<p>twinmom - congrats - I know the feeling - it is a great program and a great opportunity - but it has to be the best fit. Daughter was in the same situation but turned down Emory Scholars and is in a Scholars program at WashU which she felt was a much better fit for her. She is now a sophomore and feels it is the best decision she made. Both are great schools - but in your heart you know which is the best fit for you. You probably can't go wrong with either program.</p>
<p>Wow, ST2, congrats to you too!</p>
<p>twinmom, if you don't mind my asking, were finances not an issue, or did you think it was worth the significant financial burden to send your daughter to Harvard, Yale, or Stanford?</p>
<p>To twinmom and ST2 - can you clarify for me - is it correct that you must apply for Emory Scholar in order to be considered for any merit aid from Emory? I don't think my S has the stats to be a scholar finalist, but his understanding is the application is the only route to any merit consideration.
Also, would either of you be willing to share your student's profiles?
Thanks for your comments.</p>
<p>Does anyone have Emory Scholars essay suggestions?</p>
<p>orjr,</p>
<p>For the most part, merit scholarships offered by Emory go through the Emory Scholars Program, which requires nomination by the student's high school and submission of both an Emory's admissions application and the Emory Scholars Program application by the deadline date of Nov. 1. There are additional scholarship opportunities, but they are very specific and equally competitive and restricted in their audiences, e.g., Barkley Debate scholarships, Music scholarships and Martin Luther King, Jr. scholarships.</p>
<p>Here is a link to additional Emory Merit Scholarship information:
<a href="http://www.emory.edu/ADMISSIONS/admission-aid/merit.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.emory.edu/ADMISSIONS/admission-aid/merit.htm</a></p>
<p>By and large, most finalists are top students whose SAT scores are in the 1500 (old Math/Reading) / 2250 (New test) and above range, with equally high GPA's. For that matter, most of the semi-finalists are in the same category, so that is somewhat indicative of the competitive nature of the program. If you do a SEARCH of the forums, you'll probably be able to find some typical profiles of ESP finalists.</p>
<p>NorCalDad - thank you for your response. I understand the competitive nature of ESP - and that's where my question comes from. My S is not in that stratospheric stat land, so he wondered if he should even apply to ESP, but MY undestanding was that ESP is REQUIRED in order to be considered for other merit based aid that may be given to kids not chosen for the ESP program. I think - from all these responses - that I have that part right?</p>
<p>
[quote]
. My S is not in that stratospheric stat land, so he wondered if he should even apply to ESP, but MY undestanding was that ESP is REQUIRED in order to be considered for other merit based aid that may be given to kids not chosen for the ESP program.
[/quote]
orjr,</p>
<p>Yes, application to the Emory Scholars Program (along with the Emory admissions application) is needed to be considered for the majority of merit scholarships awarded by Emory. Again, consideration for some scholarships are outside of ESP and do not require nomination; however, those are limited, as I mentioned above. A very few discretionary liberal arts scholarships are offered to some ESP semifinalists who were not invited to the finalists event at Emory. It does appear that recipients of any merit scholarship have exceptionally high GPA and/or SAT test scores.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, contending for any merit scholarship is going to be met with a great deal of competition. The general caliber of Emory Scholars is very high many will have turned down the most elite schools in the country (e.g., Harvard, Yale, et. al.) to take advantage of the generous merit award. Some might suggest that its a form of legalized bribery, but theres no doubt that Emory is wanting to compete for these students by offering a compelling financial incentive. With a potential 4-year value of $180,000, it is worth thinking about seriously.</p>
<p>One other thing, orjr, is that the aggregate of any need-based financial aid and merit-based awards offered institutionally through Emory will not exceed 100% of the demonstrated need for a student. The Emory Office of Financial Aid will determine the students demonstrated need based on the CSS PROFILE and FAFSA forms (as well as Federal Tax returns). If a students demonstrated need is not fully met from an ESP scholarship, additional need-based financial aid may be available (in the form of grants, loans, work-study program, etc.). Conversely, an ESP scholarship can also have the effect of reducing the amount of a need-based grant, if the combination of grant and scholarship money coming from Emory exceeds the demonstrated need. Note that if scholarship funds were coming outside of Emory institutionally, their grant amounts would not be reduced, unless the total of these funds begin to exceed the total Cost of Attendance (COA).</p>
<p>Weasel: Finances were certainly an issue. Because we had two going to college at the same time (twins) we did qualify for financial aid, though certainly not anywhere near what Emory offered. My daughter opted to go to Harvard rather than Emory. Had we not been able to consider it financially feasible, we would not have allowed her to apply there at all and would have focused solely on schools that offered substantial merit aid. Many of the students that she met during the Emory Scholars Weekend did exactly that. </p>
<p>Ironically, she got into Harvard before she heard back from Emory (we never expected her to actually get in SCEA!) so she was very pumped up about Harvard by the time she went to Emory, though she did go to the weekend with an open mind. </p>
<p>A few weeks later, she attended Harvard's Admitted Students Weekend. It absolutely felt right to her and her dad and I felt that it was right for her too. So far, she is extremely happy with her choice. So, yes, I think it was worth the burden. (Ask me again in ten years!)</p>
<p>Orjr: Sorry, I don't have the answer to your question, but it seems like you got a very good response already. I am not comfortable posting my children's profiles online. However, I will say that my daughter was not Val or Sal, had very high (but not perfect) SATs and SAT IIs, did visit Emory prior to applying and showed interest, and had strong ECs. I think that her essay (a variation of her National Merit essay) was strong. As far as we know, her recs were very solid. I hope that helps. </p>
<p>I guess what I've learned from this entire process is that it truly pays for your child to give anything he/she is interested in a shot. To be honest, CC had me convinced that my child would never get into Harvard or Yale, and I almost discouraged her from applying. (This was not based on anyone evaluating her particular stats, just the whole "lottery philosophy" in general.) We didn't expect Emory Scholars either. I encouraged my kids to go into the whole process with their eyes open, putting their best foot (feet?) forward, but having good target schools and safety schools as well. There were some disappointments along the way, but all in all, I wound up with two very happy kids. :)</p>
<p>Also, FYI ... not all Emory Scholars are awarded full tution, room, and board. Several receive full tuition but not the full package. (Still a nice deal!)</p>
<p>This is determined by the interviews... the scholarship committees match up the finalists with scholarships from specific donors/funds.</p>
<p>One more thing ... If your child is a National Merit Finalist and gets to designate two schools as recipients ... it would probably be helpful to list Emory (or Wash U, etc. if applying for its merit awards) as this would show interest as well.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply twinmom.</p>
<p>what do they mean by "intellectual interests?" what sort of interests fall in this category?</p>
<p>also, are they looking for a straightforward answer, or should we write a creative essay like most other college essays?</p>
<p>Re intellectual interests, I will probably write about my interest in science and math, and the competitions I have entered to develop this interest. If I have space, I might talk a little bit about philosophy. I think they want to hear about the things that you would want to study even if no one was making you.</p>
<p>Have been absent from the board for a few days, but wanted to say thank you to Norcaldad and twinmom - and others - for the helpful comments. S has top GPA in IB, but is still working on getting all sections of SAT into stratospheric digits - we'll see how yesterday's scores come out - but not until after the Emory app. is in! He'll give it his best shot - he really likes the school. Thanks again and congrats to those who went before and good luck to weasel and others who are joining S in applying.</p>
<p>How does it work with acceptance to Emory? Does one find out if they are a semi finalist and they are also told they are accepted, or are they told they are a semi finalist but still do not receive word of an acceptance? Also, when does one find out they are offered another merit scholarship if they do not become a finalist?</p>
<p>When you get your semi finalist notification, you also get your acceptance at the same time. If you have applied for financial aid, you will not find out for some time after that, because it will hinge on whether you achieve finalist status. </p>
<p>Sorry, I am unable to answer your question about other merit scholarships.</p>
<h1>18: Keep in mind that you are still submitting an additional essay with your common app.</h1>
<p>I don't know if the deadline for the Coca Cola Scholarship has passed, but anyone who is thinking about Emory Scholars shoudl be considering Coca Cola as well. It is extremely competitive, but it is easy to apply for the first round online.</p>
<p>deadline for Coca Cola is Oct. 31st!</p>