2013 Banneker Key Scholarship

<p>has anybody in northeast/new england area been notified? the blizzard has slowed down mail for the last couple of days but i’m not sure if that’s reason enough for not being notified, especially if the letter is dated as the 7th. still hoping for the best.</p>

<p>@engineergirl I’m in Pennsylvania and I haven’t heard anything.</p>

<p>For those of you with excellent resumes, engineering majors, and didn’t get an invite to B/K - our son experienced the same disappointment, but decided to attend UMD inspite of a smaller scholarship offer than from other schools. That being said, what we hadn’t anticipated are the additional scholarships for engineering majors that you are elegible for after your first year - some university sponsored and others private. The opportunities MORE than made up for the missed B/K. Additionally, UMD has great opportunities/contacts for internships. Our son has been doing a paid summer internship since the completion of his freshman year. On top of that, the company has offered him the flexibility to work part-time, his own schedule, he sets the hours, from his apartment (he is now a junior in computer engineering). Because of the opportunities at UMD, he has not yet incurred ANY debt, has managed to save money, and has money invested in IRA’s. You do need to take the initiative in finding the scholarships, but UMD makes it easy to find them. The ONLY thing he has been disappointed in is the quality of instructors in the honors engineering courses he has taken. So far he has completed 5 engineering classes, and he feels that 4 of those teachers were the 4 worst he has had while in college. We expected those teachers to be among the best, but that wasn’t the case so far. Overall, he feels he is getting a GREAT education and is thrilled with his internship and even research opportunites. So, while disappointed that you didn’t get a B/K, I encourage you to look at the overall picture. Best of luck to you all!</p>

<p>I was selected as a Semi-Finalist. What’s the normal dress code for the luncheon and interview for males? Dress shirt and tie? Is a suit too much?</p>

<p>55889721533,</p>

<p>Do you mean that you were invited for a Banneker/Key interview? If that’s the case, you’re not a semi-finalist. If you show up for the day and the interview, you are a Banneker/Key Scholar. Everyone invited who attends gets a scholarship. The only question is whether you’ll be awarded a partial or full scholarship.</p>

<p>My son wore a coat and tie. Many of the young men present last year had ties and jackets, at least a blazer. Others wore only a tie, and still others were more casual. I don’t know how much it matters, but my view is better to be a little overdressed than to be a little underdressed. You won’t shock or upset anyone if you show up in a coat and tie.</p>

<p>And for girls, nice dress slacks and a blouse is acceptable, or a conservative dress or skirt/top. I wouldn’t recommend that anyone show up in jeans and gym shoes, though it happened the year D went.</p>

<p>Ah, I supposed I am not a semi-finalist in that case, as I was invited. Thank you for your great advice, I always love to dress up.</p>

<p>^ Good luck to you.</p>

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<p>I always wear suits. I just feel better doing interviews, presentations, etc. in a suit. Maybe I’m just weird, :D</p>

<p>I’ll be there on the 28th to answer any and all questions and point you in the right direction if that’s needed :). Hope to see some CC’ers there.</p>

<p>I’ve been invited! For previous posters who seemed to be interested in this year’s scholars’ stats…</p>

<p>SATs: 1510/1600, 2310/2400
GPA: 3.98 UW, 4.92 W
ECs: leadership positions, significant community service involvement, three summers spent doing service work in Africa and South America
Awards: AP Scholar with Distinction; AP International Diploma; National Merit Finalist
Personal info: white, MD resident, living overseas in China, applied as a biochem major</p>

<p>Besides the interview itself, which part of the day should we definitely be there for? We will be driving in from 3hrs away and were trying to figure out when to leave home etc.</p>

<p>sgb,</p>

<p>It’s vital that you show up on the appointed day, as no-shows don’t receive the scholarship. Exactly when you need to be there to get “credit” for having come is too important to leave to an answer on CC. I strongly suggest that you call whatever office is listed as the contact in the information you received for the Banneker/Key and get it straight from the source.</p>

<p>And get a name and title of whomever you talk to.</p>

<p>Good luck to you!</p>

<p>Lunch was good! I mean, of course, it was just food, but it was good food.</p>

<p>Seriously, I second notjoe’s advice. And if your son or daughter is serious about Maryand, B/K is important enough that it’s worth getting a hotel room the night before.</p>

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<p>I haven’t seen the 2013 schedule yet but there is usually a morning (9:00AM) meeting (with snacks) at your advising college. ** Don’t miss this event**. The deans and dept. heads will be there. It is your chance to meet and impress people who may have a great deal of influence on your future. Be prepared to talk with them about your interest and future dreams. Prepare a short introduction and be prepared to use it either one on one or standing before the the other attendees. Do not be a silent observer, be an active participant. Relax and be yourself. </p>

<p>I made important contacts at this event that are still paying dividends today and was matched up with a student mentor who became a friend. </p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>Agree w/ Sikorsky about the hotel room if you are 3 hrs away. Or leave ridiculously early and have breakfast on Rt. 1 after you safely get to College Park. This is not a day to cut corners on…really.</p>

<p>Thanks for the good advice, everyone… it’s my daughter who will be interviewing, not me - I am the designated driver :). We can start very early in the morning and she can sleep on the way, or we might get there the previous night, as some of you have suggested.</p>

<p>My child just got an email today. We’ve not gotten anything else-no letter, no other email (I searched) - excited, but concerned that something’s happening SOON (like tomorrow?) since Admissions is now closed and we can’t confirm the date. We tried calling.</p>

<p>Does anyone know what the interview dates are?</p>

<p>The email opened with, “Congratulations on your selection as a Banneker/Key semifinalist!”</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any help you can give.</p>

<p>Hey I was wondering if its possible to be admitted into umd’s scholars program but also be a semifinalist for banneker/key. Unfortunately, I did not get into the Honor College, but they emailed me congratulating me as a Banneker/Key semifinalist.</p>

<p>Hi collegebound202 - just fyi, my child was invited into the Scholars program. Is that the same as the Honor College?</p>

<p>My son just got the same email today. It said congratulations and here is your parking information. He never received anything about this before today. We tried to call too but they were closed. When are the interviews? I thought they were next week. That will be short notice to make arrangements!</p>