Applying for your team?

[Jeremiah Johnson]

Team 648 doesn't require an application, I've never seen the pro's to this*. As a member, you must make 75% of meetings from January to April and maintain a C average in your classes.

*I've never understood the advantages of having the "best" students. One of the FLL teams in the QC is "gifted" children only and I've decided to have to involvement in them for that reason.

[Scott Ritchie]

Originally Posted by Budda648

Team 648 doesn't require an application, I've never seen the pro's to this*. As a member, you must make 75% of meetings from January to April and maintain a C average in your classes.

*I've never understood the advantages of having the "best" students. One of the FLL teams in the QC is "gifted" children only and I've decided to have to involvement in them for that reason.

IT is not always an attempt to get the best students but the ones that need the program most. We just can't keep 70 to 80 students busy. Our number of students we can be most affective with is around 40. This is also a great learning experience of the kids. They learn how to fill out applications, resumes, and perform in an interview.

[Jeremiah Johnson]

Originally Posted by Scott Ritchie

IT is not always an attempt to get the best students but the ones that need the program most. We just can't keep 70 to 80 students busy. Our number of students we can be most affective with is around 40. This is also a great learning experience of the kids. They learn how to fill out applications, resumes, and perform in an interview.

Between 70-80 students apply each year?! I guess those are the perks of living in a major metropolitan area like Indy.

My response was mostly prompted by this:

The interview process allows us to get the best of the best students that our school has to offer and it has always been that way and will continue to be that way.

I would like to know how many people apply to be on team 47 and exactly why they want the "best." I most definitely wouldn't be defined as "best" but look at me now, FIRST has changed my life and has the ability to change thousands of other students' lives. Why keep that from them?

[65_Xero_Huskie]

Our team has an application process where you must fill out one and write a 500 word essay and do an interview. We conduct ours like a business place. Along with this you must keep up a 3.0 GPA and come to around 3/4 the meetings.
We usually get around 25 people that apply and we only travel with 20. We have alternates who are not on the team but who still halp and try to get on the travel team and whoever shows the work usually travels (Even if it ends up being more than 20 )

[JesseK]

1885 allows any student who's non-disruption and not distracting to come to our meetings. We enjoying working with any student willing to learn, no matter the knowledge level.

To travel, students must have a certain % attendance or have contributed to a significant portion of the robot, website, or community outreach. We have a set amount of seats on the bus/plane and most of the time we know who is going to the events well before competition season. Students also must maintain a C average or better in ALL classes in order to travel, as this is a county-wide policy for all extracirrucular activities I've recently learned. Finally, students must pay or help fundraise for their travel, hotel, and food on trips. Any student who we feel deserves a trip but cannot make it due to financial reasons, we either fundraise for or on a rare occasion the Mentors get a fund together -- done anonymously of course.

I definitely see the point in the application/interview process though. It allows students to become oriented with that type of process and hopefully will help them communicate their strengths better to the group during build season and in the future when they're going for a job.

[GaryVoshol]

One thing a good process can get you is making sure information is passed both ways. Students will supply contact information - phone, cell, email, address, emergency contact - for themselves and their parents/guardians, any medical information the team leaders should know, etc. Also what area(s) the kids are interested in working on. Teams will be able to provide to the students and their parents what is expected of them - financial, fundraising and time commitments, grade and behavior policies, etc. By requiring a parent signature, teams can be sure that parents know what their student is signing onto.

That could be considered a registration process or an application process. If there are additional inputs for application, such as an essay or teacher recommendation, it serves as a moderate indication of the how serious the student is about joining. For teams that have a limited number of members, the additional application process (vs. just registration) can be used to decide who is admitted onto the team.

[santosh]

all that want to join are allowd to, since we are so large (120+ and still growing), we have everyone fill out an application of what sub team they want to be on the most (FIRST build, VEX build, BEST build, tech team, fundraising, etc) and we place them by that and other things that we ask them about
being able to maintain a good grade during the build season is taken into account.

[Pavan Dave]

Our team is not completely FRC based. There are two parts of our season. The first part is the first semester of school (August-December) where we mentor FLL teams and BEST teams and host and help out with various robotics competitions (BEST, FLL, EARLY). Based on our dedication and involvement with the community we are than selected after interviews with the head teacher sponsor from our district with regards to passing grades and overall attitude as well.

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by Kyle Love

45 accepts everyone who comes as much as they can, you must come 50% of the time to travel though.

This is entirely true. We accept anyone who is a Kokomo High School student onto the TechnoKats. Also, we accept students from other area schools (or home schooled kids) whose parents are employed by one of the team sponsors and are active mentors.

This does not work for all teams, but it works for the TechnoKats.

-----------------

Here is an example of how this non-application process can be a success:

This year, we had 2 students who had dismal grades in the fall. They didn't fit in with the other students too well, and were not really "accepted" by their teammates. Many FIRST teams with application processes would not have accepted these two onto their team.

During our fall events and meetings, there was a definite lack of respect going on between these and their peers on the team. However, these two gals persisted and worked hard. Other students took notice and realized they were valuable. Mentors took notice and invited them to be on the pit crew. They became good teammates who were respected.

They got their grades up, and made the trip to Atlanta. They met some incredible people (Woodie, Jane Young, Heidi Foster, Fredi Lajvardi) and made friends with guys on one of the Brazillian teams.

Just recently, one of these two girls was recognized with a "Turn Around Award" in our county. This award goes to students who have made noticeable improvements during the past school year.

Here is an article about these Turn Around Students. Corine is highlighted in the middle of the article.

I especially like this part of the article: "O’Neill said she wants 'to turn into someone who does great things'."

I bet she will.

Andy B.

[Qbranch]

For us, once your on your on, and we take peopel from all schools associated with our carreer center along with others (such as franklin central and cathedral) and also homeschool kids.

The more the merrier on 1024!

-q

p.s. we're always looking for new programmers to replace yours truly when he graduates as well systems engineers and machinist students....

[Cuog]

422 allows any member of our school to join the team and help build then to miss school to go to competitions you must attend at least 10 meetings and have not more than 1 grade below a C. any member that has shown up to a meeting may travel with the team to other events provided they do not miss school time to do so.

[Nica F.]

Our only requirements are the willingness to be apart of the team, and no D's or F's.

We really don't have that many requirements because we don't think it's completely necessary. To us, wanting to be on a robotics team is a good enough reason.

[Chris Fultz]

As a parent, mentor, sponsor and potential employer of some of these students, here is why I like the Cyber Blue process:

1. Students learn to create an application and write a resume.

2. Students learn how to prepare for a "job" interview.

3. Students recieve formal feedback on their performance from the prior year, with input provided by all of the mentors.

4. It is an opportunity for the mentors to meet and learn about every student, especially the new ones.

5. It can be a screening process, to make sure the students know what they are signing up for and give us some initial ideas about the student.

6. It emphasizes that this is something special, and that you cannot just show up. You need to apply and put some effort into the process.

And, there are very few students who do not make the team. usually there are very specific reasons (behavior, past performance, grade concerns, etc.) for someone not getting on. Most get the opportunity, especially freshmen or others that are trying for the first time.

Many students have told us that the experience was extremely beneficial to them when they had to go through interviews for scholarships, college applications, and jobs.

[Stuart]

well the p51 - mustang screening process is very long, tough, and rigorous.

it starts with showing up.
then then. when you do show up you have to do something.
after that the coaches/officers need to know your name so they can fill out forms saying your on the team.
...

see hard.

[Joe J.]

Lightning Robotics membership is open to anyone who wants to join, from the surrounding area. Our membership at its highest point was 73 students. We do have annual dues which cover cost of our team shirts 2 a year, Holiday Party, Kickoff party, Build season meals, and End of the Year Banquet. Though the dues don't define team membership they just allow the students to enjoy the previously mentioned benefits.