Talk:Scholarships

How to apply

I want to apply for a scholarship. When the page is created, will anyone please contact me at my English-language or Spanish-language Wikipedia user pages? Thank you! --NaBUru38 16:04, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Jan 1, 2012

Hi, When are the schlorship related information being posted in this link? The page says Jan 01, 2012.....Can you tell when we can start applying... Thanks, Ade. Adethya

Sorry for the delay in contact; I just saw this! From what I hear from the Wikimania team, the scholarship applications will be open on Sunday, 15 January 2012. Announcements will go out on the different mailing lists as well as banner be posted on the different wikis. Jwild 19:18, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

Question about currency

Firstly, I am pleased to see this that some of my feedback from last year has been taken on-board and that more information is available this year on how the scholarships will be distributed, so thank you.

I do one question though, last your the partial scholarships were distributed in US dollars; why has it has been changed to euros this year? CT Cooper 22:16, 13 January 2012 (UTC)

Hi CT! Actually, last year right after launching the scholarship application, we switched from $300 to 300€, but we displayed the character on the main page in USD. This year, we just decided to display in euros so that it would be easier to remember since that number isn't changing! Jwild 17:36, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

All I remember was when the scholarships were announced, the maximum given was changed from US$300 to US$425, which I presumed was just the Foundation having some money left over rather than a change in currency. I also take it that although the advertised maximum is in euros, that doesn't necessarily mean that reimbursements will be made in euros, since I got a cheque last year for the partial scholarship and it came in dollars, as I expected, not euros. CT Cooper 21:01, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Inconsistencies

The contents of the scholarships pages and the application form are inconsistent in two ways. Firstly, we now have three different dates on the deadline to apply, with the scholarships page saying the deadline is the 16 February, while the application form says its the 15 February, and the FAQ says its the 8 February. Furthermore, the application form says that the partial scholarship will reimburse up to US$300, while the scholarships page says 300 euros, and the FAQ page says "300€ (~US$425)". Per the above section, I'm a bit confused on why the Foundation has suddenly switched to euros, as it is based in San Francisco, and it used dollars last year. Can someone please clarify the situation and correct all the pages accordingly? CT Cooper 20:41, 16 January 2012 (UTC)

The deadline is 16 February. Harej 20:42, 16 January 2012 (UTC)

Sorry about that... partial scholarships are 300€ ($425 US) this year. Why Euros? I don't know. Aude 21:03, 16 January 2012 (UTC)

(small correction to your comment above, aude. we actually kept the euro amount the same, but conversion to USD is different) Jwild 17:39, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for your swift responses and corrections. CT Cooper 21:20, 16 January 2012 (UTC)

Jwild: I assume you mean that the amount in euros is fixed, but the exchange rate with dollars and other currencies will vary. CT Cooper 20:56, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

yes! Jwild 19:16, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

Wikimedia UK comment

I kindly asked for the UK chapter's plans on scholarships, since I was interested, and received a swift response. For the benefit of wider viewing, here is the conversation. CT Cooper 20:57, 16 January 2012 (UTC)

Thanks. Aude 21:06, 16 January 2012 (UTC)

applying in other language

My colleague in Japanese Wikipedia wants to attend Wikimania 2012 and apply the scholarship, but she worries about her English skill (en-1). Can we apply scholarship in Japanese or other non-English language? Translating system interface is very good but it's little effective if we should apply in only English.--青子守歌 13:23, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi! Thanks for asking this question. Very unfortunately, the vast majority of the conference will be in English, so if your friend's English skills are low, she probably will not be able to get anything of use out of the conference :( I hope that some day this will be changed (with translators, etc.), but for now, without sufficient English skills the conference would likely be of little value. (If this is not the case for 2012, I will happily be corrected by the planning team!) Jwild 02:35, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for replying. Of course she must know English is spoken in Wikimania, and I think she has enough English skill to attend. I guess what she worries about is she may not be able to explain her interests and participation in Wikimedia in English enough. Anyway, I'll tell/show her your replying and suggest trying English. Thanks,--青子守歌 04:42, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

Oh I see - yes, please do encourage her to apply! Most of the applications come in from people who speak English as a second language, so the committee is used to reading applications of varying levels of English proficiency. Thanks for your interest! Jwild 21:38, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, thank you. I'll encourage her!--青子守歌 08:42, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

Palestinians

The "Palestinian Territories" isn't available for choosing from the list of possible nationalities in the application. I suppose Palestinians don't get to participate? Thanks a lot!

We apologize for the omission! We inherited the software system from previous teams, but have got it fixed now. Again our apologies :( Please go ahead and apply for a scholarship. Aude 20:04, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

can't skip CAPTCHA in translation

I am very glad and it's very good idea to use Extention:Translate! But uunfortunately there's a bug on this extension, so I can't translate Translations:Scholarships/58/ja because it contains external link. Can you give me "skipcaptcha" right (or add me to Confirmed User group)? or should I wait for aute-confirmed?--青子守歌 08:41, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

This problem should be solved with this edit. :-) Jon Harald Søby (WMF) 15:35, 4 February 2012 (UTC)

Nice solution! Thank you!--青子守歌 05:00, 5 February 2012 (UTC)

I found Translations:Scholarships/53 is same. Could you solve this?--青子守歌 (aokomoriuta) 11:07, 5 February 2012 (UTC)

No, can't do the same there. I've moved most links to interwiki links; couldn't do the same for WMAT because for some reason they're not on the interwiki map and I don't know what prefix to use. Anyway, you're autoconfirmed now. Nemo 15:15, 5 February 2012 (UTC)

Registration to Wikimania

Hello! As I wrote before, I'm about to send an application for a full scholarship. Do I have to register to the conference now (before February 16)? Do I have to select student/contributor rate? Thanks! --NaBUru38 15:13, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

So great to know that you are going to apply! You can wait to register until AFTER you hear back from the scholarship process (end of March). Jwild 17:58, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

British English

Scholarships/en-gb can't look English but maybe Turkish...?--青子守歌 (aokomoriuta) 10:05, 5 February 2012 (UTC)

I see also a user adding an Italian translation and self-reverting, perhaps the language is somehow being selected by mistake more than the oters? Nemo 13:56, 5 February 2012 (UTC)

Passport requirements

Hi, I was a Google Summer of Code 2011 intern for the Wikimedia Foundation. I belong to India & I wish to apply for a full scholarship, but I currently don't possess a passport. Here in India, I can get a passport within 10 days if needed urgently (no proof of urgency required) but it has quite higher fees associated with it. Under the normal procedure, it takes around 3 months to get the passport (I shall get it by May if I apply now) & no two applications(one for the instant passport & the other for normal procedure) can be made simultaneously. Is it necessary to have a passport 'at the time' of application? I have currently deferred my passport application because if I am selected for the scholarship then I will definitely pay the higher fees (on my own, ofcourse) & get the passport within 10 days. Is that ok or it is absolutely required to possess a passport for applying? Thanks ahead for your help! Akshay.agarwal 16:16, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

You can apply for a scholarship now. Please just make a note about this in the application. Cheers. Aude 22:41, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear Aude, there is no extra field in the application form to write that kind of comments. Please note that for the Wikimania 2013. Good luck! --NaBUru38 16:32, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Akshay, I recommend you go for the urgent application of passport (Tatkal). Indian Police is not very helpful during Police Verification, and there is no guarantee that you will get it within 3 months. Depending on your place of residence, it may as well take longer. Just my 2 cents. MikeLynch 19:54, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear Mike, I would definitely act on your advice, thanks! Akshay.agarwal 12:26, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

cliche

Sorry, but under "Future goals for participating in the Wikimedia movement (35%)", will somebody please remove the quadruple occurrence of "going forward"? It's both redundant and a cliche. Thank you. 207.157.121.92 18:52, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Adding infos on my scholarship request

Hello, I would like to add something on my scholarship request if possible. I did a submission for Submissions/Wikipedia Takes Montreal, but I would also like to be on the panel of Submissions/Local photo events panel. Is there a way to add this on my request form? Thank you in advance, Benoit Rochon (talk) 10:21, 8 March 2012 (UTC)

You could contact wikimania-scholarshipswikimedia.org . That should work I suppose. MikeLynch (talk) 13:50, 8 March 2012 (UTC)

Results of Scholarship Application

Have the Scholarship Applications decided? Have you intimated all successful candidates? Do you intend to inform other applicants as well regarding their status? So that they could try other options, if any...

In fact, I also submitted a paper but I do not know whether it has been accepted or not (though the due date for declaration of results is over on Sunday). So in case it is accepted, I'd like to visit the Conference to present the same, or else the selection will have no meaning.

DebashisM (talk) 03:56, 11 April 2012 (UTC)

As far as I'm aware, the decision not yet been announced. Last year everyone was notified of the decision on their application regardless of the result, and I assume that is being repeated this year. See Talk:Scholarships/FAQ#Decision delay. CT Cooper · talk 09:59, 11 April 2012 (UTC)

Wikimania Takes Manhattan

Hi! I'm pleased to say that I have got a full scholarship. But I have a question regarding Wikimania Takes Manhattan. The registration page only lists the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th, as the days we can attend. Whereas WTM is from the 6th to the 9th. Does that mean WTM is completely excluded from the scholarships? Sorry if it's already mentioned somewhere, but I dont seem to be able to find it... Many thanks, Rehman (talk) 07:16, 23 April 2012 (UTC)

Hi! Congratulations on the scholarship! You are correct: WTM is not a part of Wikimania and thus not included in the scholarship. Your round-trip flight could get you to that event, but you would have to find a way to cover your own domestic transportation and accommodations. Hope that helps! Jwild (talk) 17:43, 23 April 2012 (UTC)

Thanks Jessie, this cleared many of ours confusion, lets just hope NYC chapter finds some economical options for us to stay (at our expense though). Rangilo Gujarati (talk) 17:49, 23 April 2012 (UTC)

Thank you :) And thanks for the replies :) Just one question though: Suppose the accommodation/food is economical and an international participant like me decides to join (taking the wikibus from NYC to DC after WMT). For scholarship participants, what happens if the person wants to come for the WTM and the main conference only, and not the hackathon. Will the scholarship cover the two hackathon days (hostel/food/etc) even if the person is not attending it (as s/he is already in the states)? I ask this because im not entirely sure what the hackathon is, and from what I know, it is a pre-conference event which I believe I may not be able to contribute to (but at the same time, interested in the events before and after the hackathon). Many thanks. :) Rehman (talk) 01:11, 24 April 2012 (UTC)

I guess what was stated for Wikimania 2011 hacking days holds equally good for the current conference Hackathon.Hindustanilanguage (talk) 06:52, 24 April 2012 (UTC).

The hostel is included for check-in on Monday if you choose. There will be some other preconference activities (to be determined) or sightseeing. Aude (talk) 10:12, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

CWT Travel agency details and flight bookings

Hi Guys, I sent this info request to the wikimania e-mail address, but it seems to be down as I have not received info since last week. I would like to complete ticket bookings with the preferred travel agent CWT. I called their local offices here in Johannesburg -- South Africa, yet no one seems to be aware of this conference?? Which CWT office is handling this event and how do I get them in contact with my local office? I have scheduled an interview with the US consular office next tuesday and would like to have definite answers fro the officer when it comes to travel arrangements issues. --Thuvack (talk) 16:40, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

I'd really like a reply too; I have my interview very soon, and having a fixed itenary will help greatly in my interview. MikeLynch (talk) 16:46, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

I've emailed CWT asking whether they've got my application for the flights via Wikimedia (because they haven't responded for so long), and someone from there did respond back saying that they'll get back 'as soon as possible', two days ago. But they haven't yet... :( I used the CWT email provided in one of the Wikimania Scholarship emails I received... Rehman (talk) 17:50, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

Jessie has replied to my e-mail. It is only the USA branch of CWT that is handling this aspect of international travel. I suppose that the final itenary and ticketing will be done by a local office upon them receiving confirmation from the US office of CWT. This may obviously take some time depending on the numbers and allocation of manpower within CWT. But the word is that some pressure is being pushed to expedite this issue and we should be getting communication and itenary direct from CWT some time next week.--Thuvack (talk) 21:15, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

LOTS of pressure is being applied, I can verify that! :) Jwild (talk) 23:48, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

Its been like 3 days since I submit the details, and CWT guys aren't responding. I need to show tickets in my college to get leave approval. Can the process speed up, please. Thanks. --Rangilo Gujarati (talk) 17:43, 18 May 2012 (UTC)

Breakup and details of Scholarships awarded

Can you share the breakup of scholoarships countrywise and share the names of the people who have been awarded as it will be useful information for all?--59.92.151.166 00:21, 12 May 2012 (UTC)

As far as I know, there is no publicly available official list of recipients, however the attendees list includes a lot of self-disclosing individuals. Some statistics for 2011 and 2012 are on the Wikimedia blog. CT Cooper · talk 11:17, 12 May 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for the response and the links. When scholarship is an honor for the individuals, I do not see why there should be concern in sharing it publicly by the organisers. --59.92.152.135 04:58, 13 May 2012 (UTC)

Yes, I can see a case for it. I might mention it in my suggestions on the feedback page which should appear after the conference is over. CT Cooper · talk 15:41, 15 May 2012 (UTC)

I support this idea, there is absolutely no need to keep this info a secret.--Thuvack (talk) 08:11, 16 May 2012 (UTC)

I do not know how useful would it be to publish the names of the recipients w/o seeing the reasons (or their applications) why they got awarded. Sure you can check user contributions, but not necessarely Chapter activities by a user account. A list alone would not be efficient, I believe. --OrsolyaVirág (talk) 19:40, 30 June 2012 (UTC)

For most users it will be evident why they got a scholarship through reviewing them and their contributions. A lot of established users note what they do on their user pages, and a lot of chapter activities require making postings on wiki with the signing of attendance lists e.t.c. It is a somewhat a matter of principle that everything should be public by defualt, and private only when necessary. It could be argued that the reasons for receiving a scholarship should be public as well, although publishing that for every recipient would require a lot of work. The UK's list of recipients is effectively already public here. CT Cooper · talk 10:55, 1 July 2012 (UTC)

Wikia

Hi. I'm not currently involved in any Wikimedia Foundation projects, but I do participate in Wikia projects. I understand that Wikia is a for-profit organization, but I am not receiving revenue... would my volunteer work be looked upon fondly if I were to apply? Dzylon (talk) 07:12, 14 June 2012 (UTC)

Scholarship applications for this year are closed, however after some time applications for next year will start. In answer to your question, if the 2012 selection criteria are used again for 2013, then activity outside Wikimedia will be weighted at 15%, and since Wikia is free content, I would have thought contributions over there would be considered in a scholarship application. However, 85% of the criteria is weighted solely on activity within Wikimedia projects and future goals of participation in the Wikimedia movement. CT Cooper · talk 18:10, 14 June 2012 (UTC)