I had an interview today with Rodrigo Macias for the possibility of joining the MIT Entrepreneurship Bootcamp happening in Brisbane this year. Rodrigo was a great interviewer to speak with. I was delighted when he told me that he would make a recommendation for me to get accepted into the bootcamp. And, indeed, later in the afternoon I received the acceptance letter from MIT!
To get the most out of this experience, this bootcamp is going to be a lot of work and I expect sleepless nights ahead. I already have three MOOCs that I need to finish before the bootcamp starts in a month's time. It's a lot of work, but I look forward to being stretched!
I was unfortunately not offered a scholarship, but they brought that to my attention in a very skillful way:
We considered your application for a scholarship. Each year a limited number of applicants are shortlisted for scholarships based on merit. Unfortunately we will not be able to offer you a scholarship to attend the MIT Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp. Past scholarship recipients include a researcher who developed a cancer diagnostic lab on a chip, a co-founder who sought to reduce preventable deaths by creating the country's first blood supply chain information system, an engineer who wanted to bring clean water to every home in developing countries.
Yes, them highlighting the bar for who's eligible for a scholarship at least puts into perspective that I am clearly not in the same league as those people - at least for now.