I also received an email today that I was in the top 4%, but I don’t know about including it in college apps… it’s certainly a great accomplishment, but I don’t know how recognized it will be seeing that this is the first year of the scholarship.
I’m assuming that they sent the emails in rounds because there are others that received the top 4% email today, and I’m also assuming that the finalists have been notified already because the Finalist’s Weekend is coming very soon. It would make sense that that’s the reason some had already received rejections while some just received them today; it would be far easier otherwise to just send out one mass email.
I too thought the finalists would have been notified by now as well, but the fact that the emails have come a few days apart makes me wonder if they are doing it in rounds.
So who hasn’t received an email yet? I always assumed that finalists were called already, but now I have just a little hope.
I have not received an email either
No email here either…glimmer of hope remains.
Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus…
Update: We made it to what they call the “semifinalist” round (i.e., top 2%). No mention of free admission to the historic site, but it does come with an invitation to a Coolidge Fellows Leadership Summit – an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC this summer! A very nice consolation prize, I have to say (although, truth be told, I wouldn’t have minded the scholarship.) :-? The invitation to the summit is, however, quite generous and I’m delighted for my daughter.
The Foundation also notes that “(she has)… better marks than Coolidge himself had when he entered college.” Good to know!
I would imagine that the finalists have been notified, and that they are letting people know in batches by percentile rank within the cohort.
@LoveTheBard - Congratulations! That’s a nice gesture by Coolidge foundation. Lot of kids who applied have perfect GPAs (including my son), so I am not sure if the marks itself is a criteria for semifinalist status.
@LoveTheBard , D is also happy, election year at Capital is a dream to her! I just want to applaud Coolidge Foundation for their thoughtfulness and the considerations put in the process.
@srk2017 Thanks for the kind thoughts! I wish your son every success moving forward.
As for the selection process, I’d imagine that essays were the primary consideration, but they certainly seem smitten with GPAs, test scores and class rank.
I’m pleased that my daughter seems to be a viable candidate for some of the more competitive programs - she did get into TASP this summer, so we are mighty pleased (and proud!)
@SincererLove Yes, I am delighted that they are offering that to our kiddoes; it is exceedingly thoughtful and rather generous of the Foundation. Congratulations to your D!
My daughter loves Washington; she visited it on a college trip and is going with her school to the inauguration.
I was also emailed today. Despite being a semifinalist, I still feel a little disappointed. Has anyone not been contacted yet or has been notified they are a finalist?
@coolidge I would wait until tomorrow. If the top 1% gets notified tomorrow, then it’s more likely they are choosing by round. Otherwise, I’d be totally confident in saying that finalists have been chosen.
I think that most of the people that have been following this thread have were either rejected in the first round, made it to the second (the 4%) round or made it to the semifinalist (2%) round.
Statistically speaking, it’s actually quite impressive that out of 2300 applicants we have a small cohort of 2 and 4 percenters here. Do we have any idea how many semi-finalists there were? @coolidge @pineapple86 , are you planning to go to Washington for the Summit?
I think I will. Will you? @LoveTheBard
No, I don’t believe there is 1% round at all. I guess there will be 46 semifinalists and 10 finalists.
As some one who started the thread, I am glad that we have some semifinalists in this group. I hope you all can here from finalists also. I know it will be a tough competition esp given my S is more into STEM activities than policy/politics, but it is little disappointing that he didn’t make it to semis either. It appears essays are critical for scholarships or summer programs since lot of high stats kids compete them. Good luck to all with current and future endeavors!
@LoveTheBard Yeah I plan on going to the summit, it seems like a really cool opportunity. I’m actually pretty thankful for the Coolidge Foundation. They didn’t have to do this for us, but they are giving us an all-expenses paid summit which is awesome. I assume that there were 50 semifinalists, because they gave us a number of 2300+ applicants and 2% of 2300 is 46. And they called us semifinalists, which means we were the last round to get cut; finalists are invited to the interview weekend.
@coolidge thanks for having a positive attitude! I am also excited for the summit weekend. Good luck to all the people still in the finalist round!
@srk2017 Thanks for having started the thread, and I’m truly sorry that your son didn’t make it to the semifinalist/finalist round. I wish him - and you - all the best moving forward!
@pineapple86 I presume that D will want to go; she’s in the middle of her AP Bio exam and doesn’t even know about it yet! I’m glad that, if she does go, she will be in great company together with you, @coolidge and @SincererLove’s D!
I hope we hear from more semifinalists and finalists - and from the winners!
And a special shoutout to @CourtneyThurston, without whom we would never have known about this scholarship - thanks, Courtney!!!