<p>all it said to me was: i padded and faked my essays to look better</p>
<p>not to be so critical, but they wanted the essays to be written honestly without anyone telling you what to not put in your content, and what to take out.</p>
<p>@leirsyn whoa! ok </p>
<ol>
<li><p>i did not pad or fake my essays to look better at all. everything in my essays was honest and true content. i simply worked on them for so long to improve the quality of my writing and to get 2nd opinions on them </p></li>
<li><p>how do you know what they (the selection committee) wanted? did it say on the site that “they didn’t want” anyone to look over your essays for you? there is no law against that! they did not say anywhere that “they don’t want” other ppl reading your essays and telling you what to put in or take out. i take offense to your comments.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>These people could care less about how the essay was done, as long as the question was answered. But seriously I commend you @journey2success on doing your best and staying positive even though u didn’t make it. I was really surprised to find out I was accepted even though my stats didn’t top yours. But of course it may have been something else in the application the committee saw, maybe not the essays. You’ll never know, but just keep trying.</p>
<p>because two of the people that served in the selection committee are in close relations with my aunt and that is what they told me. “fake essays that have been revised multiple times to look good” everywhere.</p>
<p>For me myself, I dont think my essays were concise. Thats the only thing about my application i would change.People really liked them but I have heard about previous gates scholars essays and they all were concise and to the point.</p>
<p>It must be really just the people reviewing the applications. If it were based on a grading scale, a lot of people would win, but they cant do that now</p>
<p>@leirsyn are you a finalist?</p>
<p>and how would the selection committee KNOW that an applicant padded or faked their essyas unless they simply assumed they did? what if an applicant was so qualified (in terms of service or leadership) or underprivileged in their financial circumstances that it seems so far fetched (in the essays) and so the selection committee would assume the wrong thing? that’s what i’m starting to fear, and that’s so wrong. are they really making prejudgments?</p>
<p>You put what you feel on the essays, but the selection committee thinks something different. It’s like essays fore college apps. All I know is that MY essay was concise, to the point, and not ONE person had to read it because i was sure of everything I put. To say that most of those essays were padded offends me as well.</p>
<p>Ack, I guess all I can look forward to in the mail is a rejection letter. 
This seriously sucks… but I won’t let it get me down. I’m a finalist for another scholarship and I’ve got an interview today (every little cent adds up!). </p>
<p>Congrats to everyone who made it! I hope that you all become Gates Scholars!</p>
<p>I just got my rejection letter today. one of the worst day of my life because i put all of my efforts into an application and didn’t get anything any other scholarship that needs an essay? pls help me guys</p>
<p>@Super2011 i’m sorry! i know how you feel. but don’t worry. there are other opportunities out there, including the following w/ deadlines (you can look these up on Google):</p>
<p>Eagle Foundation Scholarship 4/1/11
Sylvia K. Burack Writing Contest 3/31/11
Herbert Lehman Scholarship 3/31/11
FiSCA (Financial Service Centers of America, Inc.) 4/8/11
Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation & Creativity 4/18/11
Skandalaris Family Foundation Scholarship* 5/1/11
Tylenol Scholarship ?
BP Community Scholarship program 5/16/11
Mooring Scholarship Foundation 4/15/11
NY State Academy of Family Physicians Scholarship program 3/22/11
Caring Institute Award end of April</p>
<p>Hope these help!</p>
<p>@journey2success I didn’t get offended or anything. I was actually agreeing with you. But my stats are-
GPA UW 3.8 GPA W 4.7
SAT (not that it matters since they didnt even ask) 2050
600+ Community service hours- although it’s quality of quantity and I focused on the ESL program that I coordinate/ environmental groups that I started/ church community services that I lead so basically not to sound cocky or anything but I have a lot of leadership experience</p>
<p>As for my essays, I honestly was running out of time so I ended up using some of the college application essays (which took me weeks to do and were REALLY personal) and other poor quality essays that took me under 2 hours for ones that asked about best/ worst class.</p>
<p>@journey2success thank you so much. you got rejected too? if you don’t mind me asking…funny thing is that for one essay i wrote like almost 700 characters and i volunteered for nothing :(</p>
<p>Has anybody from VA, KY,TN,OH got anything?</p>
<p>Has anyone heard anything from HI? </p>
<p>Congrats to the finalists! :)</p>
<p>@Super2011 no problem! i’m glad to help out. and yes, unfortunately, i was rejected too did you apply to any other scholarships?</p>
<p>I still haven’t received my rejection letter. I live in Colorado so maybe it will come tomorrow or Thursday.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how they judge the finalists? Do they separate us based on race and judge us or do they do it holistically?</p>
<p>Idk. My first guess is they probably go ahead and separate those who are financially eligible from those who are not.</p>