<p>My daughter has been awared the Jefferson at Uva and yesterday we learned that she was accepted to Yale. She's really torn between the prestigeous scholarship and attending her dream school. Any words of wisdom?</p>
<p>How much will each school cost? Is money an issue for your family?</p>
<p>Money I suppose it always an issue but we will be able to pay for YAle if that's what she chooses.</p>
<p>Congratulations!! Great acceptances. </p>
<p>I would find it hard to decide too. Last year we visited UVa, and I totally flipped over the campus, and our tour guide was the most amazing young man, a Jefferson scholar from CT, and he had picked UVa over Yale. He was most impressive, told us he was so thankful that he had made that choice I don't think you could go wrong if you went either way.</p>
<p>Go visit both places again, do the overnights....
and good luck.</p>
<p>Someone very close to our family is a Freshman at UVA and is a Jefferson Scholar. He turned down Harvard EA for UVA. He is a remarkable guy, and probably one of the most impressive kids I have ever met. He is THRILLED with his decision. His parents were in a financial position to pay for Harvard but he felt that the opportunities at UVA were amazing. Being a Jefferson Scholar is recognized as one of the highest honors as an undergraduate. I promise you, if you or your D are worried that it will open up less opportunities after graduation, you need not worry. Save your $ for Yale, Harvard, or Stanford graduate school!</p>
<p>Thanks for your comments, we're heading to UVa this weekend to take another look and then we'll go to Bulldog days at Yale in a couple of weeks to look at Yale again.</p>
<p>Congratulations to you and your daughter, bjz--these are amazing choices. I'm glad she is visiting both schools again; if she follows her gut instincts about which college she loves more, she truly can't go wrong.</p>
<p>I'd have to agree with oldhag. If your daughter does well at UVa she'll be able to get into almost any grad school she wants. The Jef. scholarship is a free ride! Save the money for grad school</p>
<p>bjz</p>
<p>First off congratulations to you and especially to your daughter.</p>
<p>We were in a very similar position last year as our son was accepted EA at Yale and subsequently was named a Morehead Scholar at UNC. We felt that we had hit the lotto (not because of the financial implications) as I am sure that you do as well because, either way, how could you go wrong? Having Yale in his back pocket actually made his investigation of the Morehead and all that went with it an easier process. It was/is after all a win-win situation.</p>
<p>Yale had been his "dream" school since the ninth grade and to be honest we (parents) were pretty well invested in the thought of him attending there as well. He was the first person in our entire extended family ever to apply, let alone be admitted to an Ivy.</p>
<p>He opted to take the Morehead. He, and I believe 5 others in his Morehead class, turned down Yale last year while others turned down H, P and S among other "elite" schools. I can honestly tell you that our son says he has never regretted his decision, and from what he tells us, his friends all feel the same way. He also likes the fact that he is receiving an incredible education with world travel experiences and will be debt free when he graduates.</p>
<p>I have never seen him so happy in his life. The experiential learning that comes with both the Morehead and Jefferson (which incidentally was patterened after the Morehead) is an incredible plus to their undergraduate experience. It is a well documented and supported fact that grad and professional schools view a Morehead or Jefferson alum in the same light as grads of HYPS and in many cases they even get a bump because of that experiential learning portion of their education and the added maturity that comes with it.</p>
<p>Seeing and hearing about his love of UNC, his "amazing" friends, and overall how happy my son is with his college experience has made it far easier than I ever thought it would be to not have a Yale sticker in the back window of my car. </p>
<p>There is one other factor to weigh in as well;AP credits. I believe that UVA has a very simlar policy to UNC with regard to AP credit. My son was able to bring 40 AP credits with him and is already in upper division classes. He does not have plans to graduate any sooner than four years. This however has made it easier to take classes he wants to take, and he will have ALL his premed requirements completed and be ready for the MCATs after his sophomore year. He is positioning himself for either dual degrees or multiple major/minors. None of this would have happened with Yale's AP policy.</p>
<p>Again, congratulations to your daughter and take comfort in the fact that whatever she decides will be the right decision.</p>
<p>We were in a similar situation last year -- a Regents at UCLA versus Yale and some other prestigous schools. She ended up at Yale. But I can't compare the quality of UCLA with UVa. I do think she's getting a better education than our son at UCLA even though UCLA is a top university. I get your dilemma. I think you need to visit, talk to a lot of people and see what will fit best for your child and your family.</p>
<p>bjz</p>
<p>I forgot to mention something. Have any other students from your area won the Jefferson in the past? We had a previous Morehead winner from my son's school who had turned down Harvard, as well as a girl from a sister school who had turned down Stanford. Both were seniors at UNC and became an invaluable resource for us.</p>
<p>What are her politics? Yale (GWB aside) has a fairly liberal contingent. UVa, less so. She will sense that when she visits. If you can afford it, just let her pick what feels right to her.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your posts. As far as I know, there haven't been any other Jeff scholars in this area. Thank you eadad for yours words of encouragement. I know that she will be happy whichever direction she goes. She's just struggling with walking away from a long held dream that she actually achieved.</p>
<p>They both sound like great options. Bear in mind that at a school like Yale there are also many opportunities to get funding for summer internships, study abroad, and research. The difference is that it is up to the student to be aware of these and to apply for them.</p>
<p>Although Yale may offer opportunities for funding summer travel, the summer experiences that are a part of the Jefferson, Robertson and Morehead are fairly unique as a whole and not just routine summer travel/study programs.</p>
<p>You might talk to the Jefferson folks and ask if there are any people (students alums) your daughter can speak to to offer any additional insight. I can assure you that she is not the first facing a decision like that. One of the things that the selection commitees for both scholarships look at is their ability to attract students that might not necessarily have UVA or UNC as their first and who have been offered acceptance at HYPS etc. This is a way for them to bring a group of outstanding students to their school that they more likely than not would have never attracted and a way for the students to take part in an exceptional educational opportunity.</p>
<p>Although they are different schools and similar but different programs, if your daughter would like to I am sure my son would talk to her via phone, email or IM. He can offer some insight about turning down Yale (also his dream school) and what it's like being on one of these special scholarships. If you are interested you can send me a PM and I'll give you his contact info.</p>
<p>Hi bjz</p>
<p>I hope you don't feel like I am overwhelming you but since we were in virtually the same position you are last year I felt I might be able to offer some insight that others may not have.</p>
<p>I read with interest you comment about "giving up a dream" and wanted to be sure that it was your daughter giving up her dream and not you giving up your dream for her. I can only say this only because it was EXACTLY what was happening with us last year and what we were feeling when we became totally honest with ourselves. We had dreamed of him attending Yale, had sent him to the best prep school in the state and had invested $$$$$ for 14 years of private education. He had lived up to his end and had "grabbed the golden ring" along the way. When he was accepted at Yale in December we already knew he was a Finalist for the Morehead but had to wait until March 3rd to find out whether or not he had won. </p>
<p>Yes there was certainly the element that he had dreamed of attending Yale since the ninth grade and was very invested in the process to be sure. I don't know that I had ever seen him as happy or excited as he was the night he found out online that he had been accepted SCEA to Yale, especially after finding out what a bloodbath that process had been.</p>
<p>Prior to winning the Morehead he played out many "what if scenarios" in his head and sought the advice of many people that he respected. After winning the Morehead I don't honestly know that I have ever seen him so conflicted or with such a range/mix of emotions. On one had he was honored and elated but on the other he was overwhelmed, doing his best (as you and your daughter are I am sure) to weigh the options.</p>
<p>As I said in a previous note, he really had the best of all worlds because having Yale in his back pocket was not bad place to be as he went off to Finalist's weekend</p>
<p>He revisited UNC with us (our first visit) and we spent time talking with existing Moreheads from first years to those about to graduate. We got their honest perpectives, learned about the schools they had turned down in the decision making process, and talked at length with the foundation staff. During that visit, my wife and I finally were able to accept that his taking the Morehead would be a very good choice for him IF he made the decision to do so. The choice was still HIS and HIS ALONE.</p>
<p>We realized that the minute he set foot on campus he would have a built in group of friends/acquaintances that were very much like him. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, he would have the Foundation's staff of professionals there for him 24/7 mentoring, guiding, and VERY INVESTED in his future. Neither of these would be the case at Yale. Once I was able to objectively process things and we had a chance to fully consider what all those "benefits" of the Morehead really were, we were finally at peace with things. My wife actually said to me " I can get over not having a Yale sticker in the back window of my car."</p>
<p>The group of Jefferson winners that your daughter is a part of have very strong credentials to be sure; of the 39, the avg SAT is 1512, 18 with at least one 800, 30 members of NHS or Cum Laude and 33 with NMS recognition. This group can certainly attend school most anywhere they might choose which is exactly what the Jefferson is all about; attracting those students with exceptional promise of leadership, scholarship and strong ethics to UVA.</p>
<p>One of things that most nominating schools ask upfront is: would you be willing to accept it and attend, if we nominate you? Did your daughter's school have this discussion with her. Having a student win the Jefferson, Robertson or Morehead is a BIG deal for schools and while they may not be outspoken about it, they certainly don't like having their nominees decline if given the opportunity.</p>
<p>I hope this little extra information helps and that you understand that you are certainly not alone in decisions such as this. We were so thankful that this was the decision we were faced with and not the one that so many others were facing; having to decide on a "safety" or "fall back" school after having dreams taken away. Again , congratulations and best wishes.</p>