I’ve submitted all of my documents and they have been received and verified. Now it’s just a waiting game!! :-SS
@pleaseacceptme99 My sister is a GMS from last year. She said that the scholars come from a wide range of universities. A very large number come go to Ivies and other private universities, but that isn’t surprising given the outstanding qualification of scholars. The GMS program however does not select scholars on the basis of where they go.
@PeaceOfMind The same thing happened last year with HSF. Because of the large volume of materials being received, it can take quite a while for the portal to be updated. My advice would be to fax and email the materials. But don’t sweat it. If you did send the materials, they did receive them.
Incidentally - it is never easy to get through on the phone!
I know of GMS Scholar who got $24,000 per year. The name of the college on the acceptance letter you send to GMS is not relevant. Only that it is US accredited and that you were accepted. Once you decide the college you will attend, then you send GMS that info along with that college’s financial aid award offer.
In a pickle here: I’ve only been admitted to Merced and Williams so far (UCLA comes out this Friday, I think), and I haven’t gotten any mailed decision; all I have is the portal. I sent in my one for Merced, and it was sent back as invalid. So, I’m assuming portals are a no-go? It says they’re fine on the FAQ, but it seems as though none of my colleges meet those requirements.
Sorry if this has already been answered, but does gates cover school loans as well? Or is it just what’s left over after school grants and loans have been applied?
@brendalil The Gates scholarship covers unmet need and “self-help aid.” Self-help aid includes regular student loans and Work/Study. The only loans that Gates will not cover are loans that the student or the student’s family take out to cover the EFC. Gates does not cover the Expected Family Contribution.
Yay! All my documents have been received and verified!
Awesome!! =D> :-bd
It’s been two weeks, haven’t received my documents. Should I resend? What does my counselor include specifically in the email?
@brendalil mine took about that long. Don’t worry they’ll update they’re just going through so many emails right now. Mine barely updated to submitted and verified today. (The ones my counselor sent)
I have submitted everything except the letter of acceptance from a college. I plan to go to UC Merced, and I’ve contacted them, but they said that the letter will arrive sometime in the end of March. I’m just worried. Does submitting all my documents give me a better chance of getting the scholarship? I know that the deadline to submit all my documents is April 10th, but I’m still worried. Good luck to everyone!
@Iamsobusynow LOL, I love your name. I suggest that you send any of your college acceptance letters.The acceptance letter that you send to GMS does not affect your scholarship chances. GMS representatives want to make sure that you will actually attend a college next school year. They know that students are still in the process of choosing their future institutions. However, if you do not currently have acceptance letters from the other schools you applied to, wait for UC Merced.
I have got accepted in to CSU Long Beach, Chico State, Fresno State, UC Davis, and UC Santa Cruz. Thanks for like my name.
Does submitting all my documents EARLY give me a better chance of getting the scholarship? THAT’S WHAT I MEANT!LOL.
Sorry.
@Iamsobusynow Oh, ok! I wish I knew. I am a finalist, just like you, so I don’t have much experience with this. Personally, I think that it is more favorable to send in documents ASAP because of the idea of “First come, first served.” However, I don’t know if GMS upholds this policy. Keep in mind that your stats may be similar to another person’s, so there has to be a determining factor. Regardless, try to send your documents as soon as possible. I would say that if your acceptance letter does not come by the end of next week, then you should send in any acceptance letter.
@Iamsobusynow As long as all your documents are submitted by the April 8 deadline, the exact date you get them in will have no impact on the outcome of the selection process. It is not a “first come, first served” process. If any documents are not submitted on time, you will not be considered, so it’s good to get them in as soon as possible to avoid any last-minute technical issues.
Sorry for the misinformation.
It doesn’t matter when you submit documents. All the applications have now been evaluated and scored, and it’s now just a case of whether you are high enough rated to win a scholarship. Each year a number of finalists are eliminated because they don’t meet one of the various eligibility criteria (most often Pell Grant eligibility).
So it has been 2 weeks now and my documents haven’t been verified. All my documents are received, but only one is verified. The others are pending! Should I call them or just wait? Will it make me disqualified if they are not verified by the deadline?
How do you check that your documents are verified?