was searching around the coolidge foundation fb page and came across a guidance department (Middlebury high school) congratulating one of their students for selection as a finalist (they had coolidge tagged); not sure if all have been notified but it seems that at least one has been notified (so probably others too)
Damn that was Tuesday and the thing mentions the summit is at the end of this month…I guess it’s over now 
Will you send the link? @rphmom8
Would appreciate the link^
I found it and tried to send it but because it was a link it got flagged for moderation.
My daughter got an email today saying she was a Senator.
also a Senator! a lil bummed that i didn’t make it to finalist but 12/3400 is INSANE
also a Senator! does someone want to make a chat for all the senators so we can get to know each other before August?
Congratulations to all the finalists and senators - this is a huge honor! How many applicants achieve “Semifinalist” status and “finalist” status respectively?
The email my daughter received said 100 of the 3400 were senators.
bump! has anyone gotten an itinerary or flight info yet?
This might be a dead thread but it’d be great if someone replied! I’m a rising junior and will apply this year. I have a few questions about this scholarship. Do I need to apply with test scores? I’ve only taken the sophomore PSAT and that was in the 99% but probably 55% for Coolidge’s applicant pool. I’m going to take the PSAT this year as a junior, and I’m studying for it, but if its test-optional I’d prefer to not submit. Does an interest in international diplomacy/law count as public policy or service? I know it’s not a requirement, but I feel like it gives a boost if my interest is in a sector of public policy/service. Do you actually like ACTUALLY have to read Coolidge’s biography or can a lot of the information needed for that essay prompt just be researched? And lastly, does anyone know the application questions? Do they stay the same each year?
I’m going to tag some names that I saw were active on this thread just so I can try to get a response. @calltomuster @typiCAmom @phanakin @onlyworthypotato @student4real
Hi @longinghyphen! Sorry for just now seeing this. If I recall correctly, the application asks what tests we’ve taken and then asks us to list the scores for each one. I’d definitely say international diplomacy/law counts as an interest in public policy/service! What’s important though is how you demonstrate that you’re really interested in those things. I actually did read Coolidge’s biography and felt like it helped, but you can also go on the Coolidge Foundation website and search by key terms for things Coolidge said/wrote during his life, which I found super helpful. The application questions for me were: explain your academic interests, something about what quality do you most admire about Calvin Coolidge (maybe? I couldn’t find my essay for this one in my Google Drive so I can’t quite remember), and explain what you thing Coolidge would do to tackle our national debt crisis. Not sure if the questions will stay the same, but I imagine the first two will at least. Good luck!
- From what I remember, they did ask for test scores, but I wouldn’t sweat just submitting your PSAT! They’re definitely not as weighted as the rest of the application, such as your resume/extracurriculars or the essays.
- In my opinion, international/diplomacy falls under that umbrella for sure.
- Much of the information for the essay can be researched, and the word limit for the essay really isn’t that high so you won’t have to cite multiple things—you can’t, actually, with how many words they give you. Nonetheless, I think at least skimming it would help you have a general understanding of what Coolidge valued.
- I have the first essay prompt and a general idea of the other two!
Essay 1: In an original essay of no more than 400 words, please describe your academic interests and explain how you see these interests shaping your future. *
Essay 2: (This one was supposed to be based on the autobiography) Asked something like what value did Coolidge value the most and how do you know?
Essay 3: Something along the lines of what would Coolidge do to address our national debt crisis and what would you suggest him look into.
Thanks, @phanakin and @calltomuster. I guess I will have to at least skim his biography if I want to give a good answer to that question. The question about what he would do to address the national debt crisis seems really hard. If I’m going to be completely honest, I’ve never heard about Coolidge until hearing about this scholarship, so I don’t know anything about his policies. Hopefully, reading his bio will give me some useful insight.