<p>My D is out of state. Our situation was different in that our two were overlapping in college her first two years, but I can’t imagine that the overlap would be treated differently for upper level students. I’ve never heard of merit aid coming later, but it may just be because it didn’t happen for us. May I suggest that you give a call to the financial aid office or send an email? I can’t tell you how helpful and informative they’ve been with us. Good luck!</p>
<p>We are from OOS with two sophomores at Delaware (twins) and have received NO merit or financial aid from them. I called the Financial aid office after they both were accepted to no avail.</p>
<p>We also met with fin aid when we went to Accepted Students Day and it was not helpful at all. Actually, the guy there said that there is an opportunity to get merit aid after freshman year if you do really well, but I have learned since then on these boards that that doesn’t really happen.</p>
<p>JBSMOM: Regarding whether merit aid is renewable, yes, as you have found. I believe the GPA cut-off is generally a 3.0 for freshman year and 3.2 thereafter. And, yes, there are students who do not get renewed, even with that relatively low baseline. My D found herself a bit panicked after first semester midterms when she was hovering around 3.0, which she brought up to a 3.3 by semester end (still much lower than the grades she is used to earning — too many honors courses, too little sleep and too much hanging out, I think). I believe scholarships are reviewed yearly, so a dip in first semester may not be lethal as long as the second semester can bring the year’s average up to a 3.0 or higher. 3.0 is also the cut-off for staying in the Honors Program and that IS reviewed after first semester. If they don’t make that, they are out of Honors, and cannot take the required freshman honors courses second semester. They do not leave their housing of course, and I think they can appeal to get back in the grades go back up.</p>
<p>What is “OOS”?</p>
<p>OOS is out of state</p>
<p>You can tell I’m new! Thank you :)</p>
<p>Any specific recommendations regarding meal plans? All these options are driving me dizzy!</p>
<p>My daughter is starting this Fall…</p>
<p>Exact same situation here - similar salary and our D got the same $6K annual award (which is $6K more than any other comparable school:).</p>
<p>wildcatalumni - choose most points, fewest meal block plan. I believe it’s 350 points and 125 meals. Points can be used anywhere on campus, and a point is equal to a dollar. Meals can only be used at dining halls a max of 3 times a day Mon - Fri, and I believe twice a day on weekends. Your daughter will still probably run out of points by semester end, but will most likely have left over meals. Points will carry over from fall to spring semester, while meals will not.</p>
<p>Wildcatalumni:.My DD is on the 15 meal plan with whatever points it comes with and it works out great for her. </p>
<p>You can sign up for a meal plan and change it if necessary after school starts. Just check the deadline for changing it. </p>
<p>PS. I am a wildcat alum also. NU '84. What about you?</p>
<p>Sent from my ADR6300 using CC App</p>
<p>On the meal plans, it really depends on your kid and your finances. Going with more points vs meals might make sense if your student is eating some meals off campus because she is at work, comes home on weekends or tends to skip breakfast, for example. But … the extra points you get on the high point/low meal plans will not cover all the meals “missed” on this plan (do the math - the university makes out very well on those high points plans). Accordingly, if you get a high point/low meal plan and your child actually eats 3 meals each day (at least two on the weekends when many sleep in), you are going to end up giving them more money for food half way through the semester. My D works in the dining hall 4 nights per week and get a “free” meal on each of her shifts, so we went with a high points/lower meal plan this semester. Even with the freebies and carefully budgeting out her points, she is still cutting it pretty close, and we are not in a position to pump extra money in the system to keep her fed. Next year, if she is not working in the dining hall, we will switch back to a low points/high meal plan, because it is ultimately the most affordable. So, I would do the math and really think about what the expenses will look like over the course of the semester, if that is a factor for you. Btw, many students do no know they can pick up a bag lunch or dinner in the dining hall if their schedule keeps them in class or work during a meal shift. All you have to do is sign up for it.</p>
<p>momof2giants - How do you sign up for a bag lunch from the dining hall? I haven’t found anything on the website about it. There are 3 days a week where my S can not make it to a dining hall for lunch, so he’s blowing through his points pretty fast.</p>
<p>I just know the Russell dining hall offers “Express” where you go in, pick what you want, tell them your drink, and they count it as a meal and you take it to-go. You also can take soup, chips, fruit, and cookies.</p>
<p>Bag lunch - The truth is my D has not done this, because it ended up not being necessary. However, I had previously heard it was a possibility, so when we moved her in last fall, I spoke with the manager at Russell (her “local” dining hall). He said a student would just need to speak to a dining hall manager and sign up with his/her name, the days the lunch would be needed and when it would be picked up. There would be a limited choice of sandwich, etc. If I recall correctly, he told me some students would pick it up the night before (presumably because they were going to be gone all day?) and others would pick it up at breakfast. I think its worth a try, for sure. Also, has your student considered having a very early or very late lunch at Kent, which has continuous service and is on central campus? And, yes, Russell does also have express … but my D says it does not open until early lunch time, so it does not work to pick up an express lunch at breakfast. I have the idea some students use the lunch express to pick up a dinner sandwich for later. Hope that helps. Not to be cynical, but I assume these things are not really advertised because they want you to spend as much money for as little food as possible! The same company owns the dining halls as owns the on campus food vendors and mini-marts, so the more points you spend, the more they make!</p>