USAP Community School Application - Jan 2024 Entrance

The USAP Community School

The USAP Community School (USAPCS) is accepting applications from qualified current F4 and L6 students to
begin A Level as L6 students in January 2024. The two year A Level only boarding school which opened in January
2020 is run by the non-profit organization Education Matters on the belief that there are many determined and
talented, economically-disadvantaged students in Zimbabwe who only lack financial resources and information to
access bright educational futures. The USAP program, which we have transitioned into this A Level school, started in
1999 and has successfully assisted over 600 students in the last 22 years to negotiate and finance the college
admissions process. Alumni of the USAP program have studied at some of the world’s top most universities and many
have continued to post graduate degrees and prestigious fellowships, while others have pursued professions of every
description across the world, including many leading impactful initiatives in Zimbabwe and across the continent. The
USAP Community School will be a transformative/unique educational experience merging a rigorous Cambridge A
Level science curriculum, an intensive English reading and writing class, classes in research methodologies, computer
literacy, college preparation and the mentorship of our growing and active alumni network. We are a Quaker school
based on values of integrity, service, equality and curiosity. Throughout their two year A Level education, students
receive timely and individualized university advising complemented with contact with alumni at different levels of
university or professional careers. Applicants should note that while many alumni of the USAP program have
received funded university opportunities, acceptance into the USAP Community School does NOT guarantee
future international university scholarships.

Eligibility Requirements
Given the COVID19 pandemic which closed schools for much of 2020-21 in Zimbabwe, we are accepting
applications both from current Form 4 students as well as from students who wrote O level in 2022 and began L6
sciences in 2023 and are willing to start their L6 year again in 2024. Acceptance to USAPCS is very competitive; we
encourage applicants to consider applying if they have received, or are projected to earn, mostly all As and possibly
some Bs in their O level exams as reflected in school reports. We are looking for students who match all of our four
USAP criteria to join the school: academic excellence, demonstrated leadership potential, a strong ethos of giving
and economic disadvantage.

To be eligible, you must be able to demonstrate financial disadvantage, that your family would not be capable of
financing high quality A level education and university application processes on your own. Financial aid is available
on a need basis, and no qualified student will be turned away from USAPCS for financial reasons.

How to Apply
Please return this paper form together with the required documents listed by SWIFT/FedEx/DHL or in person, to reach
our offices M-F between 9am-3pm at 23 Connaught Road in Avondale in Harare, to Gweru Memorial Library, or to
the American Space at NUST Library at 55 Jason Moyo, Bulawayo, no later than Friday, September 22, 2023. You
are welcome to attach extra paper to this form as needed. If you have any questions, write to
admissions@usapschool.org.

For more information about USAP Community School, visit www.edmattersfrica.org

Application Deadline - Friday, September 22, 2023
 USAP Community School Application
We want to get to know you as well as possible. Please answer all questions on this application form fully and
honestly, providing us as much information as you can about yourself, your family and community background, your
dreams and ambitions, and your academic and co-curricular achievements. Please send all parts of our application
together at one time to ensure that your application is complete and includes as much contact information for you as
possible. We cannot consider incomplete or late applications - Due date is September 22, 2023. Because of the high
volume of applications received, we will ONLY respond individually to those who are successfully selected to
interview in person as finalists by early November. Interviews for finalists will take place in a variety of towns and
cities around the country.

Read directions carefully: It is essential that you attach all documents listed below to your application. Please DO
NOT send originals of reports as we cannot guarantee the return of any documents to unsuccessful candidates. Please
send the completed application and attachments together. Feel free to attach paper or write on the back where you do
not have sufficient space to answer the questions on this form.

Attach to this application the following documents:

1) A clear photocopy of all Form 3-4 reports that you have. (Include L6 first and second term results if you are
currently in L6)

2) If you have already written any O level exams, include a copy of your results slip/statement of results.

Full name (first name(s) followed by family name):

What name do you prefer to be called? Gender:

Are you currently in 2023 in Form Four or L6 or not at all enrolled in any school?

Address where you reside when not at school:

List all contact telephone numbers (yours, your parents/guardians):

Email address: Date of Birth (Month, day, year):

Mother’s current occupation and workplace, if living and known (Be specific, even if self-employed):

Father’s current occupation and workplace, if living and known (Be specific, even if self-employed):

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If parents are deceased, state name, relationship to you, occupation/workplace of the person whom you live with:

Number of direct siblings and ages. For each, state whether they live with you, whether they are in school, which
school and in what grade/form or level:

Number of other dependent people currently living with and supported by your family and their relationships to you:

Amount of the most recent school fees paid for you and which term it was for (inclusive of all fees and levies):

Who currently pays for your school fees? Are you on any bursary? If so, how much does the bursary cover?

If your fees are paid by a relative other than your parents, how many other children’s fees are paid for by this same
person? Do you live with this relative who covers your fees?

Have you or your siblings ever missed more than three weeks of school because of finances? If so, please explain.

What are your educational plans for 2024 if your application to USAP Community School is unsuccessful?

What should we know about your economic and personal background and your family’s financial situation?
(No word limit for this question - feel free to write on the back of this paper or use extra paper as necessary and take
your time to answer thoroughly)

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Academic and School Information:
Current School Name, Location and Contact Number:

Headmaster/Headmistress' name, contact number and if possible, email address:

Career Counselor or Deputy Head’s name, contact number and if possible, email address:

Who from your school could we call to get a recommendation for you? State name, title and contact number.

When did you write or will you write your O levels?

List “O” Level Subjects you took or are taking. If you have already taken them, indicate the symbol you got for each.
Please circle your favorite subject. Underline the subject you find most challenging.

At USAPCS all students take 3 A levels - Mathematics and Chemistry and either Biology or Physics in addition to our
own curriculum of Humanities, Reasoning, Research Methods and Computers. Circle if you would rather take
Biology or Physics? Please note you may be accepted without your first choice of these subjects.

Biology Physics

Are you taking ZIMSEC exams, Cambridge O level exams or both? If you are in L6 currently, which subjects are
you taking?

List below all schools you have attended and which grades/forms you did at each school:
School Location Grades/Forms Completed Reason for leaving

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What do you do when you are not studying? List extracurricular clubs, sports, activities, work or volunteer service
projects that you have participated in at secondary school or in your community and/or church. In ( ) after each
activity, write how many hours per week you devote to each activity. Optionally, if you want to share with us a
sample of a talent, feel free to attach evidence (i.e. a copy of a poem, drawing, musical recording, award, etc). We
regret that we cannot return materials.

Which one of these activities is the most important to you and why?

What is the most important academic honor/prize you have been awarded in or out of school?

Short Answer Questions

Please use lined paper to answer the questions below in 100 words or less each and attach them to your application.
Number your answers. We want to get to know you well through these questions so take time to answer them honestly
and fully.

1. Describe how you have demonstrated leadership in any sphere - family, community, church, school and name any
formal leadership positions you have held.

2. What is something you are simply curious about and would love to learn? What captivates you? Why?

3. Complete these sentences as they best fit you and your uniqueness….

a. My favorite source of inspiration is….

b. My favorite book is….

c. I am happiest when I am…..

d. Something I struggle with is…

e. What I think I want to study/major in in college….

f. I really laugh when…

4. What do you imagine yourself doing 10 years after graduating from university? Where will you be doing it?

5. Tell us about a time when you expressed an opinion different from those around you or describe a risk you have
taken to stand up for something that is important to you.

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6. Briefly describe a difficulty you have faced in your life, and explain what specific skills you drew upon in yourself
to overcome that difficulty and move on?

7. If you could have dinner with any person, dead or alive, real or imagined, who would it be and why?

8. Despite being rich in mineral and natural resources, the majority of Africans live under the poverty line. What
causes this situation and what do you propose to start to change it?

9. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How
has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

10. What would you like to learn from and contribute to USAP Community School?

Essay Topics

Write one essay from one of the topics below of between 400-600 words. Use this essay as an opportunity for us to
get to know you personally, how you think, what you have experienced and what is important to you. As we want to
get to know you as an individual and not look for the most dramatic tale, it is essential that all experiences told in this
essay be a true and accurate depiction of your life and that you write it by yourself without the aid of teachers, parents
and peers. Be truthful, be authentic, be you!

1. “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”- Picasso. What do you
understand to be the purpose of your life and why?

2. Our community is structured around four core values: integrity, equality, service, and curiosity. Which of the
four qualities do you embody the most and how have different people or contexts helped you develop this
quality?

3. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new
understanding of yourself or others.

Educational Experiences in 2020-21 - COVID Disruptions

Please describe your educational experience in 2020-21. We understand 2020-21 were two very disruptive years of
schooling for all students in Zimbabwe and globally because of the COVID19 pandemic. From the periods when
Zimbabwe’s schools were closed, what do you feel you missed academically? In which subjects do you feel you have
the biggest gaps? Has COVID continued to impact your life past 2020-21 and if so, how? What have you learned
about yourself as a learner during the uncertain COVID period?

Thank you for applying for the USAP Community School. We look forward to reading and reviewing your
application and we will be in touch with those who move to the finalist round about interviews. For everyone
who has completed this form we know you are talented and determined, and we hope you have learned
something new about yourself from the process of applying.

Application Deadline - Friday, September 22, 2023

With any admission-specific questions, contact admissions@usapschool.org
For more information about USAP Community School, visit our website - www.usapschool.org
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