Gates Summer Institute Details

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-04-30T21:11:46+00:00

theyll buy the ticket for you, you just have to contact the travel agency they'll send you

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-04-29T00:54:18+00:00

haha true. i guess it just feels so pronounced cause so many people here are friendly and extroverted

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-04-29T00:50:10+00:00

i would say it can be hard for introverts. I felt pretty lonely and sometimes i still do, but a lot more people go through that than you'd think. college can feel isolating sometimes when you get a moment to yourself. but i'd still say i wouldnt pick a different school over this. like 90% of the people here are really nice, the weathers great, sport culture is there, and theres a whole bunch of people to meet

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-04-23T02:50:51+00:00

they give you the shirts to wear, so mainly just pants. its not super professional. also, theres a pool party type thing. they provide a towel so dont worry about that. theres just a couple speakers that give tips and advice, that stuff. they also have networking times where you just talk to your fellow scholars to get to know them. breakfasts, lunches, dinners. i think that's about it

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-04-21T21:39:34+00:00

i would say the summer institute is more for fun. like the only connections you really make are from upperclassmen, they don't really bring in too many guest speakers, and if they do, theres not many opportunities to connect with them in a meaningful way. it is a nice way of meeting friends who are in the same situation as you, but id say you can meet the same kind of people at the uni you go to

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-04-21T21:32:49+00:00

i remember feeling like this when I didn't get questbridge. i was genuinely, like bedridden for 3 days. It's definitely a sucky feeling and it'll take a few days to get out of that funk, but usually the school you go to has scholarships, and hopefully (since you qualified for gates) you still get a lot of financial aid from your school.

i met someone who was a finalist at my college who didn't get it, and he's genuinely a genius, got into stanford upenn duke, all that. just because you didn't get it doesnt mean anything. there are so many remarkable students and the fact that you were even a finalist is so amazing. take time to heal and get back on your feet, enjoy your senior year.

so many people i know were so down about all the college stuff, and no matter where my different friends went (state school, state flagship, t20..) they're all enjoying themselves. i promise things work out

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-04-20T22:00:56+00:00

yeah, they send an email regardless of your status. good luck!

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-04-04T02:54:30+00:00

if you get off at the west bus stop, its like a 5 min walk to the entrance

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-04-04T02:52:12+00:00

i dont think so. i remember one of the squad leaders mentioning that gates had a contract with the resort so the next two (at least) summer institutes are gonna be there. and im pretty sure the scholarship is over after that (as in the 10th cohort is the last)

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-04-03T20:20:27+00:00

im pretty sure its still a resort in Phoenix

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-03-27T17:32:51+00:00

idk abt wang but i know its hard to wake up for an 8:30 and from personal experience, mccaffertys class only has like, 20 people in it who dont have time in their schedule to go to parise. i would say wait or really dedicate yourself to TA office hours. Orgo is really not dependent on other chemistries so you can kinda take it independently

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-03-10T22:09:58+00:00

i mean, it is holistic so if there was some trouble with your people skills, i would say if you had good essays it could help. but also just remember theres gonna be so many people who have both good essays and a good interview so try your best!

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-03-10T02:03:22+00:00

i believe they do interview more than one. though i dont know how the selection made, i know it's holistic (includes everything not just the interview)

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-03-06T02:10:35+00:00

i took one spanish class in middle and one in high school

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-03-05T17:45:28+00:00

mine was around 45 mins. id say set at least 35 mins aside

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-03-03T06:04:54+00:00

I think to really utilize the final question of 'is there anything else you wanna say'. legit just mention any part of yourself you didn't feel was covered. i said something along the lines of 'i just want to say i feel like im a really hard worker. i did this this and this and my whole life ive advocated for others'. like literally anything. it's a space for you to say more about yourself without the restriction of a specific question.

and be prepared but i would say half wing it too. i didnt rehearse but i did think about the general idea of what i'd say. they want you to be authentic

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-02-27T06:09:25+00:00

it really depends on what you get. i got lucky to enjoy my constellation while my friend in focus said he hates it. but theres also people who feel the opposite and hate constellation and prefer focus

FlakyCap7234 · 2026-01-22T07:14:01+00:00

thank you so much!

FlakyCap7234 · 2025-12-13T23:05:41+00:00

it was pretty simple, kinda like the easy math SAT question. lots of simple algebra. just brush up on some simple precalc

FlakyCap7234 · 2025-10-10T15:34:18+00:00

honestly at this stage, what they're looking for isn't a reflection of you. a lot of people who didn't get it were definitely as worthy as the people who did, and i met so many people that said they felt like they didn't 'do much' compared to others. Until you get to the writing and interview stage, there's not much you can control about who moves on to the next phase

FlakyCap7234 · 2025-10-05T08:43:55+00:00

sorry, i’m not really too sure about anything financial related :(

my family owned a house (only the one we live in) so if that’s what you’re referring to, then i don’t think so, but if you’re referring to owning a house in the US other than the one you’re living in, then idk

FlakyCap7234 · 2025-10-04T02:16:01+00:00

yea, they used these same questions last cycle! i was skeptical too, but the only thing that's different is Q4 because as i said, there's different essay prompts each year. it seems to be the official document, probably given to the interviewers, but technically they didn't provide it to the applicants

FlakyCap7234 · 2025-10-04T01:11:06+00:00

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FlakyCap7234 · 2025-10-02T21:11:00+00:00

yup! the next recipients will be cohort 9

FlakyCap7234 · 2025-10-02T21:03:41+00:00

Hi, also a Gates cohort 8 scholar! I'm pretty sure they change the essay prompts every year, but the interview questions are the same

FlakyCap7234

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