<p>She has been accepted into a special program of her dreams at an university she loves. There is a competitive scholarship component to the program (with the interview fast approaching). This scholarship could really make a difference for her. Should she accept the offer prior to the interview to show her true desire, or wait until after the interview? (We have been advised that merit scholarships are often used to bring students in that are either on the fence or previously not considering a college or university) </p>
<p>My gut says be open and honest and let her passion shine through. What do you think?</p>
<p>The offer comes with a deadline, correct? If that is the case, she just needs to abide by it. It is, more than anything else, a business decision. The school will approach it as such, and so should she.</p>
<p>S got accepted EA at a school he really liked. He was invited to the potential scholars event for essentially face to face time with those who made the merit scholarship decisions. He did not accept prior to hearing back on the scholarship (he got it and grant money). </p>
<p>This isn’t like Rush, these scholarships are used as inducments because the college wants students of a particular profile to accept and attend. Take advantage of that.</p>
<p>Use the interview as a chance to Close the deal (as in Sales). Something to the effect: ‘I am so honored by the opportunities at college xx, and if I was fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship, I would definately matriculate.’ This does two things: 1) let’s them know that college xx is numero uno; 2) let’s them know that the scholarship won’t go to waste, i.e., she’d accept and improve their yield. </p>
<p>It’s a two-fer and your D is driving the bus at this point.</p>
<p>Having gone through several scholarship interview competitions, my advice would be to BE YOURSELF. So many students come prepared to discuss their resumes, but what is it about the school that you’re interested in? What do you find fascinating about the world? Instead of just talking about what you’ve done, talk about what you want to do. Just because you’ve been successful in high school doesn’t necessarily mean it will spill over to college. They want to recruit someone who will be an asset to the school community and a good fit.</p>
<p>can’t thank you enough. This is very focusing and energizing. 07DAD, I won’t dissappoint you. I promise to spend the time in a coffee shop! D has a difficult time showcasing herself. Your advice has encouraged her.</p>
<p>Let us know how it goes. Tell her to go for it.</p>
<p>BTW–if this is a scholarship component for a special program she’s already e accepted into, having something to say about what she feels she can get out of the special program (and can add to it) is a positive.</p>
<p>This is an interesting conversation and I’ve learned a lot from it.</p>
<p>These insights are great and its amazing and wonderful that parents have shared their knowledge.</p>
<p>But it also makes me feel bad for the many of us, myself included, that do not have savvy parents. I would not know how this works or what strategy to use and neither would my parents. In fact, my mom would probably get all excited and tell me to commit first, to show my undying gratitude for even being asked for an interview. </p>
<p>Again, I think its great that there is a place to find out how to play the college game, and people willing to share, but how many kids out there have no clue? Doesn’t this illustrate how unequal the whole college admissions process is?</p>
<p>icon- that’s exactly why some of us still hang out here: to help people like you. If I have become a “savvy parent,” it is only because I went through this once with our son and I researched everything to death. Not all parents operate this way (and I am sure there were times when our son wished he had a mom who did not). </p>
<p>Whether to accept in advance-- we advised our kids to say the school was their first choice but their parents were insisting they wait to see what all the financial offers were before allowing a final decision. imho that allows her passion about the school to shine through.</p>
<p>Role play the interview until the student is comfortable with the process and has a check list of points she is able to discuss comfortably. One of ours really needed help with this. If there is a questionnaire prior to the interview, make sure the student can intelligently discuss all the answers they gave. The student may not necessarily anticipate logical follow up questions, mainly because they may never have been in such an interview before.</p>
<p>Remember she is being judged the whole time by everyone with whom she comes in contact.</p>
<p>Here’s a different take…D was invited to audition for an arts finalist weekend. She had 2 weeks to prepare her music but was in middle of sports season and didn’t want to let her team down. She emailed the scholarship committee and told them honestly what was going on. Then, other kids from her school started to get acceptances…she heard nothing and thought, as did I, that she blew her chances.<br>
Lo and behold, yesterday, she got accepted. Today, she found out no arts scholarship (no surprise there) but did get a $48K Pres. scholarship!
My advice: don’t put all your cards on the table and keep them guessing!</p>
<p>If your student is interviewing for one of the big scholarships at a school, keep in mind that the college is looking at these candidates as ambassadors for their programs. They want folks who can communicate effectively, be personable and represent the school well. The school wants to hire your kid to help attract others like him/her to apply and matriculate.</p>
<p>Dress neatly, use good table manners, be polite, engage in conversation and aqssume you are always being observed.</p>