@muffinbun I can mirror almost all that. I have checked this forum so many times… It has a been a crazy journey.
Congratulations! This is amazing news. Also I wouldn’t bet on that sleep. Even when you know your heart is racing to the deadline.
“Live in interesting times”
Well, the results are out. I was not selected. It does hurt but I am so happy for all of you that are now Cooke scholars. No matter what all of us have come so far and still have so much still left to do. Everyone here is deserving and amazing.
Don’t forget guys, every semi is special an important. Life is what we make of it, so let’s continue that momemtum. Join the facebook group if you haven’t, i’m gonna post the survey as well.
This is the survey, please be as accurate as possible. We are trying to get all the information to the next applicants for next year.
Hello all! As the press release is posted, I am happy for all who won! Also, for us semifinalists who did not, don’t be down on yourself. I will share some info with you all in hopes of helping people cope. 5 people achieved semifinalist status from my college. I am president of our Phi Theta Kappa and President of our Honors College there. I am in just about every club/honor society there. I was recognized by the state capitol as student of the year this year. I have been involved in everything, and the most leadership positions at my college out of all our students. I am majoring in polymer science engineering and have a 4.0 GPA. I am NOT saying all this to build myself up, I am trying to prove a point. Having said this, I was not chosen as the Cooke scholar from my school. There was an individual chosen that does deserve this, and I am happy for them 
. My point here is that not receiving this scholarship does not mean you are any less. It means there is likely a factor you did not meet. For me, I believe my parents make to much money, for I do not receive any financial aid. All in all, I wanted to share for the upcoming survey purposes that I know 2 people who are finalists, and they both received the secondary email request. I would like to contribute to that effort with “their” ghost vote if possible. You all go on and live your best life, and remember that this moment does not define you nor indicate the true value of your accomplishments.
I totally agree with the above comment. I was not selected either, and I believe it was (at least partially) because I made too much money in 2018 (which was the year they asked for tax returns). Some of these things can’t be helped. I’m so excited for everyone who was chosen! Congrats all.
Please make sure to complete survey regardless…?
I completed the survey! I would recommend others to do it too. Takes only 2 minutes
Believe it or not, I believe I wasn’t chosen because I don’t make ENOUGH money. This is my second year as a semi. The change in my application from last year to this year was MORE than significant. I went from almost no service to the most dedicated leader in my school in the span of one year. The only reason I can think of that I wasn’t chosen is that my income is so low(well below poverty level) that I get full financial aid from any college I’ve applied to. So there’s got to be some kind of middle ground.
In terms of finances, I believe the foundation definitely takes a TON of factors to consider, since each semi is unique and so the situation has to be analyzed as fairly as possible. A family of 5 making $60,000 living California is going to differ from a family of 5 living with that same income living in Florida. This is just without taking in consideration the debt a family has (car note, mortgage, private loans, hospital loans, etc).I know that I’m in the middle, I don’t qualify for full financial aid, but I am living in a household of 5 and sometimes 6 at a given time. Honestly, there’s a ton of hard choices made when it comes to finances so the only insight I can provide is just from analyzing the average incomes on the press releases, but at the end of the day that it truly depends on your situation. Has there been winners with $95,000 income, I’m assuming yes, but not always likely. But we may never know because all that is confidential and secure.
@iggywiggly Nooo… you had the interview and everything!
Ughh… at least you got into Smith and with thier financial aid package you shouldn’t need the JCKF.
I am so used to checking this forum a dozen times a day I’m not sure what to do now. Everyone let us know what schools you get into! We would love to congratulate you and we might be going there too!
Same :)))
I’m going to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University for Aerospace Engineering !
Looks like I may be going to Cornell University! 
Survey numbers have been crunched. @iggywiggly is now interpreting the numbers and writing observations followed by a conclusion.
@spicymustard thank you. I am SO PROUD of you and all the finalists! Truth be told, I can’t complain. I got into my #1 choice, which I never would have applied to without my semifinalist designation, and they gave me full aid. I’ll even get a refund after my room, board, books, fees, AND tuition are met. Honestly, JKCF would have been wasted on me and I’d rather the limited number of scholars were selected from those who demonstrate more need 
The math genius @DasaniH20 has crunched the numbers. The social scientist in me is DYING to write my conclusions, and I’ll post my analysis in a bit!
Thank you to all who took the survey — we reached the maximum number of responses allowed by the survey platform, which is 40. I’m excited to share this with future years!
Alright all, here are the numbers from the survey, calculated by math genius @DasaniH20 :
Out of 40 responses, a total of 18 people won the scholarship (Winners) and 22 did not (Non-Recipients).
Results for Winners:
Gender
M: 9
F: 9
Age
17-20: 13
21-26: 4
27-32: 0
33-39: 1
40-45: 0
46+: 0
Are you an F1 Visa Student?
Y: 0
N: 18
Were you sent a second email asking for more information by JKC?
Y: 16
N: 2
Were you interviewed by JKC?
Y: 17
N: 1
After the interview, did the JKCF require additional documentation?
Y: 14
N: 4
END OF WINNERS RESULTS
Results for Non-Recipients:
Gender
M: 9
F: 10
Trans M: 1
Non-Binary/ Third Gender: 2
Age
17-20: 12
21-26: 7
27-32: 1
33-39: 1
40-45: 0
46+: 1
Are you an F1 Visa Student?
Y: 5
N: 17
Were you sent a second email asking for more information by JKC?
Y: 6
N: 16
Were you interviewed by JKC?
Y: 6
N: 16
After the interview, did the JKCF require additional documentation?
Y: 2
N: 20
END OF NON-RECIPIENT RESULTS
Here is a general timeline of this year’s selection process:
1/23/2020 - 456 semifinalists announced (on April 1st, they changed the count to 461)
2/6/2020 - First email requesting more information sent to a select group of semifinalists
2/24/2020 - 2/27/2020 - Interview e-mails sent to a select group of semifinalists
4/6/2020 - Second e-mail sent to request more information from a select group of semifinalists
4/22/2020 – Colleges we notified around 7:30 PM Eastern.
4/24/2020 – 9:00 AM press release with 50 finalists.
It seems that, from this year’s survey as well as last year’s survey, there are two paths to being selected as a scholar. The first and most common way to be selected includes receiving an email requesting additional information and being interviewed. The second is nothing until the press release. My personal analysis is that those who are selected without more steps are likely tied to the foundation in some way, either from knowing a representative at the Foundation or working with JKCF in some capacity. There also is a possibility that people who took the survey may have lied about being awarded when they were not, as this is a public forum and anyone could have taken the survey.
Our round was different in that it included a second request for additional information after the interview, composed of the conduct and enrollment form. Many suspected early on that this was a final “cut” from the foundation, which seems to be consistent with these survey results, although there were a few semifinalists who were selected without the final e-mail. While the final e-mail wasn’t required to be named a scholar, most scholars surveyed did receive it.
It looks like the Foundation expanded their interview pool this year. More semifinalists who were not selected as scholars received an interview request than last year. This also appears to be true for the additional information e-mails. While the additional info requests and the interview requests are good signs, they are far from a guarantee of selection. It would appear that this year, the foundation made more follow-up contact with a larger group of semifinalists than in prior years, thus reducing the probability of selection for those who were contacted for more information.
Because it was a question repeated on this thread multiple times, we decided to ask recipients if they were studying on an F-1 Visa. No selected scholars were F-1 Visa students in this survey.
Ultimately, this survey could have been improved upon by asking about household income. Many semifinalists in this round speculated that income disqualified them, either from being too high or too low. However, it’s important to note that income and buying power both significantly fluctuate throughout geographical location and lifestyle, so comprehensively evaluating this would be difficult. It is likely that the Foundation considers age, geographical location, marital status, and the number of people in a given household (especially including dependents) when weighing financial circumstances, so simply going off of a dollar amount wouldn’t tell the whole story.
Thank you to all who filled the survey out, and GOOD LUCK to next year’s semis!
Really appreciate @iggywiggly and @DasaniH20 spearheading the survey. I know it’ll be super helpful to next year’s applicants.
This thread has been super supportive, and while I didn’t get the scholarship, I’m happy that I was at least a semifinalist. Wish y’all all the best!!
Hope everyone’s exams finished up well.
I just received some amazing news! I got into Stanford!! Wow I am still in shock.
I know many colleges haven’t announced yet, so good luck everyone!