Ask About the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship

Now that it has become early November, the applications for the 2016 year will probably be updated very soon. In the meantime, I can answer any questions anyone might have about the scholarship, application process, and interview. For those who don’t know what the CDB Scholarship is, it provides a peer counseling program and a scholarship for prospective boarding/private school students. However, you must be in the seventh grade to enter. Now that that has been clarified, fire away.

My D submitted an application, which was a lot of work. However, it helped with prep school applications later, and a number of her readers invited her to apply to their schools, one of which she indeed attended

But chances are slim of winning the scholarship.

I agree with what you have to say. The application is long and arduous, but it’s good practice for prep school applications (IMO, the CDB application seemed to be much more painstaking than the prep school essays). And yes, the chances are slim. 30 or less scholars chosen out of the whole nation, not to mention that there is an increasing number of applicants every year. However, it is always worth a shot.

@minimalist Are you are student who won a CDB? A parent of such a student? An applicant who did not get the CDB? Parent of such an applicant? If a student, are you still in high school?

@GnarWhail I apologize for not clarifying sooner. I am a CDB Scholar for the 2015 year.

Hi @minimalist, would you mind to share your profile, i.e. SAT/ACT scores, talent, extracurricular activities, etc.?

Can you tell us more about the in person interview? What kind of questions, etc?

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@mnsfmom Hello! The interview consisted of a gamut of questions. There are basic questions like “Tell us more about yourself.”, “Why did you choose to apply for the scholarship?”, and “How will you contribute to the CDB community?”. The last two are the types of questions that you must be prepared for and answer quickly. If you do so, it shows your interest in the program, as opposed to taking a few minutes to conjure up an answer. There are also more lighthearted questions such as “What do you do to procrastinate?” or “If you had the opportunity to go anywhere in the world, where would you go?”. The interviewers do their best to make you feel comfortable. However, and you’ve probably been told this before, never try to be someone you’re not. You’ve already validated yourself if you’ve passed through the application stage, so there’s no need to create a facade to “show” that you’re an intellectual.

Just a note: any questions pertaining to my scores/achievements/extracurriculars will be answered through PM.

Hi minimalist. May I have a little information about your scores and achievements also. I don’t know if my daughter should apply for this or not?
Thank you

@midlleschoolmom I will PM you.

Please PM me as well. I’d like to know your achievements as well. Thank you. :slight_smile:

By the way, do you know how many applied during your year?

Minimalist: Congratulations on being a Carolyn Bradley scholar! Well done. My daughter is very interested in applying. She will be in 7th grade next year, so the timing is good. Is there a website somewhere with profiles of some of the scholars? We’ve seen a few featured in local or school papers, but they are few and far between. Would love to learn more about your own achievements and why you think you were chosen for such an honor and opportunity… PM is fine, too…

Has anyone been notified for this year for the final interviews? I know they start in the next few weeks and run through August.

We actually just heard this morning that our son is a Finalist and will interview at the end of the summer (we live in Northern California). They sent an email asking our son to call. We are super excited and nervous at the same time.

Wow congrats @SatchelSF!

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Glad to see this post, since I’ve tried to get the word out in past years. As the parent of a former CDB scholar (now in grad school), I can attest to the value of the program, and there is no downside to applying if you meet the criteria. The foundation looks for a wide range of kids with interests ranging from arts to sciences to [pick another category of your liking]. D was pretty much a straight A student at a very academic elementary/middle school with superb language test scores and okay math scores. Her writing and her interview evidently won the day.

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Has anyone else been notified for final interviews?