<p>how does gates narrow down finalists to actual winners now?</p>
<p>is there any max on how much $$$ can be used for rent? one could be living quite nicely in a nice apartment</p>
<p>haha sorry</p>
<p>yes there’s a max…ur school sets that limit with the budget it gives you. GMS juss fulfills it to that budget and no more.</p>
<p>oh i see…so w/e room and board costs to stay at the school is the same amount one can use for renting an apartment?</p>
<p>most ppl say that once ur a finalist, it’s all basically just verification. im guessing they lose a chunk of the applicants that don’t qualify for the pell grant and then they lose a few more for the ones that have discrepencies in their applications. i’ve heard of them using a point system and then ultimately, there’s a cut-off point? im not really sure.</p>
<p>I would hope that the former is true. However, all we can do is hope at this point. Gluck to all.</p>
<p>kay_em, what do you mean by discrepancies? on my GMS application, I did not put in my own income because I’m not familiar with these policies. I thought it’s only necessary to add your own income if you file a tax return which I didn’t. Will this jeopardize my chances? But my income is very small, and does not affect my EFC at all…I also called the OCA lady and she said what officially determines if you’re a winner is the FAFSA you send them…</p>
<p>when are winners notified?</p>
<p>was that income shown on the fafsa? i wouldn’t worry too much about it since they just wanted an estimate on the application. and it’s not very significant, then your estimate shouldn’t be that much off.</p>
<p>Yeah, don’t worry… we all have a tendency to worry about every detail :)</p>
<p>yeah, the income is shown on the FAFSA. it’s very insignificant though. anyone else receive a winner’s letter?</p>
<p>has anyone heard back or called the HSF about the scholarship? i’ve tried calling but haven’t been able to reach anyone</p>
<p>I called them today, and they said there is nothing one can do but wait. I HATE WAITING.</p>
<p>any timeline on when we should hear back?</p>
<p>I think I read earlier in this thread that they’ll get back to us around mid April?</p>
<p>thanks robot, i remember reading that, just making sure if the HSF had anything else to say</p>
<p>argh…waiting.</p>
<p>so is only UNCF notifying winners right now?</p>
<p>it looks like it.</p>