Top Choice: How One University Goes to Great Lengths to Evaluate — And Win Over — Star Applicants

Nearly 50 high-school seniors have come to Santa Clara University seeking a prize. Already admitted here but still deciding where to enroll, they are finalists for the Johnson Scholars Program. The university annually selects 10 incoming freshmen it believes will become bold, big-hearted campus leaders. The chosen 10 get a full ride. Study-abroad opportunities. A summer stipend for an internship, research, or service. As scholarships go, it’s a treasure, one that eases financial burdens, confers privileges, and crowns recipients with a sense of purpose.