<p>The title says it all. Here's the link:</p>
<p>Yay?</p>
<p>How about about some money for merit scholarships? The University offers none.</p>
<p>The Jefferson Scholarship and University Scholarship are merit scholarships. Jefferson Scholars get full rides + stipends. University Scholars are 50 in-state students who have their tuition covered.</p>
<p>The Jefferson Scholarship is given by the alumni association. The "University Scholars" scholarships are given for "diversity" and other non-academic reasons.</p>
<p>University Scholars is still merit-based though "diversity" is also a big part of it.</p>
<p>The fact that Jeff Scholars is overseen by the Alumni Association is a technicality. It's still a merit scholarship only for students attending UVA.</p>
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University Scholars is still merit-based though "diversity" is also a big part of it.
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<p>Great. That doesn't help me or any of the thousands of students at UVA who don't bring the kind of "diversity" to the table that the University is looking for. My point remains: the University does not give purely merit-based scholarships, and in this regard, it lags behind its peers.</p>
<p>Again, Jefferson Scholars is a purely merit-based scholarship. Don't get it twisted. Not many schools offer as comprehensive a program as Jeff Scholars.</p>
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it lags behind its peers.
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<p>Which peers? The Ivy League and schools like Williams don't give out any merit scholarships. If you're referring to schools like UNC, yeah, UVA could do more to offer merit-based money to a larger group of students. I remember that there was talk several years ago about offering money to Echols Scholars, but that still remains to be seen. </p>
<p>Right now, UVA is still one of the handful of schools that has a yield of over 50%. Since a lot of top students still end up choosing UVA, there hasn't been an urgency for the University to offer more merit scholarships. As of late, the focus has been on financial aid and economic diversity in order to increase access to more poor and middle-class students. That's why the University has pumped so much money ($20 million in fact) into Access UVA.</p>
<p>As you know, UVA is about to embark on a major $3 billion capital campaign, and the administration is still trying to figure out where to allocate the money. I suggest you galvanize your fellow Echols Scholars and other students to work on having part of the campaign money be dedicated to undergraduate merit scholarships. (You seem like a self-starter, and this could be a nice summer project for you.) Recently, a recommendation was made by some faculty members to increase the financial packages for grad students.</p>
<p>Speaking of merit scholarships, UVA also offers the merit-based Holland Scholarship to outstanding African-American students - $10K/year for in-state students and $20K/year for out-of-state students. The scholarship was established by the CAP Charitable Foundation.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ronbrown.org/p-holland.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.ronbrown.org/p-holland.htm</a></p>
<p>The Jefferson Scholars scholarship is only available to students who attend certain schools, and you must be nominated. I believe there is only one nomination per school. The Holland scholarship is great, but I don't think cavalier302 is a black student...so I doubt it helps his financial situation much.</p>
<p>Actually, you don't have to attend a certain school to become a Jeff Scholar. If you're within one of the nominating regions, your school has to nominate you, and yes, there is only 1 nomination per school. But if you don't attend a participating school and are an exceptional student, the Admissions Office could also nominate you and forward your college application to the Jefferson Scholarship Committee. That's how international students and kids from say North Dakota become Jeff Scholars.</p>
<p>Yeah, UVa could probably give more general merit scholarships. That's why I suggested that you students petition the administration for them or better yet convince wealthy alums to create them. I met a graduating 4th year student 3 years ago who believed so strongly in strengthening UVA's Arts Program that she convinced some alums to give a couple million $$$ to UVA.</p>
<p>Isn't the selection process controlled by alumni and other "interested" parties who aren't actually a part of the university?</p>
<p>And I have a full ride to UVA. (not c/o UVA) The existence of merit-based scholarships doesn't really affect me. I just think it would be nice for other students to receive more of them. I'm not going to ride around on a white stallion with banners to try and raise awareness for the issue.</p>
<p>Yeah, it's decided by the Jefferson Scholarship Foundation, and the selection committees are mostly comprised of former Jefferson Scholars.</p>
<p>Congrats on getting a full ride to UVa. That's pretty sweet.</p>
<p>No dude, I didn't get a scholarship or anything awesome. DO NOT WET YOUR PANTS. My family is paying for everything. I just meant that any concern I have is not based on my own needs. (and since there isn't much concern, I guess that just makes me an a.ss)</p>
<p>I am one of the diseased VCCS students at UVA, and we certainly do not qualify for any merit-based anythings. We get scraps fed to us by freshman under the tables at the dining halls and have to watch our lectures from ventilation ducts in the ceiling.</p>
<p>Hahaha...don't worry. Despite initial urges, I've managed to keep my pants dry. </p>
<p>I'm not saying that you need to parade around on any stallions. What I mean is if anyone believes strongly enough about an issue, UVA is a place where something can be done about it. I know this from personal experience and from knowing students who have accomplished some pretty amazing things.</p>
<p>Again, globalist, the Jefferson Scholarships are given by the alumni foundation, and race-based "merit" scholarships only help small portions of the applicant pool.</p>
<p>UVA does lag behind its peers in merit-based aid programs - Michigan, Berkeley, UNC, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Rice all give superior merit aid.</p>
<p>When is comes to the Jefferson Scholarship, your argument is based on a very minor technicality. What's the real difference between a merit scholarship that's given by the Alumni Association and a merit scholarship that's given directly from the school? UVA could easily produce a merit scholarship exactly the same as Jeff Scholars run by the University vs. the Alumni Association. Either way it's a scholarship that's determined solely by merit and is only for exceptional students attending UVA. (Believe me, I know.)</p>
<p>From the Jefferson Scholarship website:</p>
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From its beginnings, the University of Virginia has addressed as its primary business the task of producing leaders for a self-governing people. Firm in his belief that individual talent and initiative must be the chief qualifications for leadership, Thomas Jefferson envisioned the University as a training ground for those who would take on the burdens of responsibility in a free society.</p>
<p>Mr. Jefferson's goal of nurturing future leaders is at the heart of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation. Its fundamental mission is to attract to the University the most promising students in the nation and to give them sufficient financial support so that they are free to develop their talents and to use them for the good of the University community. </p>
<p>The most visible vestige of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation is its undergraduate scholarship program, which currently hosts 125 Jefferson Scholars in residence at the University of Virginia.
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<p>Yes, those other schools you mention offer pretty good merit scholarships, but except for the Robertson Scholarship at UNC/Duke, the others don't offer a program as good and as comprehensive as Jeff Scholars where you have the full cost of attending UVA covered for 4 years + a yearly stipend + special seminars/events & leadership training + a special Jeff Scholar program in Europe during the summer between your 3rd & 4th years.</p>
<p>FWIW, a very large portion of the selection process for Jefferson Scholars is extracurricular involvement - they really seem to look for well-rounded scholars. </p>
<p>Again, I think that the University could really benefit from being more liberal with merit aid for top applicants. Throwing a few thousand at top admits would help to attract better students to UVA and would help make it a more attractive school in the long run.</p>
<p>agreeing with cavalier302 here.</p>
<p>In that regard, I don't disagree w/ Cavalier302 either. Sure, more merit money for more students is always a good thing.</p>
<p>But to say that UVa doesn't offer any merit scholarships is a bit misleading.</p>
<p>Just a bit. Not totally.</p>