)
- Teacher Recommendation (from a math or business teacher)
Previous WBC Scholarship winners have attended colleges such as Baruch College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, Fordham University, Georgetown University, Lehigh University, Middlebury College, New York University, Skidmore College and Williams College.
These young women take top honors in their graduating class – many holding the title of Valedictorian. With hard work, perseverance, and a desire to achieve, these scholarship winners continue to perform with excellence as they enter their college years in pursuit of a career in business. In addition to outstanding academic performance, they participate in various extracurricular activities, such as volunteering in community services, holding internships at leading organizations, and joining academic programs.
WBC Scholarship winners have also applied for and obtained internships at various WBC member firms and in some cases have been offered full time employment.