<p>Okay, my guidance counselor has the 4 emory scholar nomination forms but has informed me that she won't be giving them out until OCTOBER 25 to be "fair" to people who don't know that they should have already asked their guidance counselor for the form. And, to top it all off, we have all of one week to work on them once she decides to finally hand them out...ugh</p>
<p>Heh, that's basically the same thing with me, except it's because we got too many strong applicants and the GCs have to form a committee with the teachers to consider who gets it. Not cool because some of those people are just applying on a whim and don't really want to go. We get the decision sometime next week so you're not alone in a late start. </p>
<p>On another note, I hear the essay question is something like, "How do your academic pursuits affect your life?" Someone correct me on this?</p>
<p>Write a brief essay about yourself, focusing on one or two of your principal intellectual interests and describing how these interests enhance your life and relate to your other interests or activities.</p>
<p>That's more or less the wording on the essay from last year. I'm a current scholar so feel free to ask questions.</p>
<p>Newabc, what did you write on? I want to get some ideas of what they are looking for. And what is your SAT/ACT score? My guidance counselor discouraged me from applying but after bugging her everyday, she finally gave me the nomination. Have you talked to any Emory Scholars with SAT scores lower than a 1400?</p>
<p>Ladybajan,
My impression from previous threads is that most Emory scholars are 1500+</p>
<p>Hello! I'm also planning to apply to the Emory Scholars program. Can you post your stats, newabc? I want to see if I have a chance of getting in. I really like Emory, but I won't be able to go unless I have a scholarship (because the tuition is too high and financial aid doesn't cover all of it). I have a 1580 SAT and 35 ACT. Does Emory look at all the SAT scores? (I got a 1480 the first time). Thanks!</p>
<p>A friend of mine got in to the program with a 32 ACT, which beat out his SAT score that was below 1300. SAT/ACT scores aren't as important once you get to semifinalist status, I think. And Emory will take into account your most recent SAT/ACT scores.</p>
<p>I went to a competitive high school where I was president of the largest organization, made a 4.0 (only 16 people graduated with a perfect GPA), did at least 3-4 hours of community service a week, was a research intern, had really good recs from my calc and english teachers, and earned lots of credits to transfer in. Some of the scholars I know have a million credits transferring in (read: lots of AP/IB), but some people have nothing-it all depends on your school, and how many tests they offer.</p>
<p>The thing about applying to be a scholar is that you want to make yourself stand out in some way. I was afraid that I would sound like every other applicant, so I focused on what I think made me different. The goal of any college app essay is to give the reader a view of who you really are...I think, without my essay, I'd seem like another overachiever-but I showed them what I cared about and why.<br>
Many scholar applicants apply to the program as ivy-backups, but some end up coming here-I could've gone to a "better" (higher-ranking) school, but the scholarship was enticing, and now that I'm here, I love both the school and the program. Being a Scholar has both tangible and intangible benefits. The intangible, I didn't discover till I got here, but the community of scholars is being strengthened more every year, and I really think it's a strong point of the program.</p>
<p>newabc,
My son, a junior, and I visited Emory a couple of weeks ago, and my son fell in love with the college. What he particularly loved was the personalized attention that students get including the freshman seminars and various opportunities that even freshmen get to do research with professors. He also liked how the college and profs look for ways to say "yes" to students' ideas.</p>
<p>Right now, it looks like Emory will be my son's first choice school. Judging by son's stats, he has a good chance of getting in, but our concern is money. </p>
<p>Please say more about Emory Scholars including info about the backgrounds of scholars whom you have met.</p>
<p>Son is in our county's most rigorous academic program and, based on his soph year PSAT, probably will be National Merit Commended. He also is a URM. He does major community service, including being a top officer in a countywide community service program, and being on an advisory board for a nonprofit. He does these things because he loves community service. His grades, however, are only a 3.0 unweighted, something he is trying hard to raise this year.</p>
<p>His interests are psychology, writing, and engineering. </p>
<p>For S to go to Emory, he would need merit money. We are middle class, and not likely to get much need-based aid. Son also is expected to qualify for full tuition scholarships in-state and at some other public universities. Son, however, would prefer to go to a college like Emory because he really wants small classes and personalized attention.</p>
<p>Other scholars whom I've met have shown and continue to show (at Emory) a strong sense of leadership and service to the community. Honestly, though, within the Scholars applicant pool, I'm not sure how they distinguish a semifinalist from a finalist, and so on. A friend of mine got into Harvard, but didn't get any merit money from Emory. Many of the scholars could have easily gone to ivy league schools, but chose not to. Other scholars only applied to Georgia schools. (Please forgive me for not going into more detail, but I would rather not go into more detail for privacy reasons.) I think a big factor (besides the actual app) is how much interest you show in Emory.
If you want an Emory-like environment and need merit money, but aren't sure if you'll get the scholarship, I'd recommend looking into other similar schools like Vanderbilt and WashU. Also, there are many small LAC's that give out merit money, such as Trinity University (in San Antonio, TX). This is not to discourage you from applying, but, like I've said, the Scholars program is highly competitive. It's also a wonderful program, apart from the money, because you receive more personalized attention from higher-ups and an amazing community. Good luck to your son in all his applications, and good luck with the scholars program!</p>
<p>Newabc,
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
I'd be interested in hearing more about the interesting things you're getting to do in the Scholar's program.
If it's not too personal, why did you apply to Emory and why did you decide to go there? What's your major and/or career interests.</p>
<p>By any chance did you visit Trinity in San Antonio? I keep seeing it mentioned on boards, but I have never met anyone who has been there. It is so far from where we live that I wouldn't want to spend the money to take S to visit it unless I was fairly sure it would be a place that he'd like. It is not known in our part of the country.</p>
<p>As a scholar, we have a general organization that does events for us. This is the Scholar Legacy Dialogue, and the general goal of the organization is to build up the scholars community. One of the things I realized when I got to college is that I won't be seeing the same people all 4 years; my hall will change, and unless I joined Greek life, I wouldn't have that continuity beyond my own group of friends. I'm not a big Greek person, so Scholars became my community-it's already built-in, and you don't have to go through the "bad" stuff of Greek life. (By bad, I mean things that I personally don't like-mandatory events, the whole rush/pledging process, etc.) People can be involved in Scholars, or they can not be. Different things the administration does for us are to pay for different activities-dinners/cultural events together, coffeetalks (in which we talk in small groups with faculty members or other students with interesting experiences), recruitment weekend, our retreat (which we just had), and more. Also, Scholars is an extremely student-driven program: we organize events and decide what direction we want to go in in the monthly Scholars Advisory Board, which is open to any scholars. I've found that scholars are, in general, amazingly intelligent people who are just fun to be around and can act just as stupid as everyone else. And, happily, very few people are elitist, and for the most part, people don't know who the scholars are unless we decide to tell them.</p>
<p>I applied to Emory because it had a good reputation, and gave merit money. My first choice was actually Johns Hopkins (because it has a strong department in my humanities major) but the money offered here was too good to pass up, even though I did get in to Hopkins. </p>
<p>Trinity gave me a comparable offer to Emory, and my sibling graduated from there. The decision between the two was difficult, but I ended up at Emory because I felt they were stronger academicaly and I wouldn't be at a place my sibling graduated from. Trinity is an amazing school, however, with amazing acceptance rates to grad schools and med schools. The campus life is also very good, and San Antonio is a fun city. It probably offers a bit more easily accessible personalized attention, as the school is smaller. The only real criticism I have of Trinity is that I don't feel the research there is as high caliber as I would've liked it to be, especially when compared to Emory. However, if your son does visit, I highly recommend the "Trinity in Focus" weekends-I never went on one, but my sibling worked with admissions and said they were really good.</p>
<p>I asked an Emory rep who came to our school what the "typical" scholar is and she said a 1500 SAT and a 4.0uw GPA.</p>
<p>Anyone still not received the nomination form? I completed the rest of the app online, but there seems to be some mixup in getting the nomination form. My counselor asked for them a few weeks ago by phone, but Emory didn't send them. Emory said they already sent them in August, we can't find them, and the deadline is approaching. Ah!</p>
<p>Does anyone know if the Emory Scholar apps. have to been at Emory on Nov. 1 or postmarked by Nov. 1?? I can't find it on the site anywhere and mine will probably not go out until tommorrow from PA... Thanks!</p>
<p>It says on the form itself that all U.S. applications have to be postmarked by November 1. All international applications must be received by the same date. You're fine.</p>
<p>I was just looking at the Emory Scholars website, and I kept seeing references to a "scholar recommendaton." Do we have to have a separate recommendation for the scholars program in addition to the regular app requirements?</p>
<p>yes but you are totally screwed. your counselor should have given it to you awhile ago and it is due on Monday! your counselor totally gave you the shaft because you will never be able to turn it in</p>
<p>The request states that if your counselor already wrote you a recommendation and does not want to write a completely different one, you can have "another school official or faculty member" write the scholar recommendation. So, my advice is to ask one of the teachers (faculty members) who you have already asked to begin writing a rec if they could print one out so you can use that. That's what I did :)</p>
<p>So there's another form? I got the scholar nomination form a while back (the one with the essay topic), but that was it.</p>
<p>Sorry to interject in someone else's thread. I do not know how to make a new one.</p>
<p>Hi, My name is Prashanth and I live in the Woodlands, Tx. I am applying for the Emory Scholars Program this year and would like to know your opinion on what my chances are of getting in. I really appreciate all of your opinions. </p>
<p>Competitive/Highly Ranked suburban Texas public school
Stats:
GPA: Weighted 4.6670/5.0+
Rank: 30 out of 1144
SAT: 1410 (700 V, 710 M)
ACT: 29
SAT II's: Taking on November 6th (U.S. Hist, Writing, Math IIC)</p>
<p>Ethnicity: Asian Indian (Moved here in 1998 from India and have been living here for 6 years)</p>
<p>AP Scores: Took 5 AP Classes Junior Year. Hardest course load this year and junior year too.</p>
<p>AP English-5
AP U.S. History-4
AP Spanish Lit-4
AP Statistics-4
AP Art History-4</p>
<p>Taking 2 classes distance learning because of a lack of space in schedule.
Senior Schedule: A.P. English Lit, A.P. Biology, Humanities, A.P. Calculus A.B.
A.P. Economics Macro, A.P. Government</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:
JV Track and Field-110m Hurdles Sophomore Year {1 year}
Senior Officer-Junior Volunteer Auxiliary (Hospital Volunteer) Total of 940+ hours as of deadline {3 years}
President of National Honors Society (180+ members) {1 year}
Vice-President of Mu Alpha Theta (Tutoring, Programs) {3 years}
Vice-President of English Honors Society (Programs, Reading trivia to senior citizens, Reading buddy at local elementary school) {2 years}
40 hour/week internship- Summer of Junior year with cardiothoracic surgeon {1 month}</p>
<p>Awards:
National Merit Commended Scholar
Collegeboard A.P. Scholar with Distinction
2003-2004 Most Dependable Junior Volunteer
2003-2004 Most Hardworking Junior Volunteer
2004-2005 Most Personable Junior Volunteer
2004-2005 Outstanding Junior Volunteer Officer</p>