Gates Scholarship applicants/former scholars, any tips or stats?
Hi! I’m applying for the Gates Scholarship this year and I’m looking for any tips or advice from current/former scholars. I’d also really appreciate it if anyone is comfortable sharing their stats from when they applied so I can get a better idea of what different applicants looked like.
For reference, my stats are:
• 3.6 GPA
• 115/282 class rank
• Dean’s List + Principal’s Honor Roll
• Horatio Alger Scholar
• Leadership experience
• Community service through my Catholic school
• Work experience helping with my dad’s photography business
• I also have a pretty strong personal/resilience story that I’m hoping to write about in my essays.
I’m a little nervous about my class rank and gpa! I haven't taken any tests yet but I plan to! so I’d really appreciate hearing from people who were selected, especially if your stats weren’t necessarily “perfect.” Any advice on the application, essays, activities, or anything you wish you knew before applying would be really helpful! 🫶🏽