How did you even find out about this program? I kind of feel like we missed some sort of boat. My DD is very interested in Wellesley and has been in contact with them expressing the interest, but was/is unaware of this outreach.
I don’t actually know. My D got an invite from Wellesley giving her the opportunity to apply to Discover Wellesley for the fly in. It appears to target URM’s, first gen or low income. I assume that it’s because she’s URM and high stats ( CR 800 M 760 WR 720), high GPA and class rank. So if it’s to pique interest it appears to have worked. She now looking into Wellesley when it hadn’t been on her radar before.
I don’t think that you should really feel like you missed the boat. It’s an outreach program with a very specific target. If your D is interested in Discover Wellesley she can fill out the forms and go to it. It would definitely show interest.
BTW, how much does Wellesley weigh/ consider demonstrated interest?
^^ Item C7 on the Common Data Set. On a scale of 1 to 4, where 1 is “Not Considered” and 4 is “Very Important”, demonstrated interest is a 2, or “Considered”.
My daughter is a URM and was not invited to apply but has been invited to a couple from other schools. Since she was interested in Wellesley we googled to see if they had something similar and applied. I am wondering if she should still apply in the fall RD since I am sure competition will be equally intense. Casting wider net is very smart advice! Luckily our state school is phenomenal. I think we were just testing the waters. I truly believe every “no” brings you closer to your “yes”.
I’m sorry about everyone who was not accepted but everyone should definitely apply to other programs. Each program is different and has a different process. Does anyone know if there is a fb group for the people that were accepted?
Hi! Getting denied the travel grant is by no means a no from Wellesley. I applied for the travel grant last summer but didn’t get it but because I thought it could be my first choice my parents decided to pay for the plane ticket to fly me out to visit and it really helped me decide that Wellesley was where I wanted to be. I applied early evaluation (for those who don’t know early evaluation is just like regular decision except you submit your application a little bit earlier and they send you something about a month before acceptance letters come out letting you know if you’re likely/not likely/might get in) and did the optional interview where I expressed great interest in attending. I am now attending Wellesley as a member of the class of 2019. 
So I would strongly recommend attending Discover Wellesley if you can, even if you didn’t receive a grant. Don’t assume that not getting the grant means you won’t get in. Also, if it helps anyone, I’m from the Midwest and I am a first gen. Good luck with your college search!
I would guess that getting the travel grant has more to do with your financials than with how much they want you. It is for those who really need it. Think about it-- If you haven’t applied yet and they haven’t seen your transcript, letters, test scores, or essays, they really do not know how much they want you. Without these things, they really know nothing about you. So I wouldn’t take it as a “No.” I’d take it as “Someone else needed the grant more than I did.” If your scores and stats are in the running, you also are still in the running!
anyone get a response yet for the August deadline? Still haven’t got mine 
I got mine from the early round a few months ago. I have no idea how this airfare thing works. :-/