Hi all, I know this early but I thought I would start a thread for all of the applicants to the Coolidge Scholarship this year (2018-2019 school year). I also have a couple questions, it would be great if you all could help:
When exactly does the scholarship application open?
I am a fairly STEM/Business oriented student (science research + investing + entrepreneurship) with most of my service orientated towards expanding knowledge of interdisciplinary sci + econ/biz opportunities and issues throughout my peer community. In addition, I am focused on expanding global business growth, which I am currently working on with my startup. I am also highly involved in Model UN in my community and am highly interested global economics trends/impacts. Is my profile valid for the Coolidge scholarship? I am not really sure, as I am not really on the public policy/debate side of things.
Please give some feedback, thank you!
Also, feel free to comment if you are also planning on applying to this scholarship.
hey! i know applications are open now and the deadline is mid January. it sounds like you’d be a great candidate for the scholarship, based on what i know about it. i’m sure that the best way to know is just to look at the profiles of the past winners (all very impressive). i am also planning on applying!
D is applying with the hope of winning the trip to DC, sounds pretty cool based on the past itinerary. Does anyone know last year’s statistics - how many applied, how many got invited to DC? Thanks!
I applied as well because god knows how precious few full ride scholarships are, especially non-institutional based ones. Plus it wasn’t that bad of an application! @typiCAmom You can find that under the 2017 or 2018 threads on here just look up Coolidge Scholars (or ship) 20"whatever"
I admit, when starting out on the essays I thought I would struggle to fill the word requirement, but as I by the time I finished I had to trim a lot! I wrote about humility for the second essay. The third prompt was really interesting too though.
I really enjoyed the first and second one, especially the second because I thought I managed to tie in something necessary to Coolidge’s personality to something central about mine: valuing family
@calltomuster Same! I had to spend majority of the time rewording mine so that it would use less words. To be honest with you I think doing that is a lot harder than trying to find more words to put into the essay
@student4real, I think just like in elite admissions, knowing others’ stats won’t give you much. There is a certain threshold, but beyond that, a 0.1 difference in GPA or 10 points on the SAT won’t make you a more competitive candidate. It’s all about the essays resonating with the reader. I wish they could post the essays of last years’ winners (obviously, not the personal aspirations ones, but generic ones about Coolidge values or national debt, etc). Does anyone know when the first round of rejections happens? Thanks
The second and third essay prompts were definitely interesting, but I think I may have goofed on that last one, depending on how well I showed that I actually understood his policies. I said that I wanted him to re-consider his stance on high tax rates, but I know that was very fundamental to his beliefs lol
If awards for a competition came out recently (Scholastic, in my case), would y’all recommend emailing the Coolidge Foundation to update them, or would you advise against it?
@student4real I don’t have the sort of national prestige I think they’re looking for, but I’m happy to share the basics!
SAT: 1600 (with 6/8/5 on essay)
ACT: 36C (36/34/36/36 with 12 on essay)
GPA: 4.0 UW
Rank: Top 5% (we don’t have a ranking/percentile more specific than this)
@typiCAmom I believe all results (Finalist, Senator, etc.) come out at once, so there’s no first or second wave of rejections. But from what I’ve seen, in past years they’ve all usually come out late April!
@phanakin, congratulations on excellent stats! Do you know if semi-finalists are still considered Senators and get to go on a trip to Washington visiting Supreme Court, etc? Or is it now a thing of the past and only finalists are invited to Vermont to choose the recipients? Thank you!
I believe semifinalists and Senators are still considered the same thing (e.g. all semifinalists were Senators and vice versa). This seems to be consistent across 2016 and 2018 (although there was some confusion in 2017), but I think the same trend will hold for 2019.
And according to the website:
“The top Coolidge applicants are named “Coolidge Senators.” In the summer, the Coolidge Foundation invites Coolidge Senators to the Senators Summit in Washington, D.C. At the Summit, the Senators explore the nation’s capital, learn about President Coolidge, and meet other high achieving students from across the country.”
So thankfully, I think the trip to Washington is still an offer!
@phanakin, thanks, will wait till April then. Do you possibly know the statistics for last year - how many applied, and how many chosen Senators? Hanks!