DUMBFOUNDED!!!!!!!! OVER USC MERIT SCHOLARSHIP CANDIDATES

Paying for College
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<p>Hi Cpt, I think you are missing the point here—it isn’t that the OP has a right to vent. I certainly don’t blame the OP for her confusion, I just believe that bringing her daughter’s friend into direct comparison with her daughter, posting all their stats, and suggesting that her daughter is the more worthy candidate is both offensive and pointless. I am not at all suggesting that we need to “stifle” these feelings, but there are more tasteful ways of expressing them.</p>

<p>If the OP is so offended by USC’s selection process that she feels the need to belittle a scholarship recipient’s accomplishments, she can take it up with USC. Venting is perfectly acceptable until someone starts going into detail about how her daughter is better than someone else’s. All these kids are young and only want to find their way. It’s great that OP’s daughter is so accomplished, but her daughter’s friend is also a high-achiever. Chalking up her merit scholarship to her URM status or chronic illness is really, really grasping for straws. </p>

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<p>The moderators of this board make the decision as to whether a vent or whatever is inappropriate. Not I, not you, not others. Don’t think it’s appropriate, then skip it after letting the board know that you think the content is not appropriate. Too much on this forum that goes that way it’s not for you. Entire sections have been removed because things just got too hot. </p>

<p>The post to me is a perfect, perfect example of what often happens during the college process. Shows it as clearly as I’ve ever seen it. My son was dating a young woman who was top of her class, their senior year Not only that her numbers and resume were truly way up there Did not get into the ivies she applied to, got into BC, no scholarship. Yes, her parents were dumbfounded and did call up BC, talk to the highschool, asking who the heck would get those awards if not her? Not easy to “beat” her package. And an answer they did get. </p>

<p>It’s even more maddening when you know kids for a very long time, and maybe even have become privvy to personal info and helped fill out the apps, and you know that your own kid is absolutely heads and shoulders above the kid in just about every way a college measures the students, and, that other kid gets a merit award and an early accept and your kid gets…wait till spring. Um. Yes, you feel gob smacked and dumbfounded and maybe you want some explanations.</p>

<p>My son knows that he is one of the top students at his school He cannot take a more difficult curriculum there and his counselor has told him all of this. He knows his test scores. He also knows that given all of that, applying to HPY is a waste of an app as every single kid he knows who is even close to his numbers in the years that the school has tracked this info, has been rejected, wtihout a special consideration, hook or whatever. But then he sees certain other coded hooks that are getting accepted way below his stats with NO other special hook then URM. That does surprise him that there is such a gap. He’s with two of these guys right now, known them since he was 7, 8 years old, maybe young, and though neither of them are in the top 10% of the class, are NOT taking the most rigorous courses, have NO special hooks that will give them a code–and yes, I know the families all of these years too, the schools that are good reaches for them, and I’ll lay money down that they’ll get into some of those schools, are high reaches for my son. I won’t bet more than the app fees on his getting in there, and frankly, if he makes one of them, it’ll be an amazing thing. But, I knew all of this up front many years ago , and even had a part in this happening. But danged if I’m going to ride someone who did not know this and is so shocked. </p>

<p>Yes, sometimes there is that little hidden something that puts the app over, though I’ve yet to really see it with the top schools. I have a leukemia survivor, and if he had been a candidate that everyone thought was good for HPY, that fact might have given him the tip for that pool By if he weren’t in that circle already, nope. And believe me, as a mom of a cancer survivor, I’m in that special club and know exactly what goodies and nasties that it entails. I belong to a group and help kids who are survivors of these things apply to college. That ain’t gonna be more than a tip. </p>

<p>So, yes, the OP was dumbfounded, and hopefully others who would be dumbfounded would read this and not be so dumbfounded when it happens in their own circles.</p>

<p>I’m not going to lie to you. It hurts me a little too, the way it works, but it hurts a lot more people and society as a whole if it didn’t work the way it is. In time, hopefully it won’t work this way. But not there yet.</p>

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<p>Still missing the point.</p>

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<p>Wow - interesting commentary, as I have not viewed this thread in months – pretty much since I first posted. I’m not up on the CC lingo, so I am guessing OP is original poster … which is me.</p>

<p>@peopleperson … in my opinion, just because someone doesn’t agree with your viewpoint or rationale, does not mean they “don’t get the point.” And, puhhhlease, spare me the soap box implication about “comparisons” … a) who hasn’t at some point compared themselves, their spouses, their accomplishments, etc to that of others? If you haven’t / don’t you are in the vast minority. As a general rule, I know I don’t either, but I am human alas - and, b) At the time I originally posted, the matter was fresh. Somewhat naively, I was under the impression that a merit scholarship was based on merit… on objective criteria !? Go figure! so, c) If you don’t understand that I, or anyone can be simultaneous happy for someone else (eg. my dtrs friend) while still questioning the process, (the data points utilized for assigning MERIT BASED scholarship money), then I cannot persuade you otherwise. Maybe I’m unique, but the two emotions are not mutually exclusive for me. If you believe otherwise, that is your perogative. Ultimately, I know my heart - and your judgement of me, or of my intentions is just that … your perception based on a blog post… all is fair in love and blogging! haha</p>

<p>My daughter was accepted to USC, sans “merit” money … and got into many fantastic schools … the one she ultimately selected was WITH a sizable merit scholarship based on a multi-tiered competition format, for which she recieved top honors. I cannot deny, that personally it was an amazing feeling albeit a stressful and demanding process for my daughter. In addition to the monetary reward, the scholarship she was awarded comes with a multitude of priceless perks, not the least of which was a internship offer in her field of choice through a professional she met within the scholarship selection process. She couldn’t be more excited to be entering a school that was one of her top choices with the knowledge they wanted her, as much as she wanted them!</p>

<p>Ultimately, even if she had gotten USC merit $, she would not have gone … I guess everything really does works out for a reason - I know for a fact my daughter is beyond excited and eager to sew back into the University she will be attending in the fall with humble gratitude for their confidence in her and the potential the see in her. </p>

<p>So to future viewers of this … disappointments are not the end of the road, perhaps they are merely luminarie beacons guiding you to your destined path. Ultimately, it really is what you make of the opportunities you have, and the charachter you build from challenges you face that really matter!</p>

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<p>I am truly happy for your daughter—I’m glad she’s found her place. I also hope her friend is happy :)</p>

<p>Comparisons are comparisons, but I believe your posting stats and suggesting that your daughter’s friend got the scholarship because of her URM status or her chronic illness was unseemly. For all you know, she could have written fantastic essays or had a wonderful interview (as all scholarship finalists are invited to one).</p>

<p>Anyway, congratulations to your daughter, and I very much agree with you that what you do with your opportunities and resources is what ultimately matters. I wish her the best of luck in her education and internships. </p>

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<p>I’M SICK OF TIRED OF THE IT’S EASIER FOR URM COMMENTS</p>

<p>If it’s so easy then why am I no going to Stanford.(Computer science). These are real life stats.</p>

<p>Hispanic
3.9 UW (All honors 6 AP’s with advanced math & science) Really 4.0since B’s were in Freshman year.
2270 one time SAT
1540 CR&M (I wrote a succinct answer to the essay, I guess it hurt)
800 Math II
770 Chemistry (I guess I should have studed)
Good essay, well written, but no real story to tell.
Very good Rec’s
Solid Ec"s Varity Sports, Leaderships, Voluntering, Blah, Blah</p>

<p>Not being paranoid. I know computer science, as is with most STEM, is an international competition. I was competing against the world and came up short, So what? I was disappointed for a couple of hours and moved on. I know that the real competition won’t start until after college. </p>

<p>Being grateful, I will gladly take my USC Presidential/NMF scholarship. Did I forget to mention that I am a National Merit Finalist. </p>

<p>Being Lucky, I have parents who can pay the remaining tuition. BTW, rich parents are the ultimate preference, aren’t they?</p>

<p>Enough already with the allegation and innuendo. Listen to those who know. </p>

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<p>No one says it’s EASIER for ALL URM applicants. Some one with URM status at those schools who are looking to have and keep a diverse community will have better ODD in getting accepted at such a school than a like candidate without that status, and also several levels under that cluster point where unhooked applicants will start having a chance of getting accepted. Also, ALL URM students at highly selective universities do not have academic stats below those cluster point. </p>

<p>This is a very tiny niche, by the way. On the WHOLE, it is much more difficult for those who are AA and hispanic to get a college education. The disparity is alarming. The tiny niche, however, is what this forum tends to revolve around. </p>

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<p><<<
If it’s so easy then why am I no going to Stanford.(Computer science). These are real life stats.</p>

<p>Hispanic
3.9 UW (All honors 6 AP’s with advanced math & science) Really 4.0since B’s were in Freshman year.
2270 one time SAT
1540 CR&M (I wrote a succinct answer to the essay, I guess it hurt)
800 Math II
770 Chemistry (I guess I should have studed)
Good essay, well written, but no real story to tell.
<<<</p>

<p>Stanford is in Calif and may already have a good number of Hispanic students, so while you are a URM (and rather affluent), you may not be so “in demand” for Stanford. </p>

<p>edit…just looked it up…Stanford has 17% Hispanics, plus 11% two races (likely some/many are Hispanic), so it looks like Hispanics arent really under-represented there. At another top private, you may have gotten a nudge. That said, no one is saying that a nudge is 100% for undergrad when there are more applicants than seats.</p>

<p>where were you accepted?</p>

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<p>It appears that “merit” is in the eyes of the beholder, and the beholder is the college. If it’s meritorious to give “merit” money to candidates they feel will enhance their incoming class (to say nothing of their ratings stats), that’s what they will do.</p>

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<p>CPT said " On one hand, I think it is important that people are aware of what the situation is, and how drastic it is But…it really causes ill feelings. My son goes to a school with a sizeable URM population. He’s in the upper 5% of his class, and he can see clearly from the charts that he doesn’t have a chance to get into HPY, or any single digit accept school Chances are very slim for him even at the next two levels of selectivity. But some of his friends, his teammates, his classmates who are URMs are good candidates with far lower numbers overall"</p>

<p>In my very diverse neck of the wood, there has been NO URM who have been accepted into HPY, Cornell, Columbia, UPENN, Dartmouth, Brown, Northwestern, Duke et al or any other selective schools that were not in the top 5% of that class.</p>

<p>You stated that your son is in the upper 5%, but did not state the % the URMs are at. These schools are definitely not going to the GPA percentage bar to get a URM that is way below the pole. Why? Because there are many out there with the SATs/ACTs/ High GPA/ Class Rank where they can fill their spot from an academic perspective.</p>

<p>You have been around long enough on these boards to observe that selective colleges are choosing students who are a fit for their classes for that “specific year” if they see there are 3 kids from that school who meet those criteria then they will take those three. If your son is not what they are looking for,then some other schools might be.</p>

<p>Moving on to the Orignal Post of this thread; When it comes to college admission, parents need to be reminded that we are not the ones allocating these seats to these kids. As such, they are NOT ENTITLED to an acceptance. We may not like the outcome, but we need to exemplify a manner of hugging our kids and telling them to let’s move on for bigger and better things. Those acts will be imprinted in them and are acts to be emulated.</p>

<p>Would you like to be remembered/referred to in a public reading by your kid saying " When I did not get accepted to ABC school, my mom went on a board to vent and comparedmy stats with my best friend’s stats and questioned why I did not get accepted, but my URM friend did" or would it be a better Eulogy when she reads. “When I did not get into ABC, school, my mom hugged ,e and said lets move on and wait for bigger and better things”. I am sure as a person listening I would rather hear the latter.</p>

<p>I am really astonished as to how much detailed academic information some parents know about their kids friends. Is that where the competiive level is at these days? Do we not chat about current event, tv shows and remember when stories with our kids anymore? </p>

<p>BTW- Samram, I think you got it… Go knock them out at USC!</p>

<p>Ok, off my soapbox now.</p>

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<p>@samram, just know my S would have been SO happy to get into USC (CS), even without a merit scholarship, even as an undeclared, even as a spring admit. It was his first choice. Alas, he got the slim envelope and is going elsewhere. Hope it works out for you! We wish you the best - fight on!</p>

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<p>@oldmom4896‌ has it right.
I’ve been following this thread for a while now. @ccon66‌, by ranting and sarcastically suggesting that the USC scholarships aren’t merit awards, you are degrading those who received them. Merit scholarships are for those who the college feels would benefit them, and are indeed in the eyes of the beholder.</p>

<p>Congratulations to your daughter for finding her school!</p>

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<p>FWIW, when my daughter attended USC Explore for her Presidential scholarship interview (she was awarded but she’s going elsewhere), USC said that the average SAT for invitees was about 2250. I think for Trustees, it’s near/at 2300 level.</p>

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<p>For the Trustee weekend the average ACT was 35 and the average SAT was a 2320.</p>

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<p>The OP can post all the protestations she wishes that she was simply wondering about the merit scholarship process at USC, but one glance at the insulting title of this thread

belies her words. In all caps and with eight exclamation marks, she shouts to the world that she is DUMBFOUNDED!!! at the selection of my child, for example, as a candidate for USC’s top merit awards. Please note that she used a plural on candidates, so her title insult is clearly not aimed at an individual “friend” of her daughter’s but at at all of the amazing young people selected to interview for these selective scholarships (some of whom have posted on this thread). I know that seeing that awful title over and over on this forum feels like an ongoing personal insult to my child.</p>

<p>At no time has USC suggested that candidates for their top scholarships would be ranked by their “numbers,” nor have they posted any cut-offs. In several years on the USC forum, I have seen candidates who’s "numbers’ would leave the OP DUMBFOUNDED!!! and who have been subjected to insults such as in the title of this thread (almost always by parents of students not selected to interview). I am very lucky to have received private messages from many of those students where they confide some of the details of their journey to USC, and the reasons for their selection become abundantly clear.</p>

<p>It is wonderful to hear, as many of us on this thread predicted, that the OP’s daughter had so many wonderful opportunities from which to choose. I sincerely hope that the parents of her friends are not talking to one another about how they are DUMBFOUNDED!!! at her selection for the wonderful awards for which she is certainly qualified, just as her friend was certainly qualified to be a candidate for USC’s awards.</p>