Binding Scholarship?

<p>today i got a letter from college of engineering telling me that they were offering me $20,000 a year for four years. it's called the engineering scholarship of honors. what concerned me was that it said i had to respond by february 20, 2006 "to indicate your acceptance of this scholarship". my question is if i accept this does that mean i have to go to michigan? i'm waiting on my end of mar-april schools (many ivies, etc). thanks for all your help.</p>

<p>Ask for an extension. They ought to extend you that courtesy. And then as soon as you make up your mind, let them know.</p>

<p>I got the same letter today and was wondering the same thing. Feb 20 is sooo soon.</p>

<p>Anybody who turns down a $20,000 scholarship from Michigan is crazy...unless you come from a lower income family and are expecting a large need-based scholarship from private schools...or unless your parents are very well off and can afford the $100,000 difference between Michigan and privates who do not offer merit aid.</p>

<p>I'd like to add that if Engineering gives you any fuss over an extension, your next move should be to call the Office of Financial Aid. Ask them if there is an institutional policy on "deadlines" for scholarships. OFA doesn't award the Engineering scholarships, but I know FOR A FACT that OFA has griped about other institutions giving students 'deadlines' like this. We don't need to be giving inflexible ones to our own admittees. </p>

<p>As I understand it, any school which gives a scholarship can't hold you to a reply date before May 1. They may WANT an earlier one (for obvious reasons--they want to know if they should offer to someone else, while they still have a chance to appeal to that person), but if you need more time, they should be willing to extend it to you.</p>

<p>it's not so much that i don't want 20,000 from michigan. obviously that is a very enormous reward. but i also don't want to already be locked up with no freedom. i want to hear back from my schools in april.</p>

<p>There's a thread on this site about scholarship deadlines. Essentially you request an extension to May 1 and they have to give it to you.
I think it's in the Parent's forum</p>

<p>linkin06- I called today because I had the same problem. They just ask you why you want an extension and to what date. It was all pretty easy. </p>

<p>PS- I was SOOOOOOOOOOO surprised when I got the mail the other day and saw a scholarship from UM. Not expected at all.</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=135423%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=135423&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>just wondering, what are you doing up at 2:28 in the morning wolves</p>

<p>I had finals this week, and needed a break from studying, although I typically go to bed at 2 on weekdays anyways. 4 on weekends, cause i'm out with friends.</p>