<p>On the applytexas scholarship application there is a place to check if you want department scholarships. S will be general engineering (preference chem E) so will there actually be scholarships from the chemical engineering dept available? Everyone is general engineering the first year, right? Would chemE give a freshman a scholarship if he isn't even in the dept yet? There is an essay necessary for chemE scholarships but I hate to have him write another essay if they don't even give them to freshmen. </p>
<p>Last year there were very few freshman engineering scholarships. My son is a freshman in ME and even with excellent academics, he did not get an engineering scholarship. I have heard that they don’t hand them out until after they have applied, and been accepted, into their major.</p>
<p>Things have changed so much since my son was a freshman – honors, engineering scholars (now called engineering honors), entry into engineering majors, housing, etc. That makes it hard for me to helpfully, knowledgeably comment on so many questions these days!</p>
<p>Things may have changed in this category as well, but I’ll answer based on my own family’s experience a few years ago. </p>
<p>The advice used to be, and probably still is, top students (possible contenders) should answer all essay questions if they want to be considered for all scholarships. In the past, if you didn’t answer all the essays, you basically eliminated yourself from the running for some scholarships. If you’re a top student who might be a contender for additional monies, it makes no sense to choose to take yourself out of the running before the race has begun.</p>
<p>My son did receive significant engineering scholarships as an entering freshman. But this was before the most recent change to the engineering program. I have no idea if they still give them out. (Kids entered the program as Lower Level “whatever” majors, and after completing a Common Body of Knowledge, they moved to Upper Level “whatever” majors.) I began to write out my son’s “qualifications,” but then decided against that. Basically, he was tippy, tippy top in a whole lot of areas. He filled out all essays and spoke from the heart. His essays revealed who he is, major experiences that shaped him, what he stands for, that sort of thing. He answered the questions … but in doing so, he revealed who he was. I think that’s important for most college essays. What makes you you?</p>
<p>My advice is to fill out all essays.</p>
<p>My son is an Engineering Freshman this year. He was awarded a small scholarship about $1250 for the year. He applied August of 2013 was admitted September of 2013 and the scholarship was awarded in July of 2014! </p>
<p>So don’t expect to see anything soon.</p>
<p>We have heard that most Engineering Scholarships are now awarded once a student has a full year of courses (and grades) under their belts. You must also apply and be accepted into your major. The Engineering Department met with the students this past few weeks to discuss the process. They can apply for their major after one semester, but those seats are limited. They have the option to apply 4 times for their desired major. The department said “we have seats in engineering for everyone…” but not in your specific major. </p>
<p>Even though my son didn’t get an Engineering Scholarship as a freshman, he did get a few others. I will say, its much much harder now as their is less money to give. Your best chances now are to be in a real need situation or a National Merit to get any significant scholarships.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input everyone. We are anxious about the scholarships because since my S is out of state the only way he can attend is with the tuition waiver. I feel pretty good about it since he will be in the corps and I think they are rather generous, but we definitely want as many chances for a scholarship as possible. But at the same time he is very busy this year (as you all understand) and I don’t want to waste time on scholarships that aren’t really there.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth I also got a small scholarship of $1000 from the department of Biomedical Engineering in August and I’m a freshman this year. I believe that most scholarships are awarded after students are accepted into a major, though.</p>
<p>My son’s scholarship was listed as College of Engineering Student Scholar. No idea what that means or how he got it. He had 11 hours credits from a public university (Calc I, Calc II, and ENGL 104) in our home town and high SAT scores. It’s really a mystery how they award these things, so don’t stress over it too much, and be very patient.</p>
<p>@TexasAtHome Your son’s engineering scholarship may change names over the next couple years. If your son’s College of Engineering Student Scholar award was listed on his initial FA package as one that he can expect annually, then the name of that same, designated dollar amount may well change once or twice before he graduates.</p>
<p>When one of my son’s COE scholarships changed going into his sophomore year, out of curiosity he asked why. If we’re remembering it right and if we understood it correctly, it’s simply that they re-evaluate the distribution of their named scholarship funds each year and re-distribute them in the way that will provide the most money to the most people. That’s a good thing. 
For students who were awarded a recurring annual amount, the amount won’t change (well, at least it won’t go down – my son’s have gone up before), but the name of that amount might. </p>
<p>So, for next year, your son’s $1250 award may be called the Professor Joe Smith Award or the George Roberts '05 Award (both are made up names) because the COE or his department decides that they can better distribute their pool of funds amongst all of the students if your son has the Joe Smith award and another student has the COE Student Scholar award. </p>
<p>That way, the college or department can optimize the distribution based on the various eligibility criteria for the different awards and the desires of the various donors. </p>
<p>@SimpleLife Thanks for that information. It did not say if it would renew on the FA, but he will definitely apply for the continuing scholarships.</p>
<p>@TexasAtHome I see. Well, if your son’s freshman scholarship package works like my son’s did, then he may well be keeping that departmental/college scholarship amount from year to year. If the COE Student Scholar Award was listed under the Grants and Scholarships title in his freshman FA award letter, then the amount is probably there to stay for the duration of his time at A&M. If it’s a one-time award, I think it might say as much in the description of the award below the list of his scholarships. Otherwise, if it was offered to him as part of his initial freshman FA package, I think he’ll have it each year, as long as he remains eligible (like, if there’s a minimum GPA for it, for instance, then he must keep the minimum GPA to keep the award, and so on).</p>
<p>Anyway, I sure don’t want to get your hopes up and then be wrong, but I think that’s the way it works. As long as students maintain their eligibility, and as long as the award wasn’t annotated as a one-time award, if it’s on the entering-freshman FA paperwork, I think it’s there to stay! :)</p>
<p>And if it is there to stay, it may well change names over the course of 4 years, while the amount stays the same or goes up, but never down.</p>
<p>Anything awarded in the continuing scholarship process is, I think, a one-time award, unless specifically told otherwise. At least that’s how things have always worked for us.</p>
<p>I think those continuing scholarships vary depending on the department policies. In my daughters department her continuing student awards have been renewed(we were pleasantly surprised.) She asked her advisor about it and was told that unless there was a reason NOT to renew it, she would get them until graduation.</p>
<p>^Oh. Well, that’s pretty cool, Debbie7452! Maybe my son’s continuing student scholarships (and his close friends’) were the exception then, not your daughter’s. What a nice surprise for you guys! :)</p>
<p>DS (Fall 2015 enrollment) received a Scholarship Package Summary in the mail today. It included a scholarship for Chemical Engineering (4) year award for $4000. It states that a cumulative 3.5 GPA must be maintained for the 1st year and a 3.0 for years 2-4 to keep it (as well as staying in Chemical Engineering). We were surprised to see this as in reading through these threads, thought something like this would not possibly come until being in the program for a year. Pleased to see it, just didn’t expect it.</p>
<p>@BocaTerp That’s awesome for your daughter. It is possible that such packages went out last year, too. Just no one posted about receving one. Congratulations to your daughter.</p>
<p>@BocaTerp Congratulations to your daughter! That’s wonderful! I was wondering, did she write all 3 essays plus the chemical engineering essay in the apply texas scholarship application?</p>
<p>Thanks…but it’s my son (not daughter)…and yes 'ol dad strongly suggested that he write all three essays…over prepare, not under prepare is the mantra in our household…and he’s sick of writing essays at this point…15 college apps…and he’s done…again, thanks for the congratulations.</p>
<p>@BocaTerp That’s very interesting! I’m really glad you shared this. My son got a very generous 4-year departmental scholarship as an incoming freshman, too. But that was several years ago when freshmen entered within their desired major. It’s so interesting to hear about your son’s award because of the fact that freshmen supposedly no longer enter TAMU with a specific engineering major. So, I was really curious about whether scholarships like my son’s (and others that I know about) still existed. Well, it sounds like they do! Which is very cool!</p>
<p>So, will your son enter the Dwight School without a major, just like everybody else, even though he’s been awarded scholarship money from the Chem E department?</p>
<p>If so, it sounds like the top students are still effectively entering the program within a specific department! Which makes sense to me. Otherwise, some of the university’s most desirable applicants may choose to attend a different university where they could be assured of their major rather than entering A&M and hoping that they get their first choice major later on. By continuing to offer departmental scholarships to incoming freshmen, the departments can kind of have first dibs on their incoming students, and the tippy top students can kind of have first dibs on their departments. Pretty cool. Congrats to your son! </p>
<p>^^ Thanks @SimpleLife …it specifically states that he must be enrolled in the College of Engineering with a preference for Chemical Engineering and have a 3.5 GPA for the 1st year and 3.0 for the other 3 years…yes, he’ll enter the COE with a preference for ChemE and thanks for the congrats.</p>
<p>^Very cool. Glad to hear it! I predict he’ll love studying engineering at A&M! :)</p>