@Keepstriving welcome 
Thank you for sharing the email. It seems a bit confusing to me. just like @Jouuuu said
@mifit
I sent
āAn email went out recently about updating applicant information on transcripts and school choice. In this letter it stated āstudents who have already transferred to a four-year institution are not eligible for this scholarship,ā and I would like clarification on this statement. Does this mean that if we have already accepted our admission at one or more colleges that we are now disqualified? If not then please disregard this message.ā
And received
āThank you for contacting the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. āAlready transferredā means that you have already started at the 4-year school, and are currently taking classes there right now. If you have accepted an offer and started registering for classes in the fall, you are still eligible.ā
Going by the exact same logic, itās ridiculous to lump us all into the idea that we are all diligent intelligent adults that represent the future of this country. Thatās far from the truth.
āI just donāt want us to come off that way because someone else thinks thatā
I could write a soliloquy about why I think thatās the wrong way to think about things, but I wouldnāt want to push you to think/do something that you donāt see. (I hope you see the irony in that.)
No one should feel bad for calling the foundation. Especially if someone else feels awkward that you chose to do something that you deem important because it might affect them.
So I broke down ā¦ I called for the first time. I have been in offices for over 10 years calling and asking a variety of things from different peopleā¦ And know the truth when I hear it.Not saying I can foresee the future or know any definites (these forms may not really matter for some) but ā¦ I can see right through it. The first email said ānext phase of selection,ā then today I called and the lady was nervous when I asked her a specific question, āIāve heard some people have gotten emails this week for both financial and transcript informations, this I am assuming is pertaining to finalists decisions and those who havenāt received it are probably not being considered?ā She said āno itās just in case thereās missing information,ā (in a nervous voice) which makes no sense because all of us have missing information regarding our fall '15 grades - she was lying. So all she kept repeating was - either way everyone will be notified this week requesting information or something along those lines - but she didnāt sound like she meant it. And then I responded not in a mean way but with a knowing tone - " so I hear itās supposed to be early to mid May right?" And she says āyesāā¦ Lol. Given that we all know thereās a May 2 deadline thatās a load of bull unless theyāre sending out rejection emails by the end of the week.
Clearly they canāt tell us anything - and for those of us who didnāt receive the transcript request forms - I think itās safe to say, although we canāt say for sure that we are eliminatedā¦ We are definitely less likely to get it (as theyād obviously want this info from finalists). But anyway ā¦ Although I know itās probably annoying for them to get these phone calls - and I never thought Iād cave - it felt good to call and hear it for myself. It makes me empowered to look for other options - there should definitely be no lying in things like this. We worked our asses off on that app and are good students with bright futures and abided by strict deadlines and protocols. Although Iāve been telling myself not to feel too invested in this - how can I not - pretty big deal and all of my mentors keep reminding me of that when I beat myself up. Some transparency is well Deserved and I feel like Iāve been waiting to breathe out and plan for options B, C until I hear back: but I havenāt been able to because Iāve been so hopeful. So now I move on.
Last year they didnāt do this and it might have been because scholars slacked off and they were unaware of GPA drops or financial trickery (lol) or there were a variety of other issues they didnāt anticipate after picking finalists, so they changed the process this year but it doesnāt mean that we should ignore what these requests mean. From last years forums I read that people who were rejected werenāt even notified til way after winners were told (messed up). I keep saying they donāt owe us anything - and they donāt - so I am just venting because emotionally - I know I worked damn hard on that app- and now I feel like Iāve been forgotten. Aweful feeling butā¦ Thatās life! :((((((((( I need a vacation.
Sorry, just needed to vent. Everyone can ignore this message.
Thanks @ForestryGuy for sharing
Buddy just try to relax @RlyOwl Here is why I donāt think those forms mean much.
As a person who recieved both e-mails, I believe I received them because of special circumstances.
Example: Recall the application deadline of December 15th, 2015. During the application window, we had roughly 2 months to fill out the application in its entirety, recommendations and all. I chose to fill mine out as early as possible (late Oct I believe). During this time period, I was taking 6 classes (18 credit hours) and was only able to list about 32-34 credit hours on the initial app.
Whatās my point? My point is, those previous 32-34 credits indicated I was a 4.00 student. Is it FAIR for someone else who may have completed, say, closer to 50 credits and had a 3.8 because of that extremely tough Physics class they took the semester before? Maybe MY weak subject is English and I just avoided taking that, and therefore did not list it on the JKCF Application.
Also, I indicated in earlier posts that I am pretty broke, but I do own an LLC that I founded a few years back in the name of music (just to shield myself from liability and remind myself of the reasons I started making music). Donāt you think JKCF would be curious how I technically own a business(a not-very-profitable business, but a business none-the-less) but still claim that I originated from relative poverty (which is very true). Just a thoughtā¦
I think itās too early guys! One of the reps told me something somewhat prematurely once and his supervisor apologized and assisted me with my concerns. That incident taught me that the reps have very limited information, and limited power to share that information.
Itās not over until itās over my fellow comrades!
^ commie.
Well, this has been quite entertaining to read over during my coffee breakā¦ And now for some commentary (some of which should be taken very lightly):
@Rlyowl What happened to the donuts and yoga? Iāve been laying low (avoiding this message board as much as I can) in and alternating between corpse and childās pose for like 2 weeks. Itās done wonders. Breeaaaathe.
@LostUber Spiritual, yes. Iām going to study Theology and just wrote a whole reflection about relying on the awesome providence of God last night. So, thanks for sharing your observations.This month of seeming psychological torture is bound to lessen time in purgatory, right?
@Jouuuu Everyone is not necessarily missing grades because open those with sophomore status AND recent grads. I fall into the latter.
@astrojess As someone who works in an office and has to answer phones all day, I appreciate your exhortation to calm the heck down. Some people might not like your tone but I like your bluntness. Points for using the word barrage.
@ForestryGuy Compelling narrative, check. Sense of humor, check. Iād totally read your life story. Maybe even turn it into a movie. We can work on the screenplay at Scholars Weekend, complete with a forest firefighter training montage. Music provided by @LostUber. Sundance, here we come.
On a more serious note, itās the peeps like you (and others who have shared more deeply) that make me feel an impostor. Iām a overachieving lower-end-of-middle-class white girl. Iām from a big family and my siblings and I all have to pay our own way if we want to go to college. My parents raised us to be adventurous, independent, and hardworking. So after high school, I took time off and traveled the world before returning home to live with my family at age 27, which is when enrolled in community college courses. When I heard about JKCF transfer scholarship, I knew I would purposely wait until I was older than 30 to apply so I wouldnāt have to include parental financial info. Itās not like I am the first person to go to college in my family, Iāve never been homeless, and community college was a breeze so out of over 2,300 applicants, how am I still standing here with yāall?
One thing I know is, Iām a great writer who was able to take what I have (a passion for serving others and love of education) and weave an interesting tale for a scholarship application. You know how the first question on the application was to describe your experience of community college? I literally wrote āIt was smooth sailingā¦ā and proceeded to cleverly fill the remaining 600 characters with oceanic and boating idioms and metaphors. I have certainly not faced much adversity in life compared to others (on this thread and otherwise). But as @nekosuki and other current scholars have reiterated so many times, thereās no cookie cutter. But soon enough there will be 85ish new Cookies (<ā that pun is for you, @optimisticky) and until I get officially rejected, I can only hold onto hope that I might be one of them.
Anyway, thereās a paragraph from my book. And lastly, for the record, I have not received any emails from the foundation since the original semi-finalist one on March 8th. This is probably a bad time to bring up the fact that I got an email way back in January asking me to clarify financial information though, right? #theyseemetrollin
@sammyclaire23 yes. I am in San Diego.
@lifeasaprayer Superbly done! :))
@LostUber @lifeasaprayer good point on both notes. Need that yoga and to take my mind off of this. Itās becoming obsessive. Have a nice week yāall! Love you all and good luck !
@LostUber how many credits you had successfully completed before Fall 2015? Just to check, because JKCF has a requirement of at least 30 credits to be earned before Fall 2016 to be eligible?
When I applied, I had 32 credits (now that iām counting) 12 classesā¦6 per semester. 10 of those classes three-credit classes and 2 labs to match the 2 science classes I took.
Now that theyāve requested Fall grades iām looking at 50 credits even. I took 6 three-credit classes Fall 2015.
Spring would put me at 64ā¦ 4 three-credit classes and 2 one-credit classes. I made sure I was over the minimum but that is precisely why I believe they are requesting more info. Itās just a theory @sat4498 ā¦
I think we should stop theorizing. I know itās hard not to do, but I think it is reaching the point where it could be harmful - swinging people between disappointment and hope, and back again. Take the information for what it is: a number of semi-finalists received an email from a JKCF staffer asking for acceptances and an updated transcript. That is what we know.
Everyone who calls or emails at this point is receiving non-answers. It seems clear that they cannot notify applicants of their status, especially after the issue with that one rep. earlier in the cycle, and so cannot speak to if not receiving the form means you are no longer under consideration or vice versa. Asking at this point is simply taking people on an emotional roller coaster.
@LostUber I had over 50, if not over 60, at the time I applied.
@LostUber @aritransfer16 After reading the theory of @LostUber I hypothesized that JKCF might have asked for updated transcript only to those applicants who have less than 30 credits (but very close to 30) at time of application which is December 15, 2015. Now as @LostUber and @aritransfer16 said, both of them had already more than 30 credits at the time of application, so I realize that my hypothesis is wrong.
But I think the theory of @LostUber is still not making sense. If anybody has 50 credits with 3.8 CGPA, then applying the same logic of JKCF for which they have contacted us for updated transcript, they should also contact all those 50+ credits 3.8 CGPA semi-finalists to make sure whether they have improved their academic performance or not.
Besides, how do you define a course is hard or easy? Do you have a well defined objective function? A physics course might be difficult for an arts student but not that difficult for a student having a math background. I mean there is no way to quantitatively judge a course whether it is difficult or not? It is purely a subjective issue. And I guess JKFC has already so many subjective things (e.g. all those essays) to judge apart from the courses.
I had 47 credits when I applied and a 4.0. After sending in the transcript I have 63 credits and a 4.0. The theory of under 30 credits canāt be correct. I have received both the financial email as well as the email about school acceptances. Haha this is all the most intense waiting period ever!!
@jakobe2020 Haha, I am actually very happy to find out that my hypothesis is wrong. Your information just have nullified my hypothesis once again.
Also. Just to note - and especially in case future applicants ever read this - I so do not have a 3.8-4.0 GPA they would be concerned about letting people catch up to (ha). Ergo, I really donāt think itās likely I will receive/will be āweeded outā in this last round, but I want to post this so that people know it is possible to be under serious consideration even if you are on the lower end of the eligibility scale. I was discouraged from applying by a lot of people, but, truly, you donāt lose anything by it. Another semi-finalist at my school also had a similar GPA.
Maybe my earlier post was misunderstood guys.
I really donāt want people to think my intentions are to add to peopleās frustrations by providing false hope. I simply believed because my Fall classes of 2015 were not included before the Dec 15th deadline they requested them.
Remember, the deadline was Dec. 15thā¦ @sat4498 @aritransfer16 .Some people had their Fall grades before then and included them in their app. GPA has little to do with that aspect of my theory, I just used it to explain why JKCF might value those Fall grades. Not everyone included them. I was one who did NOT. I got my grades late December.Hence, why they may have sent certain people that form.
If someone can say they did NOT include Fall grades in their app and still did NOT get either e-mailā¦ then maybe I should just keep my thoughts to myself. Iām just not ready to celebrate yet just because of one e-mail, and I donāt think anyone should be discuraged yet. Just my opinionā¦
Sometimes I dream about life B.C.C. (before college confidential). It was a simpler time in which I occasionally actually forgot that I even applied and surely didnāt think about conversing with strangers on the internet. Even then, it took me weeks after finding this thread to post anythingā¦ I wonder how many others are still lurking in the shadows /
I can only imagine an applicant or semi-finalist stumbling upon this thread next year and the theories they will spin based on our experience. No question about it, @aritransfer16 once they wade through the rabid speculation and minor freak-outs they will probably be happy to find encouraging messages like yours in order to calm down and think, gee maybe I still have a shot. =D>
One can theorize and hypothesize until blue in the face but there are way too many variables: whether someone got 0 or 1 or 2 follow up emails, GPA, financials, number of credits, how much they love cats, etc to get any quantifiable data from any info shared here. Science, people! Whatās your controlled variable? 
Although, I do understand maybe this is a coping mechanism (mine is humor and consuming copious carbs in the form of chocolate cake and using a lot of alliteration) so I wonāt tell you to stop.