<p>stevek–The Renaissance isn’t all about the test scores and grades. Yes, they’re part of it, but only part. The other equally important parts are service, diversity and leadership.</p>
<p>And the odds of getting invited are very long. Only 70-100 students are invited out of the approx 4000+ applicants, or <2%</p>
<p>Three years ago my D was invited. Her ACT composite was 30 (single sitting) with 35 (maybe it was 36, can’t remember now) in math and 33 in reading and English. Her GPA was 4.34 on a 4.5 scale. She had 5 APs in math and science. (Her school doesn’t offer APs in social sciences or English “because all our [social sciences and English] courses are taught at or above the AP level”.) Plus she had 2 semesters of post Calc 2 math at the state university. </p>
<p>She had summer jobs starting at 15, and she worked at 2 year-round part-time jobs during her senior year. She had school and state level awards for community service. She founded and ran a community service/peer counseling program for 3 years (and it is still running so it wasn’t a ‘do it for the resume’ kinda program) that helps local teens who have lost a parent. She had school and state level leadership awards. (She has a letter of recognition from the state legislature. And another from the governor.) Tons of ECs , mostly in community service, but also sports and music too. </p>
<p>She had other things which made her an interesting candidate too, beside the academics. She’s a jazz musician (alto and bari sax) and a skilled rock climber. She once sang in a nightclub! </p>
<p>And she had a compelling personal story about overcoming a tragedy.</p>
<p>P.S. When she interviewed, every single invitee had a equally impressive list of achievements–whether it was being a regional youth campaign organizer for Obama or having presented a scientific research poster at a national conference.</p>
<p>My son is also waiting to hear is he gets a invite…his stats are:</p>
<p>ACT: 31 (got a 36 in math…fell down a bit on the english)
SAT II’s: Biology - 780, Math 1 - 760, Math 2 - 780
GPA: has a unweighted score of 98.7, weighted 104+
Taken a number of AP classes and in his senior year takes all college classes, running a 99 avg right now, unweighted in his senior year
Took the SUPA (Syracuse college bio course) in his junior year and got a 99
He is ranked #2 in his class.
Great recommendations from school as well as work related
EC’s: mock trial, varsity tennis, scholstic bowl, math team, tutors students, lot of school involvement…his math team has been picked to go to sections
He was picked to be the only HS student to be allowed to volunteer at the Orange County, NY coroners office as a autopsy assistant. Does this on school holidays as well as in the summer…got a great recommendation from the Coroner.
Plus he works p/t in a regular job…so he is quite busy doing stuff.
He’s also been volunteering on the weekends at the local hospital in the ER dept for the past 2 + years and has put in hundreds of hours.
Very good essay
He wants to go into medicine, has had his heart set on that since he was very young. He is a very focused, mature young man and makes his parents very proud.</p>
<p>i recieved an admittance letter yesterday (west coast btw). but it didnt say anything about the Ren scholarship, or even about scholarships in general. why did i get accepted earlier? i aplied to REMS but was rejected…</p>
<p>Since we live in NY and people outside of the state have already received Ren scholarship info… guess my son was not invited. Good luck to all that are invited!</p>
<p>Hey all… Just to provide more insight, if it helps any… The Renaissance Committee reviewed approximately 350 applicants from the US and abroad that were nominated for the scholarship. From that list we selected approximately 70 students from the US and 15-20 from abroad. Remember this accounts for 85 total applicants of the 13,588 and counting that we have received this year. To say that it is competitive is an understatement!</p>
<p>deliciouscake… A few more Renaissance Invites are scheduled to go out, but if you haven’t heard about the program by now, it is not likely that you have been selected as a finalist.</p>
<p>I’ve never been so shocked in my entire life. Along with a huge sum from a merit scholarship, I got an invite as a Renaissance Scholarship candidate. I don’t know what else to say…lol Thank you UoR!</p>
<p>im an international applicant and i just got a courier telling me that i have been shortlisted for the Renaissance scholarship…the interviews start in a week and obtaining a US visa is a process of no less than a month in my country… could UofR help me obtain a visa urgently so i can make travel plans…if not… will i still be eligible for the scholarship through a phone interview, perhaps?</p>
<p>internationalapp… Congrats! Yes, you will still be eligible. International students and/or students with special circumstances may be interviewed via skype and/or phone. If you are interested, I would contact the office (the contact info should be provided on your mailing) and schedule an interview that way.</p>
<p>I registered for the Renaissance Scholars Interview last week. Should I be expecting confirmation mail and further instructions from University of Rochester? I am traveling by myself to University of Rochester from another state. Does University of Rochester have any arrangements as to transportation from the airport to the interview site? Otherwise, who could I contact to learn of the specifics? </p>
<p>Yes, I would contact the individual that you were instructed to contact when you intially rsvp’d to let her know of your travel arrangements. We will be picking students up at the airport (I’ll actually be picking up many students in the afternoon/evening), so having your flight information will be important. Let me know if you have any other questions!</p>
<p>so now i’ll have a skype/phone interview…another question…all i received from fedex was a letter regarding the renaissance scholarship…so im assuming its not a letter of acceptance…does this mean a decision regarding my admission has not yet been made? or am i missing a few documents?</p>
<p>internationalapp… It is safe to assume as a Renaissance Finalist that you have been admitted to the school. Only our most competitive students are offered Renaissance interviews, so you should be very proud!</p>
<p>and i am :p…i only wanted to know whether i should have received my decision letter yet? on another thread u said the first wave of decisions has been released which includes Renaissance finalists…should i be worried if i havent?</p>
<p>ahhh… I see your point! I wish I could respond via CC with more specific information, but it would be best to call the school or e-mail a counselor directly. Either option would work, but I know that making a call as an international student can be expensive, so e-mail is fine.</p>