Gates Millennium Scholars Share Application Advice
Scholarship Junkies aims to help scholarship applicants compile the most competitive applications possible, and as part of these efforts, occasional guest bloggers will be sharing scholarship tips and advice on how best to approach specific scholarships. In today’s post, Scholarship Junkies Corps members, Christopher Lee and Jonathan Lee, share some of their thoughts on the Gates Millennium Scholarship Program. The application for the GMS is due January 16, 2013, and can be accessed via the GMS website. As always, feel free to contact us with any additional questions or submit your essay(s) for review.
NOTE FOR GMS APPLICANTS AND GATES SCHOLARS/ALUMNI IN SEATTLE: If you live in the greater Seattle area and would like to work one-on-one with local Gates Scholars and Alumni, please RSVP for our GMS workshop on January 12th and 13th at the Seattle Public Library’s central branch. If you’re a Gates Scholar or Alumni and would like to volunteer to help, please contact us and let us know.
The Gates Millennium Scholarship (GMS)
The GMS is more than a scholarship – it is an opportunity to change your life. To find more information, go to the GMS scholarship homepage: www.gmsp.org
Within your 8 essays, share your life: your past, present, and future. Show the readers how you have persevered and how you will change the world from your experiences.
Tommy Tran, 2010 Gates Millennium Scholar
Don't be afraid to share about all your activities and accomplishments. And don't procrastinate. The more time you spend on your application, the more you are investing toward a potentially free degree, which is something many people can only dream of.
Joanna Lim, 2008 Gates Millennium Scholar
The GMS invests in student leaders who can demonstrate their passion for and commitment to impacting their community through education, service, and leadership. Use your essays to paint a vivid story.
Samson Lim, 2006 Gates Millennium Scholar
Application Criteria
- Must be African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American or Hispanic American
- US citizen or permanent resident
- GPA 3.3 or better or earned a high school GED
- Will enroll in college or university fall of 2013 as full-time first-year student seeking a college degree
- Demonstrated leadership
- Meet the Federal Pell Grant criteria for eligibility
- Student Application Form (Self-reported information and 8 lengthy essays)
- Nominator Form (First Recommendation: An evaluation of the students academics)
- Recommender Form (Second Recommendation: An evaluation of extra-curricular and community activities)
GMS selects 1,000 students from around the nation each year for a good-through-graduation scholarship (including the opportunity to pursue graduate degrees in approved fields) to use at the college or university of the student’s choice.
The GMS Scholarship Award Provides:
- Support for the cost of education by covering unmet need (the amount not covered by your college or university’s financial aid package) and self-help aid (*any federal/state loans or work-study awards you do not want);
- Renewable awards for Gates Millennium Scholars maintaining satisfactory academic progress;
- Graduate school funding for continuing Gates Millennium Scholars in the areas of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science;
- Leadership development programs with distinctive personal, academic and professional growth opportunities.
*GMS does not cover institution/university loans nor does it cover your Family Contribution (including loans taken out to cover your Family Contribution)
Suggestions from 2012 Gates Scholars: Christopher Lee and Jonathan Lee
Scholars at the 2011 GMS Leadership Conference in Virginia
(Photo Credit: Gates Millennium Scholars)
- When writing your essays, use clear and vivid examples. Show, don’t tell. Each essay should reflect your most important attributes and explain to the GMS committee who you are. There is no interview for this scholarship, so your essays are your only chance to let the committee know who you are.
- Complete the application in multiple sittings. (GMS provides a downloadable practice application form.) The application requires many long and tedious essays which should be thoroughly revised and edited. Mistakes such as grammatical errors show the reader that you are careless.
- Start early. The last thing you want to do is rush to finish your application the morning it is due.
- Choose wisely when asking for a nominator and a recommender. The GMS allows the nominator and recommender to be the same person, but we would suggest finding two different people so that the judges can see your profile from two sets of eyes. When asking for a recommendation, remember to submit a personal data form well in advance so your recommender/nominator has sufficient time to write you a solid letter.
- Try to ask your nominator and recommender early. We had an issue last year where a nominator failed to finish his portion of the application until the last day, which caused extra stress.
- Tell your story convincingly. Show who you are and explain to the GMS scholars why you are unique. These essays should be long and thorough. They should detail how your life stories have touched you and other people. My essays usually were in a story form and had a central theme followed by the prompt.
- The GMS seeks young leaders who are active in their communities and demonstrate academic achievement. When listing your activities, choose the ones that most describe your personality and reflect your passions. Chances are you’ll be able to write about them more effectively.
- When writing the essays make sure to focus on life-changing experiences and elaborate thoroughly. Anybody can write what they did, but only you can attest to how it affected you, the impact it made, how you felt, etc.
- Choose evaluators who you are close to, and can attest to your strengths and abilities. Preferably somebody you’ve known for more than a year.
- Finally, don’t rush your application. Make sure you go over everything and that it is the strongest possible. Have other people review your essays and take into account their feedback. Scholarship Junkies Corps members are dedicated to essay feedback, so don’t be shy!
The GMS is a one of the most prestigious scholarships available in the nation. If you meet the requirements for the GMS, start your application now. If you don’t qualify for the GMS, check out the other information on scholarships and remember to check out the next scholarship profile coming soon. Feel free to contact Scholarship Junkies for help and questions. We are here to help you!
Jonathan Lee and Christopher Lee are 2012 Gates Millennium Scholars and members of the 2012-13 Scholarship Junkies Corps. Jon and Chris attend the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington.
Posted in: SJ Blog
Leave a Comment (65) →
So if I have a 3.25 unweighted by the time I apply would I be ineligible for the scholarship?
Hi Mohammed, unfortunately, it seems that way. If there is any way you can raise your GPA to 3.3 unweighted by the time you apply (talk with your guidance counselor to explore your options), then you should apply. Otherwise, here is what GMS says regarding your question:
There are many other scholarships available to high school seniors though, so please make sure to check out the recommended scholarship resources we list on the site and apply for as many scholarships as you can. Hope this helps!
Hi, I was wondering if the honors & awards section a big deal? I’m a straight A student taking all AP classes & aced them. But unfortunately I don’t have any honors or awards for academics or extracurricular. Also I’m wondering if “Paid Employment” is important because, for one, my parents don’t let me have a job since they want me to focus on school.
Hi Julia, honors and awards can include a lot of things. For example, if you were named Student of the Month or received recognition from the College Board for being an AP Scholar, those are potentially awards and honors you can include. Another possibility is to include any runner-up, semifinalist, or nominations you might have received for various awards and even scholarships. We discuss a few ideas in our “Padding Your Application” article, too. Every section on an application is important to some degree (otherwise, it wouldn’t be on the application), but you can work with this by writing strong essays that explain why you may not have as much in your employment section, etc. Does that make sense? If you have more questions or need further clarification, please let us know. Hope that helps!
Hello! I’m Romanian, does my ethnicity exclude me from applying for the GMS?
Hi Steph, the GMS uses the US Census definitions for race and ethnicity, so unfortunately, you would probably not be eligible for the GMS. The only exception might be if you’re from a multiracial background. You can see the definitions here: http://www.census.gov/population/race/about/. Please note, though, that we have recommended scholarship resources to help you find more opportunities that suit you. Hope that helps!
If college students are eligible please let me know!
Dear Taylor, unfortunately, college students are not eligible for the Gates Millennium Scholarship. There are other scholarships available for college students, though, so definitely check with your institution’s scholarship/fellowship office and use the scholarship clearinghouse websites we recommend. Hope that helps!
Are college students eligible to apply for this scholarship?
Hello,
Do the state test scores (regents exams) on an applicant’s transcript have a huge impact on the final decision?
Hi Gloria, in the grand scheme of things, state test scores probably will have little bearing on the final GMS decision. They take more of a holistic approach by emphasizing not only an applicant’s academic background but also their community service and leadership potential (along with financial need). So, taken in that context, it’s probably fair to say that state test scores won’t make or break a student’s application. Hope that helps!
I’m just so curious. What do the administrators of the Gates Program look at when it comes to the first and final round? Some had said that the administrators strongly look at the income and finacial need in the final round. Is this true?
John, that’s a great question, and it’s not easy to say exactly what the GMSP looks for in applications beyond the general “academic achievement, leadership potential, and financial need” descriptor. Since GMS doesn’t make this info public, what we can share with you is simply what we’ve observed over the past seven years of working with GMS applications. Whether it accurately reflects the actual process or not, though, is hard to say. The GMS reviewers seem to look for well-written, in-depth essays that explain not just what a student does but also why s/he does what s/he does. The academic achievement eligibility (3.3 unweighted GPA) may be just a baseline, but it doesn’t hurt to have a higher GPA. As for leadership and service, they seem to value quality over quantity — and the way to show quality is through well-written essays with relevant detailed, personal examples. As far as what they look for between the first and final round, we really don’t know. But it seems that they are confirming a student’s financial need and academic achievement when they ask for the finalists’ documentation. Again, whether or not this means they are looking more strongly at income and financial need in the final round is hard to say. It’s worth asking GMS directly, but we’re not sure how much detailed info they’ll be willing to share. Hope this helps!
Approximately how many thousands of applicants are there in each scholarship cycle, and out of that, how many are selected as finalists? What are finalists required to do for further consideration to be selected?
Tris, we don’t have exact numbers for you, but from what we know, there have been 20,000+ applications in each of the past few years. GMS doesn’t release how many finalists are selected either, so unfortunately, we don’t know that either. All we can say for sure is that GMS selects 1,000 scholars each year. As for what finalists are required to submit, it’s typically a copy of a letter of admissions to a college or university (doesn’t have to be the one you end up attending), a copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR) from filing your FAFSA, a school profile form, a transcript, and an unweight cumulative GPA form. Hope that helps!
Hi, I was wondering how many applicants are selected to proceed to the next level. I was selected to proceed to the next level, and am just curious to see if my chances are good for winning. I am SO excited but don’t want to get my hopes up of course. I submitted my application the day it was due because my guidance counselor had not finished my recommendation.
Liris, first of all, congratulations on being selected as a finalist! That’s an accomplishment as well. GMS doesn’t release how many finalists they select, so all we know is that your chances of being selected now are better than when you first applied. Of course, not every finalist will be selected as a scholar, so from here, it’s just a (difficult) waiting game. You can rest assured that submitting your application on the day of the deadline will not count against you though. In the meantime, keep applying for more scholarships (and include that you were a GMS finalist in your awards and honors section)!
I’m starting to get the feeling that the winners all seem to be in the top 10 of their class? Is class rank big because i’m in the top 50 but I haven’t once seen a winner not in the single digits
Keti, we don’t have any numbers to share with you, but we can tell you that members of our SJ Corps who were selected as Gates Scholars were not in the top 10 of their class. Yet, they were still selected for their academic achievement, leadership potential, and community service. So, no, class rank is not big on the GMS application. Hope this helps!
Cool so if Im in the top 50 have a 95 average awesome essays and recommends I have a good shot?
Keti, the good news is, if you meet all the requirements and submit an application, you will have a shot. We can’t make predictions on how well you do, though, so it’s hard to say. For the most part, if you have solid grades, well-written essays, and demonstrate a strong track record of service and leadership, you’ll be competitive. Hope that helps!
I’m a finalist!
Congratulations! That’s great news!
Hello! Can college students (freshmen) who earned a high school diploma apply for the GMS Scholarship? Thank you!
Susan, sadly, not if they are already in college. The GMS is only available if you are entering college for the first time this fall (excluding Running Start, etc.). Hope this helps!
Then are there any other scholarships very similar to the GMS Scholarship for college students?
Susan, sadly, there really aren’t any scholarships similar to the GMS for any level of schooling (the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for graduate studies might come the closest). For college students looking for funding to stay in college, the best options are to visit the scholarships and financial aid office at their college or university. Otherwise, we would suggest using the online scholarship resources we recommend. Hope this helps!
In the gmsp scholarship, there is the section about asking gross annual income for 2012. Do I have to fill out both my parents income or only one of my parent income?
Mu, if you live with both of your parents, then you should include both. You only include the income for one parent if you are living in a single-parent household. Hope this helps!
How many recommender and nominator letters are needed for gmsp scholarship? I already have 1 recommender and 1 nominator but it sent me email about needing reference letter .
Mu, you need one nominator and one recommender. If you received a notice about needing a reference letter, I would double check with your recommender and nominator to make sure they have submitted their forms on your behalf. Otherwise, contact GMS directly. You can find their contact info at http://www.gmsp.org. Hope this helps!
Hello! In the leadership section, will it affect me in a negative way if I became a leader in some activities my senior year? Thank you so much for your time!
Scarlet, no, of course not. Any leadership activities you share will help you respond to the section on the application, so don’t worry about how it might be negatively perceived. It very likely won’t be. Hope this helps!
However, when I talk about them in my essays, won’t it not give much experience and knowledge to them because I started them as a senior?
No, because leadership isn’t just defined by time and positions. It’s also how you participate in your activities. Hope this helps!
Does the Gates Millenium Foundation call your recommenders/ nominators and school if you win the scholarship? Do they tell your school if you’ve won or do they let you decide if you want to keep the news confidential?
Ayinna, the GMS usually contacts you and your recommender/nominator. Plus your school too. Hope this helps!
Hello! Do we have to also send transcripts, etc to the GMS Program anytime?
Scarlet, the GMS will ask you for your transcript if you are selected as a National Finalist. For the initial application, you simply need to submit your course list via the application itself.
Hello! For GMS, under the leadership section, does it mean to enter dates when we first joined or when we first became a leader in that group? Thank you so much for your time!
Scarlet, for the leadership section, you could probably use the dates of your involvement in the activity and then specify the dates of your leadership in the description if they were different. That way, you can indicate that you were involved in the group beyond just having a leadership position. Remember, though, the GMS application says to include activities where you believe you played a leadership role. So, although they say to list an occupation or title, it does not necessarily have to be a position you got elected to. Hope this helps!
Do I invite my two references and tell them to do the nominato/recommenderor do they have to register on with their own account?
*nominator/recommendor or
Jordan, yes, they have to register as a nominator or recommender but using your student identification number. If you go to http://www.gmsp.org, you will see two options for logging in/registering — one is for you as the student while the other is for nominators/recommenders. If you click on the application page from http://www.gmsp.org, you will see the explanation for how nominators and recommenders need to register, etc. Hope this helps!
My question about the Gates Millennium Scholarship is the question about the telephone number. Is the area code the 817 or 682 of a number? I’m confused about that.
Gus, I’m not sure where you’re getting those numbers, but the GMSP number is 1-877-690-4677. You can also use this form to reach them. Hope this helps!
Is there any way to change nominator and recommender’s letters because I messed up by telling my teacher to submit letter of recommendation for recommender role instead of nominator .
Mu, the nominator is supposed to address your academic abilities and the recommender your service and leadership experiences. But in our experience, there’s not a huge distinction made about them (at least, not that we have seen). As long as you have both forms submitted, it shouldn’t make or break your application to have reversed your nominator’s and recommender’s letters. However, if you want to change it, you may contact a GMS representative directly at contactus@gmsp.org or 1-877-690-GMSP (4677) to find out how they might be able to help you resolve this. Hope this helps!
Hello! On my user profile, I was trying to fill out the required birthday section, but whenever I filled it in and clicked SAVE, there was nothing in that box. What do I do? Also, I do not get this part associated with the academic courses section-”If a course you list isn’t an AP, IB, or college course, then your high school transcript must indicate that it is an honors couurse for you to mark it as such.” For example, I took Algebra II and it isn’t an honors course. Thank you so much and happy holidays!
Minny, we’re not sure why your entered info isn’t saving properly. You might try a different web browser or contact GMS directly to let them know. As for the academic courses section, that sentence is referring to honors courses that some schools offer (e.g. Honors Western Civilization, Honors English, etc.) that aren’t AP, IB, or college courses. If you have such honors courses, GMS requires that your high school transcript reflect this as well in order for you to indicate that it was an honors course on your GMS application. If it doesn’t apply to you, don’t worry about it. Hope this helps!
Hello! I am aware that nominator and recommender forms have to be submitted online for the GMS Scholarship. However, I am unclear with some things. So as a student, I don’t have to submit my nominator/recommender forms using my account? The nominator/recommender have to submit their own forms using their own accounts from clicking on the Reference box when registering? Also, should my nominator and recommender send their forms at the same time as I submit my application or could they send them before I submit my application? Thank you thank you so much and happy holidays!
Minny, you are correct that all three forms for the GMS must be submitted online. As the student applicant, you are only responsible for submitting your own student application. Your nominator/recommender should submit their respective forms on their own. However, they do need your registration identification number (see more under Student Registration Identification on the GMS application page) when they register via Write a Reference on the application page. As long as all three forms are submitted on or before the scholarship deadline, you will be fine, so they can send them whenever. Hope this helps!
Thank you so much!
Say of a person never held any leadership (executive) position in their life because od their personal obstacles. Do they still have a shot in winning this award?
Malik, since leadership is not only defined by positions (but really rather by what you do), you could still write about how you have been a leader in your life. For scholarships like the GMS, you should always share about your personal obstacles as well. These are all part of your story, and if you don’t tell them important details like this, how else will they know? Hope this helps!
Thanks. Now I have another question about the gates. They say to be as personal as possible but I’m trying to figure out how personal should I be. I have an essay but I don’t know whether or not to tell it. Do you mind if I can send it to you personally for your opinion?
No problem, Malik. That’s why we have our SJ Corps offer personalized feedback, so you can feel more confident in your essays. Go ahead and submit your essays via the For Students page. You can upload your essays there. Thanks!
If I do that will the public see it? It’s a disturbing story but it fits the question I have to answer.
No, when you submit your essays to SJ for review, only our team will see it, and we will keep it confidential and will not share it with anyone, unless something in what you write compels us to report it to the proper authorities as required by law in cases where you or someone else may be in immediate or potential danger. But otherwise, no one beyond our team will see your essays. Hope this helps!
how are the nominator and recommender essays submitted for GMS?
Chelsea, all forms are submitted online via https://scholarships.gmsp.org/Program/Details/7d6e42b1-d063-4bd2-a977-057b290e2708 this year, and all will be linked by your unique student registration identification. This number is a combination of your zip code and the last four digits of your preferred phone number. After you’ve created an account, provide your nominator and recommender with your student registration identification and ask them to create their own account by clicking “Write a Reference” on the application page (same link provided above). Hope this helps!
Getting a scholarship can be a very hard things. Is this scholarship is also available for students from South East Asia (SEA)? Thanks for the info
Tom, winning scholarships can indeed be hard, but it’s also a numbers game. So we encourage all students to apply for as many scholarships as possible to increase your chances. Students of Southeast Asian descent are eligible for the GMS IF they are a citizen, national or legal permanent resident of the United States.