By William Croyle
Enquirer contributor

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS - When Maribeth Mincey walked into the Shoemaker Center two years ago, she was one of about 1,500 high school seniors that day competing for a four-year scholarship to the University of Cincinnati.

"It was huge. People were everywhere and tables were everywhere," Mincey said. "It was intimidating."

But Mincey, now a sophomore double majoring in biochemistry and international affairs, put her nervousness aside and won one of 10 full rides.

On Saturday, she'll assist with check-in and moderate a question-and-answer session with parents while their kids try to duplicate her feat in the eighth annual Cincinnatus Scholarship Competition.

About 1,900 students representing 517 high schools in 46 states will vie for more than $12 million in scholarships.

The contest is open to high school seniors who have applied to UC and have at least a 3.0 grade-point average. They also must meet one of the other criteria:

• Be in the top 5 percent of their senior class.

• Have an ACT test score of at least 26 or a minimum SAT score of 1170.

The components of the contest include their academic record, test scores, a portfolio of their school and community service, and the Saturday competition.

The competition consists of a one-hour essay question and a problem-solving exercise. In the exercise, students are divided into groups of eight or 10. They are evaluated by faculty on skills like organization and leadership.

In March, the top 25 or 30 will be invited back for an interview. The top 10 of that group will win four-year Cincinnatus scholarships valued at $64,000 each. The winners will be required to perform 30 hours of community service a year and maintain at least a 3.2 grade-point average.

But nobody will go home a loser.

Along with the 10 Cincinnatus scholarships, there are 100 Founders scholarships valued at $24,000 each and 200 University scholarships valued at $14,000 each. Those who don't receive one of the top three scholarships will get a Century scholarship of $8,000.

The scholarships are funded by a combination of general funds and endowment accounts.

"For some, this competition will decide where they go," said Connie Williams, director of student financial aid. "We call them the best and the brightest, so they're in other competitions at other schools."

But how do those other competitions stack up against UC's?

"I was in about 10 different school competitions that year," Mincey said. "But this one was the most unique."

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E-mail williamcroyle@yahoo.com