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“Leaders for America’s Future”

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About the Program

The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program is funded by a 1 billion dollar grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and was established in 1999.

The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for thousands of outstanding students with significant financial need to reach their fullest potential.

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About the Program

The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is the administrator of the GMS initiative and has partnered with the the following organizations:

- American Indian Graduate Center Scholars

- Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund

- The Hispanic Scholarship Fund

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Value Proposition

The GMS Scholarship Award Provides:

Support for the cost of education by covering unmet need and self-help

Renewable awards for Gates Scholars maintaining satisfactory academic progress

Graduate School fellowships for continuing Gates Scholars in the areas of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health and science

Leadership Development programs with distinctive personal, academic and professional growth opportunities

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Eligibility Criteria

African American, American Indian/ Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American;

Citizen/ legal permanent resident or national of the United States;

Cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted) at the time of nomination;

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Eligibility Criteria (continued)

Degree-seeking freshman who will be entering an accredited college or university as full-time student.

Has demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities; and

Meet the federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria (FAFSA forms available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov)

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Nomination Process

Nomination process requires:

an educator who is familiar with the student’s academic background to complete the Nominator Form

a community member or individual who is aware of the student’s community service and leadership activities to complete the Recommender Form and

a student to complete a comprehensive Nominee Personal Information Form.

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Screening and Selection

A complete nomination application Nominee Personal Information Form, Nominator form, and Recommender form and;

Applications do not need to be submitted in the same format or at the same time Forms can be mailed and submitted online Complete your form as soon as possible No attachments All forms must be submitted by the deadline

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A Timeline for Becoming a Gates Scholar

From August through mid January All online applications are processed when submitted All applications mailed by the deadline are scanned and loaded

into the Nomination database During the month of February

Independent readers completing an individualized reading and scoring assessment of each eligible Nominee in three major areas: academic achievement, community service, and leadership potential

From March through early April Applications are continuously reviewed as all information in

applications is verified including GPA, citizenship status, and federal Pell grant eligibility

All Gates Scholars are selected and notified

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Additional Benefits of the Gates Millennium Scholarship

Leadership Development Conferences Revised scholarship awards (when necessary) Deferment Options Academic Empowerment Services Mentoring GMS Circles GMS Ambassador Program

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GMS Imagine

http://www.imaginegms.com

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Gates Millennium Scholars

The GMS scholarship offers: Access by providing last dollar funding to Pell grant

eligible students Choice of preferred college or university ,and provides Support through leadership development initiatives

Nomination forms available as of August 2007 All paper applications must be postmarked by December

31, 2007. All online applications must be submitted by January 11,

2008 11:59 PM EST. www.gmsp.org

Part II

Success in the

Application Process

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RESOURCES High School Counselors

Local Libraries

Internet

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OTHER RESOURCES Internet

www.uncf.org www.hsf.net www.apiasf.org www.aigc.com www.fastweb.com www.scholarshipexperts.com www.srnexpress.com

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Volunteer Community Service Log

Diversity and Flexibility Consistency and Long-Term Commitment Skills required Certificates of participation Evidence of increased responsibility and

maturity

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The Student PortfolioAcademics Extra Curricular

•HS Transcript

•GPA

•Assessment

•TAAS

•TASP

•PLAN

•ACT

•Leadership

•Athletics

•Community Service•PSAT

•SAT

•ACT

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The Personal Profile

Lists activities by high school year States words that describe the student Summarizes the academic record Summarizes extra curricular participation Facilitates letters of recommendation Provides content of College Application

Essays Other significant college prep activities--

financial aid

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Contact your Nominator and Recommender early Ensure your Nominee form is complete Forms are linked by Social Security numbers (SSN)-provide

your Nominator and Recommender with your correct SSN Beat the deadline Follow-up to ensure your documents have been received Follow-up with your Nominator and Recommender to ensure

submission of their documents If possible, complete forms on-line Thank your Nominator and Recommender

GMS scholarship nomination process:

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Preparing for Scholarships

1. Research scholarship funding

2. Apply for many scholarships

3. Prepare a timeline

4. Market yourself

5. Plan and take action

6. Review the eligibility criteria

7. Choose your Recommender carefully

8. Prepare a checklist

9. Review materials prior to submitting

10. Submit materials before the deadline

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“Leaders for America’s Future”