Thank you, you’re so kind. Wishing the best of luck to you as well!
How did your children perform on the Aleks math placement exam? My son, his laptop and connection was literally a nightmare. He was originally scheduled for 4 pm then had to change the time to 5:00 pm. The test went blank and shut him out 4 times. He was so defeated and exhausted, he did not finish the exam until 7:40. It took almost 3 hours to complete because of technical issues. They offered him a retake, but Howard only allows one test, so we’ll roll with what he has. His spirits are dampened.
1 Like
They will take a holistic view of the applicant, so they’re taking into account those factors outside of gpa, and standardized test scores as well. Everyone does not do well on standardized tests. I love that they’re looking at the whole individual.
Like loganstar2, my son had technical issues too. The system shut off when he was taking his test. Then, the proctor changed and the new one screamed through the microphone for him to adjust his camera. By the time he got finished, he was so disappointed in his score (80) - lower than his unproctored one (85) - he thinks he is not moving on. He took dual calculus last year, so most of this math he said he had to re-learn in the evenings between Tuesday and Sunday. He feels that maybe he took his math classes too early and wishes he had spent time BEFORE the notice refreshing. So if any parent reads this in 2025, show their child this post if your child is out of calculus and in statistics. Have them do refreshers before the semifinalist notifications, just in case. There’s not enough time between school and work to re-learn prior classes in 5 days. Be proactive, it can’t hurt. As my son said, “Mom, i probably should have kept refreshed anyway for college. This was my fault.” I felt so proud of his attitude accepting responsibility but I told him God does not allow us to stop praying. Hopefully, he’ll make it to finals even with that score. He only has a 3.7/4.33, not a close to 4.0 unweighted like a lot of posters. Plus he is in a weight lifting group verses sports this year since his internship conflicted with after school sports. He doesn’t check off traditional boxes, so to confess, I’m worried too (but not going to let him know that, lol).
1 Like
I also got an 80 but just an hour ago, I got an email inviting me to TRACKS so don’t be discouraged! They take more than scores into consideration 
3 Likes
My son was not accepted. I did send an email to the KARSH program yesterday sharing technicalities with the test. The letter mentioned it was the largest applicant pool ever for the program. He has a 4.0 unweighted, 30 ACT He works part time, and is involved in several extra curricular/community/volunteer activities. He was actually exhausted from school and work this past weekend. However, he pushed through the exam despite the circumstances of almost 3 hours. Howard was one of his top 3. I refuse to get into any type of debt for college tho. I’m so proud of him! If he receives a merit scholarship from Howard and/or an outside scholarship that affords him the opportunity to attend, we’ll see. He has full rides from every other HBCU but a partial from Morehouse. We’ll have a final decision by the end of April. Congratulations to everyone invited to TRACKS weekend and wishing you luck in admission into the program. I am so proud of our all our teens! Their hard work and academic achievements are commendable!!
4 Likes
My son is a finalist.. so thankful for this opportunity. I have tears in my eyes, praying he goes all the way.
2 Likes
Congratulations!! I’m happy for you both. I’m speaking his acceptance into the program into fruition! Prayers up!!
Thanks for the updates. My son also had technical difficulties. He scored an 85 and received his notification that he is a finalist for the TRACKS weekend. Praying for all the applicants on this thread. Thank you for sharing information and being in this thread. It’s been very helpful
1 Like
Thank you Loganster2, your kindness speaks volumes! Appreciate the prayers and also will pray that your child is rewarded with merit/outside scholarship and will attend Howard!
4 Likes
Hello @ChangeTheGame ! I would first like to start off this email by commending you for creating this amazing resource! I have read it almost every other day since first stumbling upon it while researching about the program. It has been a great help! I have been selected as a finalist and I am traveling to DC next weekend for the TRACKS weekend. I know that it has been long since your daughter was in my shoes but if there are any tips or advice that you or she could share about the interviewing process or the upcoming weekend, I would most appreciate it!
4 Likes
Hi! Thank you for this thread, it has helped me gain a lot of insight for this program and I luckily became a finalist. The interview is this coming weekend. Could you possible give some tips or example questions of what might be asked?
2 Likes
Hello everyone! Selection weekend is over now, but a good tip for future cohorts is to make good use of interactions with current scholars. The KSSP administration certainly takes these interactions into account when reviewing applications, both good and bad.
7 Likes
Heh everyone! I hope your scholars were successful TRACKS weekend. Keep me posted on their acceptances.
3 Likes
I’m excited to share that I’ve been accepted (received the notification this night)! Thank you to everyone who offered their invaluable advice and support, especially @ChangeTheGame! Wishing each and every one of you the best of luck!
9 Likes
Congrats!! My son was accepted as well!!
7 Likes
Hello. My son was admitted to the Kash program as of last night. We want to thank everyone for their insight and prayers. We are overjoyed as this was his first choice school and program. Thanks again. Godspeed to everyone.
4 Likes
I just wanted to say congratulations to all of the scholars (and their families) who were selected into the 8th Cohort of Karsh STEM Scholars. This program has been transformational in my 2 Karsh Scholars lives (and in my wife’s and my life as well) and I am so happy for you all. All I can say is “buckle up” and get ready to enjoy the ride.
My 1st Karshie is finishing up a Masters and my 2nd Karshie is getting ready to graduate from Howard and time has really been flying since my oldest was selected in 2018. Now that I will no longer have a scholar on campus, I am hoping the some of you will post an occasional update to “pay it forward” to future students. Congratulations again!!!
7 Likes
@ChangeTheGame - congratulations on your two Karshie success stories. I hope we can keep the discussion going as well. I will definitely be checking in with other parents. I’m someone who plans vacations a year in advance. Its driving me crazy not knowing even what my freshman Karshie’s next winter, spring, or summer break will look like. How much free/vacation time will they have? I know they are required to do research/internships every summer, but for every week or will they get some time off? It’s hard to make plans when this program’s calendars are not as published as others.
4 Likes
That is a question that is pretty hard to answer up front. It will completely depend on the summer research/internships that your Karshie applied to and get accepted in. They are supposed to do internships each summer but both of my kids missed 1 summer (Oldest had her internship cancelled due to Covid and my 2nd Karshie just didn’t get one in 2022). For both of my Karshies, they ended up getting a few weeks off at the start of each summer of years with internships (They both started all of their internships after Memorial Day) almost always starting by June 1st and both worked to basically the start of the Fall semester each time. My kids always kept a spreadsheet of their internship applications with start and finish dates which kind of gave me an idea of how to plan family vacation times. I will also admit that my wife always made a visit out to our Karshies over the summer and also planned the occasional trip during breaks (Like to NYC last summer to check out Broadway during a long 4th of July weekend). You will find ways to enjoy your Karshie over internship summers…. But if your Karshie is really proactive applying to internships early (By the end 1st semester each year, you may have some idea of when to plan things/
3 Likes