Academic excellence isn’t always enough | Guilian Asongtia

At Open Dreams , when students want to join our Summer Academy, one of the key criteria is academic excellence.

If you’ve written five papers, we expect at least 22 points out of 25 — and exceptionally, we sometimes accept candidates with 20 points.

But every year, something unexpected happens.

Some students walk in with five straight A’s — confident, hopeful that they will get into their dream college.

They’ve spent months applying for scholarships all over the world…

And they receive no offers.

Meanwhile, another student — with 20, 21, or 22 points — already has one or two offers.

Sometimes even a full scholarship.

The question always follows:

“𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒? 𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝐼, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑠, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 — 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑑𝑖𝑑?”

Here’s what I’ve learned after years of working closely with talented students at Open Dreams:

Not all smart students get scholarships.

Because scholarships don’t just reward intelligence —

They reward impact, purpose, and promise.

They want students who:

Take initiative — lead, serve, create

 Can tell their story — not just repeat grades, but reflect on who they are

 Stay curious — always looking to grow beyond the classroom

 Show potential — not just perfection

I’ve seen students with modest grades win major scholarships

because they stood for something.

They were leaders. They served their communities.

They were bold, reflective, and teachable.

And I’ve seen top scorers get rejection after rejection

because their applications didn’t show who they were beyond the marks.

This isn’t to say grades don’t matter — they do.

But they’re just one piece of the puzzle.

So, if you’re a student aiming high:

Don’t just focus on being book-smart.

 Build your character

 Serve your community

 Tell your story

 Practice expressing your ideas

 Be open to feedback

 Be ready to grow

Because the truth is:

𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬.

They go to the most prepared ones.

So, if you’re aiming for a scholarship:

Prepare beyond your transcript.

Know your story.

Build your leadership.

Serve your community.

Because grades may open the door —

But your impact is what takes you through it.

• Guilian Asongtia  | Open Dreams