2015 Ron Brown Scholarship

I received my semifinalist email today. GPA: 4.0 UW, 7.644/8.000 W
ACT: 33
Rank: 5/661
Will be attending University of Pennsylvania next year.
Does the fact that I am going to an Ivy impact their decision?

@M42097‌ congratulations to you! Your stats are great. And I’m not sure…were applicants asked to specify what university they would be attending on the application? I don’t remember.

Yes, the letter says approximately 5000 people applied and they selected 68 semi-finalist.

@Nycollegemom‌ have you already received your letter also, or was that in the email?

@tobester‌ Thank you very much. The questionnaire that I have to fill out as a semifinalist requires me to put down my college for next year.

No sorry @tobster I should have said email not letter.

The letter didn’t mention how many of the 68 will be invited to the interview weekend, does anyone know? S has the impression that since they say “up to 23” winners that 23 are invited and after the interviews they decide how many of the 23 actually are awarded the scholarship. They sure don’t give much time to write two more essays.

If by now I haven’t heard anything, does that mean I am not a semi-finalist ?

@planner03 Were you notified today about the scholarship or on the 13th?

Around 5,000. @tobester

Congratulations to those who made semi-finalist. All the best in the next round! Unfortunately, I was not chosen to be a semi-finalist. However, I did enjoy the application process. Special Good luck to @M42097‌ @desforpres1‌ and other soon to be Penn students! Excited to meet you guys in the fall.

I’m a semifinalist as well! By the way, to people who did not receive an email, the website said that people who did not make it to semifinals would not receive any notification. This competition is crazy though

S received the phone call yesterday that he has been invited to DC!

I also received the phone call yesterday being invited to DC. Does anyone know how many people will be invited? The guy told me that 28 people last year were selected to interview for 26 spots… Pretty good odds!

Are all the calls generally given in one day?

Is the main emphasis on this scholarship financial need?

I have the same questions as the two posted above. Does anyone have any insight?

No, it is absolutely not the main emphasis. Go read the bios of past winners.

From the FAQ: Is there an income limit? " Financial need is a factor that we consider in awarding scholarships. If you think that you will be eligible for financial aid at the colleges to which you are applying, you should apply for a Ron Brown Scholarship."