<p>I received mail notification today that I'm a finalist in the Washington and Lee Honors Scholarship program. I applied regular decision but in time for the December 15th honors scholarship deadline. Although I feel honored by this, it poses quite a few problems.</p>
<p>Washington and Lee is my third choice for college, behind Rice and Davidson, which I've both visited, loved, and have been able to picture myself attending. I've never been to Washington and Lee nor have I known students there; I just applied because the information I read about it sounded very appealing and because both my family and I love that area of the country (I'm from Chicago). </p>
<p>I pretty much plan on attending Rice if I am accepted there, which I won't find out about until around February 10th (interim decision notification). But apparently I have to let Washington and Lee know if I will be going to Williamsburg to compete by February 7th? And if I went, that would entail missing 3 or more days of school, which would hurt for me because I'm an IB diploma candidate in a school with block scheduling. (The all-expenses-paid part is rather tempting though :D)</p>
<p>To be perfectly honest, I didn't really expect it to come down to this. I think my overall application was good, but the specific scholarship essay I wrote was, in my opinion, crap. It was just a wacky reworking of the essay I wrote about being stranded on Mars and being forced to clone myself that I submitted to the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>So I'm really torn about this now, and I was hoping that some of you very knowledgable W & L and honors scholarship hopefuls could offer some advice and answer some questions, like:
- How many people are selected as finalists for the honors scholarship?
- How many of the finalists actually win scholarships?
- After competing on-campus, when will the winners of the Honors Scholarships be informed that they have won?
- What does the on-campus competition entail?
- Does being selected as a finalist for the honors scholarship pretty much guarantee that you are/will be accepted into Washington and Lee?
- How's the food there? (the all-important question, haha)</p>
<p>So thank you for taking the time to read this, and please offer any advice that you can. My parents are both really thrilled and want me to go compete, but I'm very unsure about this whole situation.</p>
<p>Is there a problem in planning to attend the W&L scholarship program, and then cancelling if you are accepted by Rice within a week of that? It is not a binding commitment. If you are turned down by Rice, you will now have about a 50% chance of W&L being your first choice school. Not quite correct, but you know what I mean. I can tell you that it really hurts getting rejected from a first choice school, and some kids have a lot of trouble getting geared up with their other choices. It is so sweet too have some other choices particularly with meri money sweetners. </p>
<p>A very lovely young lady I know now has W&L as her first choice after being deferred or turned down by her ivy league choice. As for the questions about The honors scholarship, call the school and ask some of the specific questions there. Actually visiting the campus would answer some of them and give you a very good idea of what the school is like which I think is valuable. Not often that you get an opportunity to spend that much time checking out a school, and with the costs on their dime, it sounds even better.</p>
<p>About 100 finalists, I don't know how many win but we find out about April 10th, the on-campus competition involves interviews with students and faculties. I would very much assume that you're going to get in if you were chosen as a finalist.</p>
<p>As for the food, it looked great when I visited but I didn't get to try it :(</p>
<p>Thanks, you two ;). If anyone else has any advice to offer, go right ahead and I will read it and consider all points made.</p>
<p>Jamimon: I'm actually at the moment feeling pretty optimistic about getting accepted to Rice....my interviewer seemed to think I'd get in and I stuck my National Merit preference there...but this is definitely an opportunity to consider in the case that those plans and the ones with Davidson fall through. I also applied to four other schools (total of seven) and predict I will get into at least two of the other four...this is the reason I didn't apply ED anywhere, because I wanted to have financial opportunities open.</p>
<p>Dima: Thanks for the info. I checked the information they sent me as well as the website information, and unfortunately, neither seems to go into the detail that I'd like, which I guess will prompt a nice phone call from me one random afternoon.</p>
<p>But it is quite a relief to be somewhat sure that I have gotten into at least one school (if by getting the honors scholarship finalist notification it means I will be admitted). I had this horrid vision of getting rejected from all seven schools I applied to (all matches, no safeties) and having to take a year off or go to a local community college while flipping burgers somewhere.</p>
<p>Emilia, my advice would be to go for it, just by going to the competition doesn't mean you have to go. I don't understand how either IB or block scheduling work since I live in New York City and we don't do that but if you've never visited the campus, it may change your mind about your first choice (it sure changed mine, sorry Dartmouth) and could turn out to be a great alternative if Rice isn't too generous with money.</p>
<p>So go for it, have some fun, explore the school, what have you got to lose?</p>