They are still asynchronous. 
Does your daughter have any tips?
See my answer above 
You are kind.
Although she was not successful with the Stamps at GT, she was awarded a full ride by another school. She is currently a sophomore and very happy. It all worked out somehow and it will for all of you too.
2 Likes
Does your student remember how much time they gave for each response? Like was it 30 seconds or more like 2 minutes? It would be so helpful to know in terms of prep . . .
She does not remember. She thinks GT may have provided some information on that, but is not sure if she is confusing it with another scholarship interview.
1 Like
My DD thinks it was 30-45s to prep, and maybe 60-90 of answering time. It was only a year ago, but I guess linear algebra and Calc 3 pushed the details out of her brain😬
2 Likes
Ha! I get it! Organic chemistry pushed everything else out of my D’s brain! But your estimates are in line with what I remember.
Have any of your students, upon completing their Stamps virtual interview, received an “if you don’t receive the scholarship, being a Semifinalist is still an honor, and we hope you’ll still consider enrolling at Tech” email?
Not sure if that is a standard response to completing the interview, or a bad omen….?
I’m pretty sure that’s just a canned response. Usually the regional teams review/discuss over a few days. I wouldn’t read anything into it.
Good luck!
Definitely an auto response. I got the same message right after I clicked submit. Unless they auto rejected…
1 Like
So bummed! Stamps semi-finalist DS did not make it to finalist round. Hard couple of days here with full-ride scholarship decisions.
I’m really frustrated, because he’s an awesome, high Stat candidate, who has overcome a lot of obstacles and challenges. He’s worked so hard and really persevered through it all and I feel some of these top schools don’t fully appreciate the tremendous effort it took to do that. Smartest, hardest working kid I know. 
SAT: 1530 (one sitting)
ACT: 35 (one sitting)
4.0 unweighted
Likely Valedictorian
Governor’s Honors
AP Honors
School Vice President
Head of School Judiciary Committee
On Teen Board of local chapter of national nonprofit
Has overcome significant medical issues and learning differences to do all of this, and as a result wants to become a physician to help others.
Feeling sort of unseen right now.
While this is small consolation in the moment, just sending hugs your way. My D experienced the same a couple years ago (with GT Stamps and a couple other scholarships where she did not progress past the first round). As a parent, it is difficult processing our own disappointment while also trying to provide support to our child.
The best I can say is that your kid must be amazing to have even been chosen for the small cohort of semifinalists. Hold on to that and hopefully your kid will be able to do the same and will have even better options in the next month or so.
Not knowing how set on GT your kid may be this may not help… but my kid said it was a sign that GT may not be the right place for her as a pre-med. Not necessarily logical but it helped her nonetheless in the moment.
Thank you for this. It’s been a rough week (possibly more so for me than him).
He’s actually been accepted everywhere he’s applied, thus far, but the more selective ones won’t announce until late March/early April. He currently has acceptances and scholarships at Berry, Clark, Furman, Ga Tech, Macalester, and Northeastern. Scholarships range from $14,000/year to over $35,000/ year but, as a full pay family, Ga Tech in-state with Zell is still the most affordable.l option.
What was appealing about Stamps, Woodruff, Duke, and Clark Presidential scholarships, more than even the $$, was the opportunity for him to be part of a special community of top students. It would have validated his hard work and helped keep him encouraged and engaged. The whole, love the school that loves you adage.
Right now, not feeling the needed love…
On a separate note, where did your daughter end up attending?
I think you will find that the majority of the students at Georgia Tech are “top students“. As they said at orientation four years ago, all of you were in the top 10% of your class and now 90% of you won’t be 
. Like they say at the Oscars, it truly is an honor to be nominated for Stamps. If I were you (and him) I would take that as your validation 
I think it’s really easy to find your community at Georgia Tech if you put yourself out there. Whether it be living in an LLC, joining an interesting club, Greek life, research, etc. there are so many options.
2 Likes
It does sound like your son has amazing options!
We are also a full-pay GA family so our in-state options with Zell had to be a consideration if we were to help our D with med school costs. We could not do 4 years of private plus med school. GT was my kid’s top choice of her in-state options despite being close to home. And until she was awarded a full-ride elsewhere, it remained a top choice both for fit and affordability.
However, while cost was a huge factor in our family, she preferred LACs and hoped to go out of state. So she applied to places like Furman and Rhodes that are known for merit and have excellent pre-health support. She ended up on a full ride (Johnson Scholar) at W&L and has been very happy.
As an aside, she had an internship last summer at a free health clinic in Atlanta and as part of that program was provided housing in GT dorms. She had a blast and was able to hang out with some of her friends at GT and said she’s sure she would have been happy there if things played out differently. If your son ends up there, an LLC or honors cohort could provide some of the community he is looking for. Best wishes.
In hindsight, I wish we had pushed him to apply to W&L — it’s an amazing school and you can’t beat that Johnson scholarship! We toured and I personally loved it there. DS felt it was too small and rural for his taste (it didn’t help that during our tour, the admissions team kept mentioning bear sightings…
). Sigh…
1 Like
That’s hilarious! My D regularly sends us pics of the deer outside her second-year dorm/apts, but I haven’t heard about any bear sightings.
She was a bit concerned about the rural location and almost didn’t apply there. Davidson was her top OOS choice until the end… she was an alternate for the Duke there but withdrew her app once she got the Johnson at W&L. (She was not a finalist for the Duke at Furman so it is interesting how the James B Duke Foundation and colleges view a kid’s application in a different light.)
But back to GT talk, we GA residents are so lucky to have it as an affordable and top-notch academic option. And it is one of several amazing options for your son. Please let us know what he decides. 
Being selected as a semi-finalist is a big deal, especially at GT where it is a large pool of incredibly talented students.
Tech has numerous ways for our children to engage with different communities. Stamps jumpstarts it, but there are a number of pre-freshman (summer) programs that also help them meet other people.
Your son sounds amazing, and will be a great physician (if he decides to stay on that track!)
Do the Stamps semifinalists who do not make it to the Finals also receive some merit?
1 Like
Hello, do they provide accommodation for parents for Friday night (scholar weekend at GT) or is it only for students at the GA Tech Hotel?