<p>D, a non-denominational protestant URM w/3.5GPA & 1100SAT was thrilled to receive her recent acceptance w/$12K Dean's Merit Award. She wants to be a Flyer (BOY, does she ever!). High EFC makes additional aid unlikely, however, and I'm balking at shelling out $12K less than sticker for 4yrs w/o some reassurance of the following:</p>
<p>Dayton graduates URM's at a rate far above the national average
Dayton places students in grad/law school at a rate comfortably above the national average
Dayton experiences relatively low attrition of URM females.
Dayton Community is welcoming & inclusive</p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Well, I’m a first year science major at UD (and not URM unless you count women in science) so I can’t really answer any q’s but the last one. I absolutely LOVE dayton. Everyone here is very friendly and students really reach out to each other. As long as your daughter is socially competent, she shouldn’t have any trouble meeting lots of people and fitting in.
I can also say that, at least in science/math areas, professors are always willing to help a student, and many classes have TA’s (but are not taught by them… they are only there to assist the professor) or Supplemental Instruction leaders, upperclassmen who lead review sessions once a week and really come in handy before tests. I know Dayton’s expensive (hah, I’m paying for it myself!) but I honestly believe that it’s worth it.</p>
<p>I also want to throw in that I got a 10.5k/year scholarship right off the bat, 3k/yr for filling out the FAFSA on time (random, but hey! I’ll take it!) and I was also awarded an academic scholarship grant of ~1k/yr after they sent out all the fin.aid information. It’s also fairly easy to get an on-campus job and make fairly decent money for work that’s not too strenuous. I would definitely keep dayton in mind until all the offers come in.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you and your daughter through the whole process! If you have any questions, let me know and I will answer to the best of my ability.</p>
<p>Sparkles - Can you comment on the $3K/yr FAFSA scholarship and $1K/yr academic scholarship grant? My DD got a $15K scholarship and possibly some money from National Merit Scholarship. I never heard od the two you are referencing. Does everyone get that? That could help us make a final decision.</p>
<p>Sparkles, what a great reply! 
Thanks for taking the time to weigh in on atmosphere. So far, it’s really been the people she’s met that have swayed D toward Dayton. I was a little dubious following our Sunday visit, as the cafeteria had run out of food, and the Communications major table wasn’t sure whether Dayton had a speech & debate team.</p>
<p>Thanks for responding!</p>
<p>on scholarships- the 3k/yr one is called the Adele scholarship, and it was given to anyone who filled out the fafsa on time. I guess they just had some extra money and decided to give it away? I’m not sure if they will do this again next year.
The ~1k/yr one is called “Academic Competitiveness Grant” and when I called to ask about it, I was told that they decided to award them based on high school transcripts. (quick stats: 28 ACT, ~3.64 UW GPA, 50+ hours community service, Tri-M, NHS, heavy involvement in nationally top-ranked show choir and dabbled in theatre) these I would assume would also be awarded this year.</p>
<p>@ SuperMom- When was your visit? If it was recently, we had a pipe freeze, then burst in one of our cafeterias and a shortage of food/workers due to weather. Which dining hall were you eating in? </p>
<p>Also, is your daughter planning a major in Communications? I’m sorry but I also have no idea if we have a speech/debate team… But I would expect the Com. majors to know that.</p>