Does anyone have an idea how these awards are determined? I understand that one students from each Jesuit HS is selected, but what is the basis for determination? Do the HSs get involved in making a recommendation? And what happens if the selected student opts for a different college? Is the award then offered to another student at that high school?
I have a son who received one of these awards a few years ago. The decision at that time was made solely by Marquette. In his case and in other years, (at least at his high school,) it didn’t necessarily go to the “obvious” choice…the kid with the highest grades, most service, etc. I’m not saying my son wasn’t deserving – he was. But I’ve heard of years where the winner announcement left some people scratching their heads. I believe Marquette also names at least one or two alternates if the person who gets the scholarship turns it down. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t go to waste!
In my son’s case it’s been offered according to GPA. My son is next on the list and the kid right above him still hasn’t answer. They kindly provided an extension on the May 1st deadline to those kids with a chance for it
My son was a NMF, honors student, excellent grades and test scores. He even visited the school, from halfway across the country. He really did want to go to Marquette, and the half tuition was the best we could hope for. To our disappointment, it was offered to a boy from a wealthy family, poor grades, but an athlete. Since our son planned to attend grad school, he decided against Marquette, to not acquire such a large amount of undergrad debt. He got the Ignatius award of a whole 10K/year. Needless to say, we could not afford to send him to Marquette.