<p>Whyivy--that's great! Do you live in MD?</p>
<p>astrophysicsmom
yes , montgomery county</p>
<p>The next highest scholarship is Regents which I am suppose to get if I dont get the Banneker/Key scholarship. Any body know the difference? They both seem to pay for everything???</p>
<p>no the next highest is presidents. that is 8,000 a year.</p>
<p>Regents Scholarship</p>
<p>The Regents Scholarship is offered to a limited number of entering freshmen from Maryland to recognize their extraordinary academic achievements. This scholarship is jointly sponsored by the University of Maryland and the University System of Maryland, and is one of the most prestigious scholarship programs in the state. The award covers the cost of in-state tuition, mandatory fees, room and board, and a book allowance for four years. Offered late in the spring, Regents Scholars are selected from the most academically talented entering Banneker/Key Scholars.</p>
<p>What it means probably is first you become a Banneker/Key Scholar and if you are in state you get Regents??</p>
<p>whyivy - did you get gemstone? if yes, then did your banneker key invitation come in the same envelope?</p>
<p>xpizitdan
I got Gemstone , It came in 2 different envelopes</p>
<p>I was lurking as usual and found this written by Venkat</p>
<p>
[quote]
a77, doesn't that Blair magnet diploma make you an automatic admit for Gemstone (if I remember correctly from that orientation from 4 years ago)? I have no idea how they admit people to the different programs. I have heard that the niche essays are a screening process, but from what I see here, it is pretty random.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Is this true for RM IB Diploma as well ?</p>
<p>(I know a77 said it might not be true, but then again not all 100 people at Blair opt to go to UMD)</p>
<p>While talking with a current Gemstone student, I noticed that the curriculum is almost identical to that of the Blair magnet (bioethics, historical research paper, etc.). Blair kids would probably be more experienced with this stuff. This may be why UMCP wants us for Gemstone. </p>
<p>So I don't think it's true for the IB.</p>
<p>But but but but but but but Extended Essay (more or less a research paper), ToK (ethics)......</p>
<p>we also had to do a project over the summer</p>
<p>many of us did internships at UMD, while others went NIH, NIST, NASA, etc.</p>
<p>Many RM IB students were offered Gemstone this year, but some were not. It's unclear whether those who didn't get a Gemstone invitation didn't qualify for the program or whether their answers to the niche essay indicated that they were not interested in Gemstone. </p>
<p>There are numerous Banneker-Key recipients at RM this year as well. </p>
<p>The goodies don't only go to people from Blair.</p>
<p>even though its not like much this year at my school (not blair or RM but in montgomery county) there were at least six people who got gemstone and five who got b/k. not many people from the past years have done as well as we have. i dont know of anyone who has graduated and gotten a full ride except for the people in my grade.</p>
<p>Thanks Marian, well many apply to UMD-CP from RM (I think it was 120 last year), so I'm not surprised.</p>
<p>I wouldn't assume everyone who goes through a magnet program gets into Gemstone. There are also folks who have "been there, done that" with the group projects and DON'T want Gemstone! Some go for working with individual projects w/profs on campus or find interesting internships in the area. </p>
<p>On the other hand, I can certainly see the appeal for kids who like a hands-on approach to their learning (I have one who would love it, and one who would scream "Enough!"). It seems to be a program that works well for certain personalities, and the fact that UMD lets one try it for a year before committing seems to be recognition of that.</p>