@gandalf78 I completely understand. If my son doesn’t get the larger scholarship, it will be off the table for us.
We heard yesterday via regular mail that our D was not invited for the scholars weekend. Not surprised, since we are OOS and she would realistically only be in running for the Townes, of which there are only 5 awarded, so I’m guessing only 12 or 13 invited. Still hoping for the departmental scholarship, frustrated that we may not know for five more weeks. She was given Bell Tower, but it said $18K per year.
Gandalf78, is your Bell Tower $25K? If so, are you in SC? Wonder if it varies by state? It seems like it would be the same for everyone if it’s a named scholarship but maybe that is their way of awarding merit aid …
@atigal The Belltower scholarship varies per applicant. Their named scholarships like Lay, Duke , Hollingsworth etc are their merit scholarships.
@carolinamom2boys Thanks! Good to know, and good luck to everyone who is invited to interview.
Thank you @atigal2016. I don’t know how many Townes invites went out, but 25 invites went out for 10 Hollingsworth scholarships.
@atlgal2016: Yes, our Bell Tower is $25K, and my daughter received notification of it along with her letter of acceptance. We also later got another letter/e-mail from Furman telling us that, based on our FAFSA/CSS profile, we “qualified” for a $5,500 unsubsidized federal loan. (Thanks, but no thanks.) I agree with you in that I think the variable nature of the Bell Tower awards is Furman’s way of making merit awards outside of the competitive scholarships for which the student must apply. A friend’s daughter matriculated at Furman about 4 or 5 years ago, and her father told me that she got a merit award but he phrased it in terms of “X% of tuition”. So perhaps Furman has changed how they decide/award merit aid.
Also, we do not live in South Carolina.
My son’s letter arrived today. He has not been asked to interview for the scholarships. Congratulations to all who were invited back! @carolinamom2boys you should be proud of your boy, as I’m sure you are. The Furman scholarships are hugely competitive.
Thank you so much @this8120.
Anyone else experience this? Our acceptance letter didn’t say anything about Bell Tower scholarship. Daughter auditioned for vocal scholarship and received an email last week letting her know that she got a voice scholarship ($20k+) and $7500 Bell Tower. Today she received the letter saying that she had not been invited to interview day, but “as stated in your acceptance letter, you will be receiving $25,000 Bell Tower scholarship.” We’ll be calling tomorrow of course. Either they increased the BT award, or they sent an incorrect letter. We’re out of state with multiple Furman grads in the family (Legacy scholarship erased by vocal scholarship). Hopefully they increased the BT.
Good luck to all interviewing!
Hi! Anyone have numbers on those OOS who were invited? My son received his rejection letter today, and we were very surprised. He is number 1 in his class, 10 AP classes, all A’s in classes, 35 ACT, 2330 SAT, hundreds of hours of community service, 4 year varsity athlete, National Merit Semifinalist (so far), NHS, and tons of HS clubs, mission trips in summers. What else is required? I can say that Furman was his first choice until today. Now, he will probably accept one of the other schools offering him a full ride.
I know that they only are offering 5 OOS Townes scholarships, but I’m not sure about how many were invited to interview. For instate , they invited 25 for 10 scholarships.
I just checked their website. They decreased the numbers! When my son applied in the fall, I think there were 4 Lay and 10 Duke Scholarships available, now it says 2 and 8. My son is devastated. He had his heart set on Furman, but it is not worth $140k worth of student loans. As a National Merit Scholar, he can go to about 100 schools for free.
Good luck to you!
@tennismom7 I don’t believe there were ever 10 Duke, there were 10 Townes, which has been reduced to 5. I know it’s very expensive , and if my son doesn’t get the Hollingsworth he won’t be attending either. I’m glad your son has lots of options. Thank you . We’re just trying to keep things in perspective to avoid any huge disappointment.
The college application process is stressful, to put it mildly. We’ve been “following the money” and trying not to let my son get too attached to a particular school but it’s tricky. They work so hard, well, most of the time my children do. 
When the Hollingsworth scholarships were first given in 2006-2007, there were 20 students. I think 20 was the number they offered it to each year after that, but not everyone who got it matriculated, and I don’t think they offered it to alternates. In younger D’s class, there were 14 Hollingsworths, and 10 Townes. But they have increased the award, which was needed. For my D, who just graduated last year, the award was $25,000 per year and $1000 stipend for study away & $1500 stipend for internship. Along with the SC scholarships, that left little for students to pay in 2006; by 2014, it wasn’t enough. They’ve increased the award by $10,000 per year and doubled the stipends, so I guess that’s why they are offering fewer.
It is a hard process. My Ds were accepted to a couple top 20 LACs, and they got money, but not enough to make them affordable. Even though they knew going in that if they didn’t get enough money they couldn’t go to those schools, there were tears, and I wondered if they should have even applied. And yes, they felt like why did they work so hard in high school when it didn’t get them where they wanted. It is hard for students not to get attached to a school. But “following the money” is what most of us have to do, and honestly I think kids can make wherever they go a great experience. Furman was neither of my Ds 1st choice, but it was the LAC we could afford with the scholarships they received. Once they got there they loved it (one actually texted “thank you for sending me here” before the end of the first week!) and it has shaped who they are today. I’m a big fan of Furman, but like many private LACs it is ridiculously expensive. I wish you and your children the best of luck (and hopefully no tears) in this process.
This year the Townes and Hollingsworth have been increased to $35K. As dheldreth stated they were $25K until this year. If your child received $25 a year, that’s great! However every cent matters and if Furman isn’t your first choice it’s hard to get excited about. I also have two children who have attended Furman. It is a wonderful education. My eldest has been able to achieve much in a short amount of time. A great education and fabulous internships that opened many, many doors. Her cohort is much the same. She is not the exception.
Best wishes to all competing for scholarships and deciding where their next chapter will begin.
Thank you @mommamocha
My daughter is invited for the Furman interview day on the 22nd. How dressy should she/we be for the Sunday night reception?
We are going for business casual @TAMI1993. Which scholarship is your daughter interviewing for?
@carolinamom2boys My daughter was invited for the Hollingsworth scholarship. I just didn’t want her dress for Sunday night to be too dressy, but I think we are ok.