<p>I’m just really nervous. It seems like everyone has gotten their notification today. I’m Asian and there are other Asians who have gotten their notification.
Will they be sending more out within this week?</p>
<p>dangosan: yes, and throughout the month of March.</p>
<p>Will they be sending more finalist notifications though?</p>
<p>@angel0407
I am a finalist (a terrified one, right now, because I’m barely not qualifying for Pell Grant which means I barely may not qualify for Gates. My EFC is a miniscule $75 too high. Any advice?). Anyway, I got my finalist email today listing a bunch of documents I need to send or fax by April 9. That list of documents is the exact same list as the list of documents for when I called. So I think (but I am not sure) that if the phone is telling you that you need those documents, either that’s what they say for everyone or you are a finalist. So to answer your question, yes I got that “0 out of 5 things” too.</p>
<p>@angel0407: I just called that number, entered my information. But they just said, “A letter has been sent about your nomination status.” However, they didn’t say anything about the 5 things for the finalist. Does this mean I didn’t make it?</p>
<p>Okay, so my income is a few k higher than what I wrote on my app, but my EFC is still around 1,800. Should I call them and let them know? I’m reading and they say that they take this stuff to verify what’s on the app.</p>
<p>And I saw this on last year’s thread:
"ok so I just talked to someone from GMS. After submitting these materials, they are used to verify against the information you provided in your application. I repeat Verify, there are a total of 1000 scholars every year. If you meet the pell grant and have the gpa, then you should be receiving good news mid april. "</p>
<p>Don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, but that’s good to know.</p>
<p>@dangosan</p>
<p>thats what im thinking. i got the same thing :(</p>
<p>im pretty sure the 0 out of 5 is only for the finalists</p>
<p>Thanks charissa and my advice is to talk to your counselor or former Gates Scholars.</p>
<p>To dangosan and sweetea:
I don’t know if I’m a finalist because I did not get an email. Though when I called, they told me about the “0 out of 5” things I’m missing that are the same things they ask from finalists. (I’m hispanic by the way) I do not want to hurt anyone or make someone sad, I still don’t know if I’m a finalist, so do not lose your hopes of being a finalist.</p>
<p>This might cheer you up: One of my senior friends last year, (an Asian) was also sad that he wasn’t announced if he was a finalist or not. He later got an email saying that he was a finalist, a week later when all Asian finalists had got their finalists emails. By late April, he was a Gates Scholar. This is true, I’m not lying, check out the article: </p>
<p>[Imperial</a> Valley Press Online - Local News - Bill Gates scholarship winners](<a href=“http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2009/04/22/local_news/news02.txt]Imperial”>http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2009/04/22/local_news/news02.txt)</p>
<p>He’s the one in the brown shirt and he wasn’t a straight A student, he was A’s and B’s. So, do not lose your hope. I apologize if I sound too dramatic.</p>
<p>thanks angel0407
fingers crossed!><</p>
<p>so the next batch of emails should go out tomorrow?</p>
<p>ive never read on previous threads about there being a second batch of emails but we’ll see. it seems theyre doing some things a bit differently this year? maybe thats one of them!!</p>
<p>@Vikas:</p>
<p>emails continue to go out through the whole month of March. Like I said, one of my senior friends last year and a Gates Scholar got his email a week later after everyone else had got it. Do not lose your hopes, look at the article posted on my former post.</p>
<p>I really agree, it’s not all about your GPA. One of my friends that graduated last year and goes to Berkeley now, she got the Gates scholarship, and she attended a conference last year, and she told me that a lot of people who get the scholarship are not necessarily the “perfect GPA” student. Some go to CSU’s or even community colleges! From what I’ve heard, a lot of Gates is much more about who you are as a person/leader/volunteer in community, rather than your grades. So good luck everyone!!
Also, my friend that got Gates last year, said that after you become a finalist, a lot of whether you get accepted is based upon which college you go to (for example, if your school tends to give lots of scholarship or aid, they might not be as likely to choose you and instead will choose someone whose school gives them no aid–someone who will have harder time paying for college). And then they choose based on financial eligibility in general.
I’m not sure, this is all what I’ve heard, so I’m sorry if I’m wrong.</p>
<p>Asian and got mine at 2:55 EST</p>
<p>Thanks guys. :')</p>
<p>I called the number and got a “0 out of 5” message, but no email or letter yet. Anyone know if this is a sign of being a finalist? I’m Hispanic btw.</p>
<p>I got the same thing Affe, but I don’t know if its a sign or not. I’m hispanic too.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m not so sure that this is correct. My D is a Gates Scholar, but the only thing it covers is work study. Everything else is a grant from her school (she was a QB match recipient.) There are lots of students who go to schools that meet full need for low income students, so I’m not so sure that school choice impacts whether you get chosen as a Scholar or not.</p>
<p>JMO.</p>
<p>Congrats to all finalists.</p>
<p>@GA2012MOM
Yeah, I’m not sure if all my info was correct. Thus my disclaimer at the end of my original post, haha.
All I know is, my friend said that there were finalists from NYU and Johns Hopkins. NYU gives very little aid, JH a lot; A lot of NYU people got in, JH kids didn’t. But I don’t know if this really correlates with acceptances or not, just throwing it out there.</p>
<p>I didn’t get the “0 out of 5” message!!CRY!!!CRY!!!</p>