Presidential Scholars Program and Waitlist

Paying for College Scholarships
1

<p>Do you know of anyone who has gotten off an Ivy League waitlist primarily by being named a Presidential Scholars Semifinalist in April?</p>

<p>I’m feeling pretty hollow right now because I finished all my essays and forms for the Presidential Scholars Program and had my transcript and Secondary School Report sent, but missed the deadline for submission because I kept messing up the log-in for the dumb parent signature they require you to make once you change any aspect of the application. I never wanted to apply in the first place–because my extracurriculars are not that good and the essays were so time-consuming–and would not have gone to the Presidential Scholars weekend in June, but my parents wanted me to apply because they thought it could get me off a waitlist of an Ivy League school if I am waitlisted come March…</p>

<p>So that was a waste of many hours when I could have been sleeping and keeping up my grades in school and generally being productive elsewhere. I’ve clearly learned a lesson from this to stay ahead of deadlines in the future, but I’m increasingly starting to think that just being a Semifinalist in the contest would not get me off a waitlist and into a top college anyway.</p>

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<p>There’s no point doing it if you can’t go to the weekend.</p>

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<p>Sorry, I only just saw this thread. I was a Presidential Scholar in the 80s and was on the waitlist at Harvard and William and Mary. William and Mary didn’t know what it was or care. Harvard admitted me on the spot when they found out I was a Presidential Scholar, even though they did not officially let anyone in off the waitlist that year.</p>