<p>has anyone else applied for this foundation's scholarship. I did, and there was actually a fee to apply: 14.25! I figured that the pay off could far exceed the debt. Has anyone else applied or recieved this scholarship in the past??</p>
<p>They ripped you off ... Sorry I bet you that scholarship is not even real :(.</p>
<p>is there something specific or some knowledge of the past that makes you judge this way? I found them through a legit scholaship search engine...here is the link to their site if anyone is interested.</p>
<p>They don't list past winners- that's usually a not so great sign- but aside from that they look legit.</p>
<p>i thought about it, but really didn't like the idea of paying...i figured it wasn't worth the risk when there are so many out there that you don't have to pay for....</p>
<p>Think of it this way, if 1000 kids applied, that's 14,250 bucks in their hands...you can do the rest of the math. Compare that to what their "scholarship" is worth to the "winner(s)"</p>
<p>I've always heard do NOT pay for a scholarship application.</p>
<p>YOU ARE ALL WRONG!!! This a GREAT organization! My son won one of these and he gets $5,000 a year. If you win, it is renewable every year as long as you keep your grades up. They are TOTALLY legitimate and we found the selection process to be incredibly careful and fair.</p>
<p>That old canard about "don't pay for scholarship aps" was true in the past, but look at it this way: my son applied for several WITHOUT fees and so many ZILLIONS of kids applied that I am completely convinced they never even read his application! (that's for ELlabell and "just"aMom!)</p>
<p>It's like colleges getting a zillion aps if they allow free online filing - everyone applies. By charging a MERE $14, which doesn't even begin to cover the cost of processing, they cut down on the number who apply and give the ones who do a lot of care and attention.</p>
<p>They have always sent the checks to my son's top ten school ON TIME; they interviewed each semifinalist individually; and the head guy, Gordon Levine, has been GREAT about answering emails etc.</p>
<p>So yes, they are totally reall, totally legit, it is WELL WORTH the $14
(we spent $14 and got $5,000 PER YEAR).</p>
<p>nedad:</p>
<p>You mentioned that the judging process was fair. What exactly do you mean by this? also, can you, by chance, recall how long it took for the decision to be made after the submission of the application?</p>
<p>Atlart, I have to log off and leave for a trip, but I recall that it did take awhile for them to decide - late summer, I believe. I was pretty sure he didn't win because it was later than I expected (but worth the wait). By "fair" I meant that they seriously looked at each application, which I could tell by the quality of the questions in his interview, whereas there are some I will not name that DEFINITELY never read his app.</p>
<p>(another program - NAIF - rated high school and college kids the exact same way ---- but high school kids can get higher than a 4.0 (and most do) due to APS and weighting, while college kids can only get a top grade of 4.0. They refused to even talk to me about this via email)</p>
<p>This is a real scholarship-- not a ripoff. When they narrow down their applicants to the semifinalists and finalists, they conduct a telephone interview of the finalists . My s. made it down the the last 45 finalists, but unfortunately did not win one of the 18 awards (they award them in several different categories, and last year they had only 2 or 3 in the "science" category. He (my s) was also working at a camp during the inteview process and was very hard to reach by phone, and he had no eamil access. But the organization was very understanding. He has reapplied this year (they waive the fee for reapplications). I am keeping my fingers crossed. The whole process was handled very professionally. I fully agree with NE dad. Only he was luckier than we were!</p>
<p>By the way, the will post the semifinalists, finalists and winners on their site as the summer progresses. I am not sure why the info doesnt stay up on the sebsite, but they do provide descriptions of the winners accomplishments.</p>
<p>Um...18*$2500 (minimum) is still a lot more than $1425</p>
<p>dsmo- whats your point?
Are you implying that they make their $$ in the app. fees? I do not believe that is true. If you are responding to "justamom", then I think you are saying that the amount they spend in scholarships every year (and remember, they are renewable every year) is well above the app. fee, and you would be correct.</p>