aid: merit or need-based, how much? attitude?

<p>Who has rec'd MERIT-BASED from GCC? and if so, HOW MUCH?</p>

<p>I got wonderful packages from Wash & Jeff, Wittenberg, others,
but nada from GCC.</p>

<p>I'm a 3.96 GPA, OUTSTANDING ECs (mutiple nat'l competitions, two TV appearances, Tons of Essay contests, and paramilitary program)
What's up with nO Merit????</p>

<p>And, my family never rec'd anything from them about coming for April 20th
or parents weekend in May? Comments? Impressions?</p>

<p>I never did see anything relative to an accepted students day on April 20. Just someone on here said they were going. Could that one have been specific to ED??? Not sure.</p>

<p>The parents W/E thing, I kind of stumbled across on the GCC Website. If they are making a mailing I didn't see it, and its getting kind of late either way. Neither myself nor the Mrs. will be able to attend the parents W/E anyway.</p>

<p>On the merit aid, DS got none either. Perhaps due to the relatively low cost of the school as compared to others that GCC feels like there is some degree of merit money "built in"?? Not sure. One thing I know is that not a lot of students, or parents find their way here in this outpost of college confidential. Welcome. DS is matriculating to GC. After looking at all of the various packages it still seems the best fit for him all things considered. And he did have a lot of things to think about.</p>

<p>W & J Tuition, Fees and R & B is about $35 k (2006 - 2007 numbers), GCC for Tuition, fees, and R & B was about $17 k (2007 - 2008 numbers). Thats after a 5.5% increase over 2006 / 2007. If W & J goes up by about 5% they'll be at what...~ $36.5 k?</p>

<p>I've got my comments and impressions, but you must keep in mind that I am a future GCC parent so they are biased. I'll keep them to myself, but suffice it to say that I feel quite favorable towards Grove City. I could see where it would not be for everyone. But they are not scrambling to fill seats.</p>

<p>I hope that if you have been accepted there, and have made up your mind to go elsewhere, that you would notify them as soon as you can. I instructed DS to do this as soon as his mind was made up. There could be someone on the edge of the waiting list that sees grove city as their #1. I am sure that most of the schools he had been accepted to were in the same situation. It was just the proper thing to do.</p>

<p>I get the feeling GCC is not hurting for potential admits. DS applied, and was accepted ED. He is getting no merit based aid either. His GPA is similar to yours with many AP classes and he did remarkably well on the SATs. West Point was actually still trying to recruit him (he hadn't applied) after their own stated cutoff date. Still trying to figure that one out, but it was flattering. </p>

<p>We did question the lack of merit aid, and were told that the incoming class is a very strong one.!</p>

<p>That said, DH and I are really excited about Grove. It would not be everyone's "cup of tea", but we believe it to be a perfect fit for our son.</p>

<p>I urge you to spend some time there, if at all possible, to help you with your decision. Best of luck.</p>

<p>Does anyone know the award for a Presidential Scholarship? I read, "Award amounts vary based on class level, academic performance, and availability of funds." My S is a HS Jr and will apply to GCC next fall. His PSAT score indicates a high probability of being a national merit finalist, which would make him eligible for a presidential scholarship, if I read the info on the web site correctly.</p>

<p>As you observed they do not come out and give a dollar amount associated with the Presidents Scholly. </p>

<p>Only thing I observe, is that typical of many other websites I have looked at, they usually list the scholarships from High Dollar amount to lower dollar amount. I notice most of these other school's that also say "trustee" and "president"....scholarships the trustee is worth more bucks than the presidents.... Trustee scholarship is worth $5k and they offer a max of 24 of them per year. It calls for a 3.75 UW or a 3.80 W minimum and min SAT or ACT scores. Requires a 3.6 to maintain it year over year.</p>

<p>Pres scholly doesnt call for a GPA or SAT Req't but you must be either #1 or #2 in your grad class (depending on class size), or a NMS Finalist. GC also opens this up for students already there that pull a 3.6.</p>

<p>Based on these rather unscientific observations, I would guess that the Presidents scholarship is not worth any MORE than the trustee at $5k, but without knowing first hand (I do wish I had a President Scholly on a GC FA Package... I'd tell ya, I promise) this is just a guess.</p>

<p>Probably best to cal FA. If you do and they tell you, please let us know. If I look into my crystal ball, I predict your answer will be very similar to the vague verbiage on the website.</p>