My daughter will be declining. But a “friend” she made during selection weekend is accepting. I was curious and a bit surprised with the offer because the student is Indian - her parents are from India - a demographic who has a significant representation in STEM MDs/PhDs.
Congratulations to all those selected! It would be interesting to know what they used to make their final choices (demographics, test score, gpa) but from what my daughter said and all she met it was an amazing group of students so I am sure the decision wasn’t easy.
@CollegeCrew I had no resources to look at the Bison STEM program a year ago, so I just wanted to give that back to families interested in the program that selected my daughter. Congratulations to your daughter and your family (I may have been celebrating more than my daughter).
@kodi736 I am not surprised, because I am sure they are looking for many factors and would take the students that they thought would reach all of their objectives. Once that young Indian-American student goes through Howard, I have no doubt that the student will be an advocate for the same things that any other Bison STEM Scholar would. Congratulations to your daughter as I have seen many great educational opportunities for the students who have turned down being a Bison STEM Scholar.
@BisonBound19 I still remember my daughter saying that she had never seen that much African American brilliance in one room in her life like she saw last year during the Selection Weekend. I already know that the Finalists and the stakes keep rising every year with the program.
Update: My own daughter looks to be finishing up her freshman year strong (looking pretty good to still have 4.0 after year one if all goes well) and she got into a world class research lab this summer with amazing perks (Stipend, Room and Board, and travel costs provided). I have been around a lot of high achieving kids in my area from top schools around the country and I have never seen freshmen have the results of my daughter and her cohort have had in getting high profile internships.
@kodi736 What was the deadline the department gave the selected finalists to accept or decline? Also if I may ask what was your daughter’s major? Thanks.
@trob71 I can tell you that for my daughter’s cohort, they were given until May 1 to accept or decline the offer.
Finalists have until 5/1.
@ChangeTheGame, you mention dropping your daughter off on 6/17. Second session summer school did not start until June 24, registration did not start until June 20, and residence hall check-in did not start until June 21. How were you able to drop her off early? Did they have seminars during that time frame? Also my daughter’s medical has been accepted. What should we be looking for next?
@CollegeCrew, has the administration given you a calendar for reporting and where? Where will the female cohorts stay? Even though my daughter did not make the program, I am encouraging her to go to second session summer school to get Pre-Calc done and learn how to study before all of the distractions of the fall come in. Maybe even take the African Am Cluster course as well. Looking at making travel plans.
Yes, cohort 2 was scheduled to arrive a week early because the students went through a week of seminars (time management, study skills, etc), team building, going through Bison Prep orientation, and tours (around Washington DC). Once my daughter’s medical information was done last year, she went ahead and scheduled and took her Spanish Placement Exam test which she took remotely from our home before dropping her off at Howard. I don’t think she had to do that but she was able to place out of the 1st 3 semesters of Spanish (leaving only 1 semester remaining). The language requirement at Howard depends on the major as the College of Arts and Sciences (COAS) has a 4 semester requirement of a foreign language (unless they place out or bring credits), but engineering majors for example don’t have that same requirement (I don’t think they have to take any foreign language at all), but you should get an e-mail. Otherwise, finishing up the medical portal information was the last thing that my daughter had to do before going to Howard.
My daughter found out today she is being invited to join Cohort 3. Walking in Faith always pays off! Bless the Lord for that. Thanks again for this thread. Without it she would be way behind.
1 Like
@trob71 I am so happy for your daughter and your family. Your faith and positive outlook through all of the trials that your family endured during the selection process has been amazing.
I need to look more into this
@trob71 please forgive the delay. It’s been hectic with AP exams, graduation and other year end activities. Congratulations to your student. I assume you have received communication about preparation for summer bridge by now.
@ChangeTheGame how did your daughter take her language placement exam online? Is there a link? What do you recommend my daughter take with her for Summer Bridge? Also are there other fees we need to pay for Summer Bridge and the Fall Semester? I keep seeing there is a $50 fee for housing, but I can not find anywhere to pay it.
@CollegeCrew, no problem at all. We have gotten some information. Not sure we have gotten all of it, but we are getting a steady stream of information. I saw one email where Mr. Smith is already “cracking the whip” on Cohort 3 to get their paperwork in.
My daughter has started packing, completing her Trusted Traveler’s Interview and it is starting to hit home that she is leaving. She is a little nervous, but getting over it.
@trob71 My daughter received an email from Howard (I just assumed all enrolled students got it) that talked about language placement options last year. I believe that the email had info or a link that guided her to schedule her placement test. You might want to ask if the test can be taken once your child reaches campus (I don’t believe many took it before coming to Howard).
Deciding what to bring for summer bridge was hard for my daughter. We decided to take everything we would have taken in the fall, because we have family in Maryland to store things between the end of Summer Bridge and the beginning of Freshman Week (2 weeks) while the scholars were in Germany. But Howard actually stored the scholars items during the trip. I hope that cohort 3 will be able to move into their Fall dorm assignments early before going to Germany, but the dorms were not ready last year when they left. What my daughter considered essential last summer:
Laptop
Beats Headphones
Printer (most used Howard Facilities but she loved the convenience)
Lamp
School supplies
3 Business suits (Business attire for photo ops)
Lots of comfortable summer attire
Snacks and Bottled Water
XL twin sheets and comforter
Shower curtains (They stayed in CHS last summer)
Last year, we only had to pay the $300 enrollment fee. I sent an email to the Bison STEM Scholars office last year and they confirmed that for cohort 2, but you might want to check with the Bison STEM Scholars office to verify the fees that cohort 3 have to pay.
Hey @trob71, @CollegeCrew , and any parents of Cohort 3 Bison STEM Scholars. How is the summer going so far for your kids? What are your 1st impressions? What do your kids think about Howard so far and the demands of the summer bridge program?
@ChangeTheGame total transformation in only 3 weeks. Study skills much better (was used to getting A’s with no study). Stumbled a little at first in class and had to learn how to deal with “failure”, but is roaring back. Organization better, getting used to 14-16 hour days. Feels like the fall will be easier to handle compared to what is going on this summer. She is loving the school and definitely enjoying the experience. Missed home a little at first, but after school started did not have time to be homesick anymore. Toughest part is the cell phone limitation during the summer. She has all her travel items in check and right now just focusing on learning the material and making the grade. Best program she could have ever been in for growth and future plans.
@trob71 That is great news. Get ready to continue see these transformations. My daughter showed me some of her research results from this summer that she will be presenting at a conference soon and the level of detail and sophistication has wowed me. My daughter shared with me that Bison STEM Scholars cohort 2 had a freshman year GPA above a 3.8, so I have no doubt that your daughter will be prepared for the rigors of freshman year.
Good morning everyone. My daughter is entering her senior year, and I’ve started doing a lot of research. My daughter will be applying early action to Howard University and I would love for her to apply to the Bison STEM Program. @ChangeTheGame , are you all from Georgia? The reason I ask is because you mentioned it was between Howard and GA Tech. We live in Georgia, and my daughter only wants to apply to one school in GA (Emory). She has a few other schools that include U Chicago and Vanderbilt. My question is, have you come across any other schools that have STEM programs?
@MomOfThree80 My family lives in the North Metro Atlanta area (Gwinnett County). My daughter did not want to attend school in GA, but Georgia Tech became an great option due to the affordability and opportunities available. I have definitely run into a few other schools that are looking to follow UMBCs Meyerhoff Scholars Program. I am linking a couple of articles that list some STEM based programs modeling the Meyerhoff program. I would also mention taking a look at North Carolina A&T which gives out many full ride scholarships (Dowdy and Cheatham-White Scholars) and was impressive to my daughter and is a top contender for my class of 2020 son as well. Good luck in your search.
https://hechingerreport.org/successfully-replicating-the-meyerhoff-stem-scholars-program/amp/
Hey @trob71, @CollegeCrew , and any parents of Cohort 3 Bison STEM Scholars. Just wanted to check back in to see how your students are doing now that they have completed the Summer Bridge Program and have been in Germany for a week. My daughter has presented her summer research at a large conference this summer and I can tell you that the growth she has experienced in the last 14 months is nothing short of amazing. I also wanted to post the Howard article on the B-3 for any future prospective Bison STEM Scholars to view.