UGA Foundation Fellowship question

jhupost · 04-11-2011, 05:18 PM

I'm a junior in high school and was wondering what my chances of being selected for the Foundation Fellowship scholarship at UGA are. I made a 1600 on the SAT and carry a 4.6 weighted GPA. I have so far taken 4 AP courses and am planning on taking 6 more as a senior (a total of 10 throughout high school, basically). I don't have many extracurricular - I tutor kids weekly, play a musical instrument, and am involved in some volunteer work in which I have a position of leadership. So, what do you think my chances are of being selected for this prestigious award? Thanks and anything helps!

Gibson1514 · 04-11-2011, 07:07 PM

Absolutely,you have the stats to be considered. Apply EA, and take your time with the FF application. Make sure you write good essays.Have a great teacher rec. Approx. 800 applied this year and 55 were invited to the FF weekend.

My D visited the scholars day and was amazed by the foundation fellowship program. She applied to the program and will attend UGA as a Foundation Fellow in the fall.

Good Luck and Congrats on the 1600! You will no doubt be star student and a candidate for the US Presidential scholar.

getalifemom · 04-11-2011, 08:30 PM

One thing that stuck with me from the Scholar's Day FF presentation D & I attended was that they're "looking for kids who have developed a plan for their future and have already begun acting on that plan." They "realize students tend to change plans during college, but that if a student is able to develop and begin implementing one good plan, the next one, two, or five plans will be even better." (quoted loosely

)

So, I'd suggest taking an inventory of your skills, interests, and current involvement. Develop a plan - i.e. tie together these elements in a way that demonstrates a focus in whatever you may want to study and become in the future. Practice articulating your vision through speaking and even interviewing if you have the chance. Many EC competitions provide this opportunity. Focus on service beyond showing up and collecting volunteer hours - develop service projects - strategize how to get others involved, expanding service opportunities for volunteers and benefits to those being served.

Read, read, read. It will expand your horizons and vocabulary!

This, at least, is what worked for my D. Good luck to you.

jablalf · 04-11-2011, 08:55 PM

Great post, getalifemom. I wish someone had given me that advice in my sophomore year of HS.

Most of the people competing for FF have similar academic stats. so don't rely on those numbers to make your application shine. Instead, follow getalifemom's advice.

Pennylane2011 · 06-28-2012, 09:53 AM

I was curious about this too. It's obvious that SAT scores and GPA count a lot as they post them as 4.0+ and around 1550 average (V+M)

At what point is the SAT enough? It's great to get 1600, but let's say someone gets 1500, which is below the "average" but is still a great score? Is there any benefit- with regards to UGA- to taking the SAT multiple times to approach perfect? Or is it a better use of one's time to develop the other aspects of the qualifications?

I say this because to me, once you reach a good score, it may be counterproductive to keep taking tests. However, I see many posts here on CC with people doing just that. I know UGA superscores, and does not seem to consider how many times one takes the SAT, but really- when do you stop before you hit 1600? What is UGA's approach to this? Obviously they must accept many people with near 1600's to report that average.

Thanks!

getalifemom · 07-10-2012, 07:16 PM

I'm sticking with my first post. If you are the complete package, a 1550 won't get you anything that a 1500 wouldn't.

Gibson1514 · 07-10-2012, 07:48 PM

FF's tend to have tippy top test scores........ think Ivy league stats. Many Fellows turn down Ivies and likewise those turning down the fellowship are often headed to the Ivies.

Pennylane - have you tried the ACT? If you scored a 1500 on the first attempt - Congrats! If you were my d, I would advise you to take it again especially if you are applying for top scholarships.

Pennylane2011 · 07-10-2012, 08:27 PM

No, I am a parent- not being specific about the score, but wondering just how much UGA bases their decision on the numbers past a score like 1500. To me, that is good enough, but I wanted to know how UGA would look at it.

Gibson1514 · 07-11-2012, 03:24 PM

I am not sure on the selection criteria re SAT scores / retests. From my observations as a parent having a child successfully go through the selection process students in this group have scores closer to 1600 than 1500.