<p>
[quote]
I really posted not as much for us but for the many, many folk who are with us , lurkers and posters alike. I want them to feel comfortable posting the successes of their children without feeling pangs of conscience or feeling that the mention of a scholarship was some inappropriate or discorteous display of vanity.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I agree, cur. I'd like to hear the good news when it comes in, from you and other folk. I hope someone will start a "reporting" thread for scholarships.</p>
<p>One of my co-workers had an interesting take on the merit scholarship his D competed for and won at Kalamazoo College. She is a rather restrained young lady, not usually that confident. Sitting for and winning the award (they had to write an a essay on campus) gave her a tremendous boost in the self-confidence department. She was also proud that her scholarship would help dear old dad financially. My co-worker is the only person I know of paying <em>less</em> for college than he thought he would!</p>
<p>Cur,
When those merit offers start rolling in, I expect that you will easily peruade the mods to post a thread right up top entitled "Master Big List of Merit Scholarships." We will all be eagerly waiting to read and applaud everyone's good news. Even us lurkers and occasional posters.</p>
<p>Cur - I get it. And along with everyone else, watching and waiting to see how the Merit Lottery treats mudgling and all other merit applicants.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, I feel your pain, stress-wise, as we enter the transfer-due-to-Katrina-obliteration-of-DS -major sweepstakes. So many ways to stress in college admissions, so little time....</p>
<p>Disco*u*rteous. Don't you just love the timed-out feature of our little street corner? Come on mods. We're not stupid. We're just blind. Maybe 21 minutes? LOL. My goof looked even dumber when cami quoted it.</p>
<p>jmmom and andi, I actually thought about each of you before I posted my thread.Whatever happens, if I can make it through as strong and unbowed as you two-I'll be very happy with myself.</p>
<p>i am still trying to figure out just how to get that nifty little quote box to appear. how is it done? :)</p>
<p>"Master Big List of Merit Scholarships" - just a suggestion - you could use the $ sign to indicate amounts:</p>
<p>$ - partial tuition
$$ - full tuition
$$$ - full ride (includes tuition, room, board, books)
$$$$ - full ride PLUS stipend :)
$$$$$ - the lottery winner - award to be announced</p>
<p>how has the list of merit awards been done in the past?</p>
<p>
[quote]
if I can make it through as strong and unbowed as you two
[/quote]
can't speak for andi, cur; but, for myself, I can tell you that appearances on cc can be deceiving. Altho, access to cc and its various venues for venting surely does help. Not sure I've ever felt so stressed, not sure why, but that's how I know what you must be feeling</p>
<p>condor - you take the phrase you want to quote and you put it inside the following:</p>
<p>
[quote ]
the phrase you want to quote
[/quote ]
<em>but you don't leave the extra spaces I put before the ] for illustration purposes</em> and you get
[quote]
the phrase you want to quote
[/quote]
Try it, you'll like it. We all practiced on each other once upon a time.</p>
<p>Good luck with the waiting, 'Mudge. I wish I could give some sort of defined encouragement but I haven't a clue. I'm just thankful D got what modest merit award that she did.</p>
<p>This whole process is a real endurance run, not a sprint.</p>
<p>Curmudgeon, we're playing the merit lottery also, and I'm beginning to wish the deadlines were earlier rather than later. My daughter still has three essays to complete; she claims she has plenty of time (and is probably right) but I just want everything DONE! In the world of Mezzomom logic (a world with a population of one), if the essays are submitted earlier, she'll hear if she's a contender earlier, and I'll be able to fill out my handy little Master Calendar of [Her] Life with travel dates. There's absolutely no reasonable reason to be this obsessed with the dates, but I'm a long-time i-dotter and t-crosser who likes ducks in a row. Fortunately for the sake of my relationship with my daughter, I've also gotten very good at keeping my mouth shut, or her stress level would combine with mine to create a combustible home life.</p>
<p>Admittedly, I did ask her to finish up by the beginning of January, so she could file all the college stuff in our computer room, leaving me room to do FAFSA and Profile. I think she's seen through that flimsy excuse; on the other hand, yesterday she volunteered the information that she has almost completed writing one of the essays "in her head." I'm going to assume that's her version of taking pity on dear ol' Mom!</p>
<p>Curmudgeon
Waiting in the merit world limbo right along side you right now.
We've been here before..for undergrad and then Grad last year with bigger kid.
Take some deep breaths between now and the beginning of Feb!!
Lets not forget those posters who will be coming forward soon with the "uh oh we applied ED but they didnt offer any financial aid now what do we do" posts.we're bound to see a few of those soon enough.
Good luck in this part of the process.I'm sure your D is going to have a great outcome,with wonderful choices to make.</p>
<p>curmudgeon -
I completely empathize - for DS, too, a "match" and "safety" are defined by cost as well as academics. The school he liked best when we visited (GW) costs a FORTUNE, is not known for good merit aid, and for a variety of complicated reasons we are not eligible for financial assistance, although I can't afford to send him to a $50K per year school (or even a $40K schol for that matter). So I had to tell him not to apply there. He's in OOS at Rutgers, very affordable. Waiting to hear now on EA at a school where he would have to get merit aid to attend. My biggest hope is the Canadian schools, so terrific and SO affordable.
It is hard when you have a great kid who has really done a terrific job in high school -
best of luck to all of us</p>
<p>You are in exactly the position we were in last year. Son applied to virutally no Reach schools. There simply was no point. </p>
<p>The good news -- this too shall pass. </p>
<p>Chances are your daughter will end up someplace great, she will make friends, she will get a great education, and she will never look back. That's where my son is at.</p>
<p>And you may even be able to retire someday! :)</p>
<p>right there with you, son only applied EA not ED for financial reasons. Some merit money has come in and he has interviews for some others. He is also in the process of completing outside scholarships with more essays. Also applied ROTC. Since he is child #4 he has been quite aware of the finances for college for a long time. He knew getting accepted was a small step in the college game for our family. Unless the awards/aid are forthcoming he will not be attending. No surprises for him, he just understood early and planned his high school years accordingly.</p>
<p>I am on pins and needles as well, and can't wait to hear all the good news from all my fellow CCers!!!</p>
<p>$ - partial tuition
$$ - full tuition
$$$ - full ride (includes tuition, room, board, books)
$$$$ - full ride PLUS stipend
$$$$$ - the lottery winner - award to be announced</p>
<p>I see that the moderators have started a sticky thread at the top of the forum as a place to list merit award offers. They're asking people to share basic stats as well, which makes sense as it puts the award in perspective. This will help keep all the offers in one place so future applicants can get a sense of what it takes to get a merit award at various schools.</p>