<p>I'm just wonderign what type of students usually get this scholarship (not considering the economical or ethnic aspect )...</p>
<p>I'm wondering about their stats and accomplishments... thanks.</p>
<p>I have never seen any stats online but Gates Scholar profiles are available at <a href="http://www.gmsp.org/(2emizwysstylmk45lu4kad55)/profile.aspx%5B/url%5D">http://www.gmsp.org/(2emizwysstylmk45lu4kad55)/profile.aspx</a></p>
<p>I always like to check out the winners from California...</p>
<p>Thanks.. heh I was hoping for some stats too but I dont think they ara available.... I'm just wondering how hard it really is to get that scholarship.</p>
<p>Like any national scholarship inititive, the GMS is extremely competitive!</p>
<p>The following news byte from the 2000-01 academic year indicated that 62,000 high school and college applicants competed for 4,100 scholarships. <a href="http://publicaffairs.cua.edu/news/00Gates.htm%5B/url%5D">http://publicaffairs.cua.edu/news/00Gates.htm</a></p>
<p>This 2004 news byte indicated that the scholarship award would cover 4 years of undergraduate and 2 years of graduate studies. <a href="http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/SCR/news/0304/040624_gatesscholars.shtm%5B/url%5D">http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/SCR/news/0304/040624_gatesscholars.shtm</a></p>
<p>A more current net reference indicates that only 1,000 scholarships are up for grabs this academic year. <a href="http://kapalama.ksbe.edu/high/counseling/?showpage=scholarships%5B/url%5D">http://kapalama.ksbe.edu/high/counseling/?showpage=scholarships</a></p>
<p>Yes, heh I read about the 1k scholarhsip number... so I'm really wondering if it was even worth entering (considering the ammount of work).</p>
<p>if you apply, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.</p>
<p>if you don't apply, you have everything to lose and nothing to gain.</p>
<p>(not including time, but hey, this is a once in a lifetime thing)</p>
<p>Ya, but what is considered "EXTREME financial difficulties" as quoted in the scholarship discription?</p>
<p>i <em>think</em>, but am not sure, that extreme financial difficulties is an income of $50k or less.</p>
<p>The extreme financial difficulties is probably a sliding scale. You have to qualify for pell grant.</p>
<p>Geez.. Pell grant. I think thats for family income lower than 45k. Pretty stingy stuff for some mid-class-who-can-hardly-afford college families...</p>
<p>what exactly are guidelines for pell</p>
<p>The Gates scholarships are for truly poor students, not for middle class people who can send their kids to college with belt tightening.</p>
<p>The student whom I know who got one was from a single parent home, and had a mom who was a low paid state clerical worker who worked extra jobs to make ends meet. The student also helped his mom with her extra jobs, which included making cakes and other things for people. The student was the first person in his family to go to a four-year college. </p>
<p>The student had scores about 1250, grades that were close to straight "As" in a tough curriculum, and had student government leadership roles and was head of a student club that had won some national awards. He also was doing some mentoring and other work with clubs with other schools. The director of his academic program thought he walked on water, and I'm sure that her recommendation for him was outstanding.</p>
<p>Northstarmom, you dont understand. Not all mid-income families can send their kids to colleges w/ belt tightening. In my case, I live with my mother, who was divorced twice w/ 2 kids. Our family total income was lower than 50k for the past 2.5 years. What's sad is that its only this exact year, which is my senior year, my mother was rehired by her employer (total income 70k). So, there's no way we can afford even 20k instate tuitions per year...</p>
<p>"In my case, I live with my mother, who was divorced twice w/ 2 kids. Our family total income was lower than 50k for the past 2.5 years. What's sad is that its only this exact year, which is my senior year, my mother was rehired by her employer (total income 70k). So, there's no way we can afford even 20k instate tuitions per year..."</p>
<p>While I empathize with your situation, there are colleges that cost far less than $20k a year for tuition. There even are some tier 1 OOS colleges that cost less than $20k a year for tuition. One example is University of Florida --about $17, 500.</p>
<p>You might also be able to qualify for need-based aid in general from colleges, particularly if your mother provides information about the fact that she had 2 years of unemployment. And, I imagine that there's a good chance that you'd qualify for merit aid from some colleges. Of course, you also could take out loans as is the case for most college students. The average amount of total loans that most college students take out for 4 years is $20,000.</p>
<p>Difficult as your situation is, it doesn't compare to those of the very low income students whom I've seen who were in college on hefty loans, selling their blood to help buy books (I am not exaggerating) and even working and sending $ home to help their impoverished families.</p>
<p>Many such students were first generation college and didn't have the benefits that come with having educated parents who speak good English, have books around the house, and have the sophistication and bucks to put their kids in the kind of school systems that help students get the scores and curricula and have the skills to write the essays that lead to merit aid. They also tend not to have the scores and curricula to get accepted to colleges that have the funds to give them the hefty need-based scholarship aid that they require. </p>
<p>Whether or not you get the Gates, you are way ahead of such students.</p>