Presidential Scholarship Program at Georgia Tech

What do you need to get into the program? I am reading on several forums that to get this scholarship, grades aren’t really that important. I am from Maryland in a rigorous district, and do a lot of extracurriculars, will be vp of two clubs by the time I apply, have a service award, and will have one or two internships by the time i apply. My gpa will be between a 3.6 and 3.7, depending on this year, and I have a combined sat score of 2250. Do I have a good chance?

It is so freaking hard to get that scholarship. My daughter has a 35 ACT, is an AP scholar with distinction and a perfect 4.0 and she only made it to the first round. They only take about 25-30 out of state kids anyhow. The kids who get it are exemplary with community service and extra curriculars plus they have excellent grades.

@donewithsat I was a PSP finalist this year.

Judging by what you’ve done, I’d say that you have a pretty good shot at being a semifinalist - but then again, so do many other applicants as well. Only about 500ish are selected to be semifinalists, so there is just as good of a chance that you will not be selected, to be realistic.

Once you’re named a semifinalist, your performance at the interviews is what carries the most weight (they already know that you’re going to be a competitive and successful student, so they want to know WHAT sets you apart from all the others).

If you (or anyone else) have any questions, feel free to PM me! I’d be glad to answer them. Good luck!

And to add on to what @saismom said, it is extremely difficult to get the scholarship. But while many of the finalists have absolutely ridiculous extracurriculars/awards (NASA internships, think on that scale), there are also those that don’t (me). One of the current PS I talked to told me she was surprised she was awarded it - she didn’t think she was anything special compared to the competition. Heck, I wasn’t even expecting to reach the finalist stage.

So you always have a chance! :slight_smile:

the person I know who got it had a similar GPA as yours I think . She is charming with a capital C and does tons of leadership and ECs including student government and charity work.