Hi, if anyone can estimate my eligibility for the SMU presidential scholarship my info is down below.
Female
18 years old
Syrian immigrant
4.0 GPA
top 10% of my class
Upwards of 100 service hours
VP of debate club
Volunteered for multiple summers in refugee camps in Syria
Future prospects: international law
Taken 4 years of French+native in Arabic
have about 21 Pre-AP and AP classes (no honors offered at my high school)
SAT at 1400 but that was the first time I took it end of sophomore year with no previous studying and then Corona happened + SMU test optional this year
I have a really good teacher recs
would qualify for need based assistance
and turned in two essays both of which have been looked over by my teachers
This is making me super nervous because SMU is my dream school but there is no way I can afford it.
Presidential Scholarship is a combination of very strong academics and leadership. They want these students to be change agents on campus. Emphasize how you led things or were recognized by others as a change agent.
It helps if you are eligible for financial aid as this helps them with the cost. If you are a full pay student with no aid eligibility then it’s a negative for this scholarship because they would rather you pay full or half cost.
That being said, there are better schools out there in Texas with easy merit money (UTD) or generous financial aid (Rice).
Not true. SMU is “need blind,” and there are students who have gotten the scholarship without financial need. The scholarship is 100% paid for by donors, and therefore, regardless, SMU is getting the money. They don’t look at your finances; they only look at you and your qualifications!