WellThen

Good luck on your interview!

My mention of prestigious universities was meant in terms of the caliber of applicants that they are getting and not the foundation selection process per se. I know that not everyone has the circumstances to even think about a Yale or Oxford, but we don't know who the other applicants are or what they've accomplished. Ultimately, we are all doing impactful work in our communities or why else would we be applying. It sucks for us, but these decisions are truly a crap shoot because this is all good and important work. There are just so many applicants and so few spots. I don't like finding out in online forums rather than by them, so they could definitely improve that still.

I've read on other threads that invites went out several days before people received the declined emails, at least in previous years. I also have not heard anything, so... I think it's a wrap. I can't really see anyone applying and then declining the interview. As we all know, failure and rejection is a HUGE part of academia. Also, more so than other scholarships, this one is a crap shoot. I had a stellar leadership reference (from a 6 term City Councillor in my city and on the Board of my university), several recent publications, and a 10 year career in non-profit leadership. Still, nada. They probably selected 40 applicants or 60 maximum as finalists in all four themes and the competition is global with previous winners having been from Yale, Oxford, Harvard, etc. The person who did get an interview said it was their third time applying, so onto next year!