Anyone else in for the BA/BM program?
I am an international so maybe that is why I got the scholarship package sooner (Lawrence International Student Scholarship)
My D is in! It said she got “a scholarship” with details to come in a few weeks (?). Interesting you got info already, @hosh150614. And congratulations!
Congratulations to all of you. In general, we thought Lawrence was very generous!
The “few weeks” went fast! My D got $28K which we are super happy with. No mention of the music scholarship for non-majors that she auditioned for. I guess that would be later, because there are still audition dates coming up.
Yay! We were also very pleased to find out this evening as well! $25,500 for my daughter! Definitely puts the school in our price range. Anyone else here have a kid NOT in the music program? Mine is looking to major in either math or physics.
We are also at $25.5K. About what we expected…but, we were really hoping to be under the $30K/year mark. D18 will be auditioning for a Theatre Scholarship as well, so maybe we will get there. Either way, I’m guessing she is now a Lawrentian!! I’m one proud mama!
Do any of you know if Lawrence has additional scholarships returning students can apply for? Over the last 5 years, tuition has gone up about $1500/year. With my D doing the 5 year program there is a big difference between year one and year 5. Wonder if Lawrence offers small scholarships to help students maintain out of pocket costs.
@ChristiGabi My daughter is planning to major in biology, but she’d like to participate in music as a non-major. She’s trying for the ensemble award at least partly to find out whether she could seriously expect to be able to participate in music from outside the Con.
Mine ended up with the 28K merit scholarship. She got the notice today. Early Christmas gift. Nice timing. She is interested in physics program but is also a cellist. Did not apply to conservatory but plays at that level and hopes to partake in orchestra and lessons.
@Veryapparent Is your daughter considering attending the Physics Weekend in February? Mine would like to, especially since we’ve never been to the campus. My understanding is that Lawrence has a very good physics program, but I don’t really know a great deal about it yet. We are now working on scheduling flights and hotels to come visit both Beloit and Lawrence. For those of you who are already familiar with campus, I would love to hear your thoughts. What prospective students liked or didn’t like, what the parents liked or didn’t like. Also, any specific recommendations on things or places to check out (on campus or in Appleton), as well as hotel recommendations near campus. Wisconsin in February - brrrr, that’s going to be cold!
My D is a senior at Lawrence this year and has thrived there! She has received a remarkable education and wonderful opportunities.
Copper Leaf hotel is in the downtown area and walkable to Lawrence so that is a nice place to stay. We also often stay at the Cambria Suites hotel which is north of town and not walkable to campus. It’s nice because it’s very quiet and is situated on the bike/running trail that runs around Appleton which my H always likes to use while we are there. I recommend calling the hotels to make reservations as most have a Lawrence discount. Once your child enrolls if you are going to visit anytime in the fall take note if there will be a Packers game that weekend as the opposing team stays in Appleton and it can take advance planning to get a reservation.
There are so many great restaurants around Appleton. I highly recommend SAP for brunch/ breakfast, has one of the consistently best brunches I have ever had anywhere. Get there early if you go on a weekend to minimize the wait. If you will have a car while you are there, Seth’s in Little Chute is a great coffee shop with yummy breakfast sandwiches and pastries. Fun place to hang out for a bit. Tempest coffee collective over the bridge in a little shopping area near the football field is also fun and has a nice view of the river.
For dinner our favorites are Antojitos- refined mexican, Houdini’s escape gastropub, Carmellas (same owners as SAP) and Katsui (Japanese). My H always likes to make a trip to Simple Simon, a local bakery. We have also had various treats sent from Simple Simon to my D around exam time as they deliver and are remarkably friendly and inexpensive.
I recommend checking out the calendar of events and attending an event in the conservatory while you are there.
Congrats to all! Let me know if I can answer any other questions and I hope all your children have as great an experience at Lawrence as my D has had!
@ChristiGabi
Yes she has applied for it. Have not heard back yet. Mine also has never been to campus. Its a little hard to get to from our location and if her cello comes along its another plane ticket. Would you be going as well? I wasn’t sure if this was a solo thing for student or not?
What instrument does she play?
Just chiming back in. Appleton is very vibrant and worth a visit. We usually stay at the Raddison (walking distance to campus)…there are lots of coffee shops, restaurants and fun bars. Also, one thing to know is that the city is known for the performing arts, outside of Lawrence. There is a string of Broadway shows that come through on route to Chicago. Our daughter just saw “Waitress” for 25.00 (discount student ticket). During the admission process, our daughter went on her own to visit and then my husband attended admit day with her. I think the visit sold it. It is chilly in the winter, but the kids don’t seem to mind it.
@Veryapparent Yes, if she attends the Physics Weekend, I’ll go too since I’ve never seen campus either. Of course, she’ll be doing her thing and staying in the dorms, but I’ll get to explore campus and town on my own. She doesn’t play an instrument, but likes that the school has such a musical environment. She appreciates music, just doesn’t participate. 
@ 3gigglinggirls :
My d. is completing her 5th year this year. It is the norm for colleges to raise costs a bit each year so you should be prepared for that anywhere. However, one of the things I appreciated about Lawrence is that her merit scholarship was automatically renewable for all the years she was there. You may find that at some schools, there is a GPA requirement that can be an issue for even the most academically confident students. Lawrence students tend to be “multi-interested” and this flexibility encourages them to take classes outside their comfort zone. When my daughter was accepted to other five year dual degree programs, we found that there were sometimes hidden costs or that merit award was only for four years; I distinctly recall one university calling the fifth year the “victory lap” and you were on your own. So, my best advice would be to try to calculate the costs over the five years and compare apples to apples. For example, you may have another child in college during those five years and be in the running for more need based aid. In our experience, our daughter had some work study opportunities and those, on top of merit, made it work. Please feel free to pick my brain because we are very happy with the experience she has had at Lawrence.
@clarinetmom Thanks for your input. Is your daughter doing a dual degree with Lawrence? Mine is interested in their combined master’s degree with University of Rochester in physics.
@clarinet13mom I love hearing about students who are thriving at LU. It eases my mind. I really think it will be a great place for my D. It just felt right. Sending her off…11 hour drive from home is daunting.
I’m assuming your D is doing BM/BA. Could you tell me about the first year? I’m struggling to find information about what classes they take first. I know Freshman Studies is the first two terms, but what else? Is it all music during first year?
Also, I’d love opinions about dorms. I’m sure any of them would be fine, but inside info is always great!
DD received her EA acceptance letter last night. Yay! I was expecting we wouldn’t hear about merit aid until later, but that was included in the letter. Lawrence is high on her list, but she wants to wait until she has scholarship information from all of the schools, which won’t be until late March. Ugh. Seems like a long time to wait!
We received the EA 2 letter as well, and are over the moon excited. Kid1 and I decided to tour at the same time the theater scholarship audition was scheduled in mid-february, we can’t wait for the trip. Of course, it will be February, so we’ll be there at the most challenging of weather. We’re driving, hoping it does not snow heavily.