<p>So when CV scholarship notifications came out I said I had a story to tell... now that I've received admissions decisions and put down a deposit I figured I'll tell my story (I imagine others dealt with this same situation) for future applicants.</p>
<p>I applied to Vanderbilt for fall of 2012. It had been one of my dream schools for quite a few years and was my second choice. I knew my family would not qualify for financial aid and so merit aid was a major factor in my decision making (I only applied to georgetown, my first choice, to see if I could get in knowing that fin ad wouldn't work out). I applied for the CV scholarship, knowing that it was really my only shot at going to my dream school. I waited anxiously for decisions to come out, knowing that there was a very very small chance that I would receive the scholarship but fully intending to put down a deposit immediately if I were to receive the scholarship.</p>
<p>Email notifications came out on a friday afternoon and I stayed faithfully by my computer all night, waiting to hear my fate. Nothing ever came. I waited anxiously all weekend. Still no word. I called the financial aid & scholarship office on monday afternoon to find out when I could expect to hear about the scholarship. The office said that I should have already heard and asked for my name. After checking their database, the office reported back that they did not have my application on file. They said that as far as they were concerned, I had not applied for the scholarship. I found my application receipt in my email and forwarded it to them. They told me that they would get back to me as soon as possible. The staff was extraordinarily rude to me throughout this entire exchange.</p>
<p>The next day I received a phone call from the director of scholarships and financial aid. He reassured me that my file had in fact been reviewed and that I had not been selected. He offered no explanation as to why I had been told the day before that my file had not been reviewed. Later that day I received the official</p>
<p>rejection email, 5 days after my peers. </p>
<p>The next day, my parents contacted my guidance counselor who got into contact with my regional admissions counselor. He reviewed my file and said that all of the notes he had made on my file were extraordinarily positive and I was exactly the kind of applicant they were interested in. He apologized for any issues and assured my family that vandy is generous with financial aid. I was left to conclude that my scholarship application had been lost and never reviewed by a scholarship committee.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, one of my best friends received notification that she had been awarded the CV scholarship for the Blair school. She had not applied for this scholarship after reviewing the requirements and deciding that she stood no chance to be selected.</p>
<p>I ended up being admitted to vanderbilt but only received about 1,500 in financial aid, eliminating it as a feasible option. I was admitted to every school I applied to and received substantial merit scholarships from many of the schools including a generous package from equally ranked Rice University. I will be attending Southern Methodist University in the fall as a President’s Scholar (covers tuition, room, board, fees, and international travel) and I am extremely happy with the way things worked out. However, I urge caution upon anyone applying to vanderbilt in the future and encourage the admissions and financial aid & scholarships office to be more transparent about these kinds of issues.</p>
<p>Consider that you may not have received the CV scholarship whether or not your application went through.</p>
<p>And i believe your friend has misled you. As far as I know, the CV scholarship is only awarded to people who apply. I can’t imagine why they would make an exception unless your friend is an absolutely incredible musician, and even then, it’s very unlikely. </p>
<p>But anyways, it’s unfortunate that your application may have been missed. First time I’ve ever heard of this happening so it certainly isn’t common. I don’t think this case warrants any “caution” or more “transparency”… </p>
<p>Congrats on your other scholarships. I’m a bit surprised you didn’t take Rice’s offer over SMU. Best of luck!</p>
<p>The CV may only be awarded to those who apply. Your friend did not receive the CV without applying. The CV is given to so few that a slip-up such as the one that you describe is virtually impossible. </p>
<p>There’s no need to be “cautious” about applying for any scholarship at Vanderbilt. Mistakes are part of life. Three schools that I was very interested in screwed up my applications in some way during last year’s application season, ultimately resulting in a delayed decision in each case. Two of my friends had their applications mishandled at dream schools. I assure you, situations such as yours are not uncommon. They are unfortunate, but they are not cause to patronize.</p>
<p>My friend did not apply for the scholarship. I had asked her several times leading up to the time in which the decisions came out whether or not she applied and the answer was always no. After receiving the scholarship she was entirely baffled, knowing that she had not applied, and searched her email for the aforementioned application receipt to confirm her convictions that she had not applied. She never found the receipt. The only sense we can make of her situation is that the music department told admissions that they wanted her and to do whatever it took to get her. Although I’m happy for her and that this scholarship is giving her the opportunity to attend her dream school, it doesn’t seem quite right that a student who did not apply for the scholarship received the scholarship while students who applied for the scholarship were not only not considered for the scholarship by some mistake but also treated very rudely throughout the process.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt has PLENTY of private scholarships they could have offered her. Blair in particular has a number of music scholarships to entice potential candidates. I really think there’s some confusion here, as much as you want to believe she didn’t apply. If Blair wants a musician, they have plenty of incentives available to offer them without “taking” a CV scholarship. Besides, the intention of the CV scholarship is to lure high achieving students from top 10 schools. Musicians don’t really fit the bill, as they have priorities in college selection outside of academics.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that you do NOT know that your scholarship was not considered. The director of scholarships told you point blank that it was considered. The actual application may have been reviewed and there was just some issue in the database. Also keep in mind that you were likely the only person who was left out of the database- “student,” not “students.” It is very unfortunate that you were treated rudely. However, you can chalk that up to the one/two employee(s) you spoke two who have likely handled hundreds of phone calls in the past few weeks, not to the entire University.</p>
<p>I agree with Pancaked. I do have a friend who received a substantial scholarship from the Blair School of Music which covered full tuition based on their audition and other factors. unodosytracy, I’m sorry that you didn’t receive a Vanderbilt scholarship but sometimes that’s what happens with these top schools - some of them will give you a substantial scholarship while others mysteriously offer you very little. I received a Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship but nothing at all from Rice University, so that’s just how the cookie crumbles. I’m sure that you’ll do well at SMU though, and I wish you luck in college!</p>