You got the call. You're a Knight-Hennessy Scholar. Now what? Here's the timeline from notification through your first year at Stanford.
Results are announced in March, typically via phone call from the KHS team. This is one of the most anticipated calls in the scholarship world. You'll also receive formal notification by email. The offer is conditional on Stanford program admission — if you haven't heard from your program yet, the wait continues.
Accept the KHS offer and confirm enrollment in your Stanford program. You'll begin paperwork for the funding, housing applications, and (for international students) the visa process. KHS assigns you to a cohort and connects you with fellow incoming scholars through an online community.
Complete Stanford's onboarding requirements: health forms, housing lottery, orientation registration. International students begin the visa process. KHS may organize virtual meet-and-greets with your incoming cohort. This is also the time to wrap up current commitments and prepare for the move to the Bay Area.
KHS orientation happens before or alongside your Stanford program orientation. You'll meet your full cohort in person for the first time, tour Denning House, meet the KHS staff and current scholars, and begin the KGLP. Your Stanford program orientation runs concurrently.
Early in your first quarter, KHS organizes a retreat at Stanford Sierra Camp near Lake Tahoe. This is where the cohort bonds form. Expect campfires, hikes, deep conversations about purpose, and the beginning of friendships that will last well beyond Stanford.
Your first quarter balances your Stanford program coursework with KGLP programming. Most scholars report feeling overwhelmed at first — the combination of a demanding academic program and the KHS enrichment programming is intense. The KHS team is experienced at helping scholars manage this balance.
Throughout your first year, the KGLP includes regular workshops (typically bi-weekly), speaker events, cohort activities, and the beginning of KHeystone project planning. You'll also attend global experiences organized by KHS. The calendar is structured to complement, not compete with, your Stanford coursework.
"The first month is drinking from a firehose. Stanford orientation, KHS orientation, new city, new cohort, first classes — all happening simultaneously. But the KHS community becomes your anchor. By October, Denning House felt like home."
"The most valuable part of KHS isn't the money — it's the people. Having dinner with a medical student, a lawyer, and an engineer all working on different aspects of the same global problem completely rewired how I think about my own work."
"Be prepared for the guilt of abundance. You have full funding, incredible resources, and access to anything Stanford offers. The question becomes: what will you do with all of this? That question can be paralyzing if you're not ready for it."
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