subject: The Bill Gates Scholarship Or Millenium Scholars Program [print this page] The Bill Gates Scholarship offers a large scholarship award to new college students each fall. The program has helped over 5,000 students go to college.
How Much Is The Scholarship
This scholarship will provide funding for you to go from high school all the way to completion of a graduate degree. The foundation uses the FAFSA to determine the amount of your award. The foundation will provide for a student's unmet need and self help.
If you meet the requirements, you can keep renewing the scholarship through your bachelors degree, and then on through a graduate degree as well.
The Bill Gates Scholarship really offers a great deal to the scholars who win the awards. If you qualify, you should apply. Seriously, even if you think you'll get turned down, if you meet the qualifications, fill out the forms and apply!
Qualifying
To qualify for this award, you must be starting college for the first time in the fall of next year. If you are in high school, you must be a senior. You can still apply if you have a GED or graduated from high school last year or earlier as long as you haven't started college yet.
Also, this program applies to several groups of minorities only. The Bill Gates Scholarship, formally named the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, only awards to American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Asian and Pacific Islanders, Hispanic Americans, and African Americans with a GPA over 3.3 out of 4.0
Beyond that, you have to meet the requirements for the Pell Grant, meaning that the scholarships go to new students who need money to go to college.
And one last thing, you have to study one of these fields: computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health, and science.
Applying
You can apply starting in August until January of next year. You'll need a nomination from a teacher or other educator, like your guidance counselor, or your principal. You'll also need a recommendation from someone who knows what you have done to help your community and show leadership.
Those three things make up the judging criteria: how you do in school (academic achievement), helping your community service (volunteering), and leadership.
Of course, you have fill out an application as well. The application has 8 essay questions for you to provide more background on yourself. You tell the Bill Gates scholarship foundation, or the GMS, what experiences you have had in leadership, what your goals are, and how it feels to be treated unfairly, and several other topics.
You can really shine in these application essay questions. These questions give you the chance to show how you qualify and what you will contribute to the world in the future when you graduate.
Get Started
The Bill Gates Scholarship is just one scholarship. You can find many to apply to, of course. Every time you apply, you can get better at answering the scholarship essay questions, and improve your chances.
Even if you don't qualify for this scholarship, keep looking. You can find scholarships that don't require a high GPA, or that apply to everyone. Keep trying, and you'll get to college.
