<p>to whoever said that it doesnt cover stipend just ask current scholars. they give you a ridiculous amount of spending money and that can be used for traveling or just be used on whatever you want and in other words GATES is great, it takes so much burden off your back =)</p>
<p>Hm. Do you know any current Gates Scholars that I could chat with, crazykidwanabe? It's not that I don't believe you, it'd just be less confusing if I could ask how exactly it works.</p>
<p>Hmm... yes, I would love to talk to current Gates Scholars as well...</p>
<p><em>whew</em> all this fin aid stuff is so stressful. I'll be so glad once I've heard definitively from Gates, and when I've finally picked and done the whole college-schlabang.</p>
<p>me too! I want to talk to a current Gates Scholar. Good Luck to all of you though.</p>
<p>well i dont know if you can talk to one, i know some (since about 2 are chosen from my school every year) but i have lost contact with them yet ill try to contact them somehow and ill let you know</p>
<p>That would be wonderful! No one wins from around here, so I don't know any at all.</p>
<p>To those who were wondering that if you make it to the second stage you automatically win i am sorry to say this but that is not the case. A person at my school made it to the second stage, sent in all his papers last week and got a letter today saying that he did not win. I guess the second stage is just verification, they liked your essays and all your info but do realize that they have tocut down on some people like for example 10 people from my school made it to the second round and i highly doubt all 10 will win so if you made it to the second round it DOES NOT mean you are a winner because they do not only verify whether you lied on your app or not but also consider the info on your fafsa and whether you really need the help and it is really hard to "need the help" because this guy well his parents made 40 k last year, they live in a not so good neighborhood and his efc was a little over 3 k therefore you can conclude that the fafsa, especially your efc is REALLY important. Again I hope this helps and GOOD LUCK to everyone! oh and i think the sooner you send in your papers the faster you will hear and i believe that as long as you send your papers as further away from the 22nd the sooner you will hear!=)</p>
<p>Wow, ok.</p>
<p>So...would you think...that with an EFC of $272...I'd be ok?</p>
<p>Alright...so you're saying that they are still considering the financial situations...is that to say that they are finished considering our other credentials like grades, ECs, and essays? As long as we're pretty damn poor, we're ok?</p>
<p>lol, now you've got me scared. :P</p>
<p>I got a letter today from Gates Millennium saying that I GOT IT!!!! Yay! It covered exactly Self-Help nothing more...yay....now I can buy books, and I wont strave!</p>
<p>Good Luck to everyone else!! :)</p>
<p>starve not strave*</p>
<p>Good for you Lunknot!!! You must be so excited! Im still saying my prayers on this one! Hopefully it wont be too long before we all know something! Has anyone else heard anything??</p>
<p>By the way, was it sent regular mail???</p>
<p>Ok - one more - when did you get all your stuff submitted??</p>
<p>OH MY GOD CONGRATSSSS!!!!</p>
<p>God, you must be so relieved! </p>
<p>And yeah, when did you get your stuff in?????</p>
<p>Also, what organization are you under? OCA?</p>
<p>Wow...goodness. Thanks guys!! I didn't know you guys would see the post so soon. Well, it was just a regular letter (1 letter). It's dated April 13 2005 by regular mail. Hmm, I sent it off by mail last monday, and then faxed it April 6. That was pretty quick. </p>
<p>I am relieved...but I already have a lot of scholarship money, now i'm trying to figure out how to maximize my earnings...hehe; I know i'll have to give some $ back. I'm under UNCF. I know i'll take Gates...after all, it's co-payable to me. It's really cool though! There's a conference in the fall! I'm excited. This year has been the best year of my life. </p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I'll be happy to answer any other questions you all have. Oh, I'm on facebook, which is super-awesome; anyone else have thier profiles up??</p>
<p>Ack...wow...</p>
<p>OCA or no?</p>
<p>UNCF....what do you mean exactly? I'm not Asian.</p>
<p>Ohhhh ok.</p>
<p>I'm under the OCA, and I haven't heard back yet (though a lot of my paperwork only got squared away this week). Also, from the lady at OCA, I was under the impression that the scholarship covers everything that the school does not, including self help. So I was confused...though your excellent financial aid package or your organization may have something to do with all that..</p>
<p>Hm...if you don't mind me asking...what're your stats? I'm having a hard time deciding whether to have any hope or not, lol.</p>
<p><em>gag</em> <em>strangles self</em> <em>dies</em></p>
<p>I think this whole college-pressure/stress thing is getting to me. I feel like I'm the only one I know <em>of</em> remotely struggling. This new Gates scholarship thing is disturbing me more. Did I? Didn't I? How can I decide... blah...</p>
<p>Dani, OCA might come in later than UNCF. Or maybe they award aid differently, or have different standards. Honestly, the whole thing is a giant mystery.</p>
<p>I sent mine out last Thurs./Fri. Which means they would have arrived there on Monday. And if Lunknot received a decision in two weeks, that means I should be getting mine... 22nd -25th. Blargh. Not in time for decisions. Wish I had sent it in earlier.</p>