<p>My DD got an acceptance from Case with no Merit. Just stating things as they have been going so far this is very unusual.</p>
<p>Her Stats:
ACT34
4.0uw/4.9w
Top 10% (in LOR counselor stated top 1%)
Doesnt rank but counselor told me if she was asked she would admit DD is 2/643</p>
<p>My DD contacted her admissions counselor and he gave her a pat answer of "submit the FAFSA and hope for need based aid" He did not check her stats or look into anything. </p>
<p>Just seems strange and wondering if I should step in and ask some more questions. I cant find anything on the website that listed guidelines for the scholarships like other schools do.</p>
<p>Case is not her number 1 but we thought that it would be a semi financial safety with all th aid that is known to be given.</p>
<p>We were successful at one school. D had been a finalist for the “big” scholarship, and we were quite disappointed in the scholarship offer she received. I wrote a letter to the director of admissions & financial aid, letting him know that D truly did want to attend the school. I explained that compared to the packages offered by some other colleges she liked a-lot-but-not-as-much, she would be unable to attend without a larger merit scholarship. She was actually offered a larger need-based grant (rather than an increased merit scholarship) that brought the cost in line with the competitor schools’ costs. The next year, they did offer that same large grant, even though our income was higher that year.</p>
<p>D had been to the school & met the director. He knew her & knew she wanted to attend. I don’t know whether or not it will work if your D really isn’t interested … but it is always worth a try. The worst they can do is say no.</p>
<p>This does seem strange. It almost seems like an accept-deny deal - a situation where they accept a student, but don’t give them any money in hopes that the student will either pay in full or reject. Or, perhaps they send scholarships in the spring. Anyone know?</p>
<p>Did your D ask for a lot of aid? Or, did you indicate in any way that you can’t pay your EFC? Is Case “need aware”?</p>
<p>She may need to find another financial safety. Perhaps one that has more assured scholarships for her stats.</p>
<p>Is it possible they needed to have your FAFSA in early in order for you to be considered for merit scholarships? (I think I remember Brandeis had something like that.)</p>
<p>Nope, no FAFSA needed yet. Their Merit awards are based soley on merit. No need component. Awards were given with the EA admission confirmations. I hope they are not waiting for me to pay full freight. DD is lucky enough to have received great offers from other schools so no need to pay full price! Just seemed very strange to me given our experience so far.</p>
<p>*Scholarships
Case Western Reserve University Scholarships
The Office of Undergraduate Admission evaluates all applicants for undergraduate admission to Case Western Reserve University for merit-based scholarships provided they are U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents of the United States. Most of our scholarships do not require a separate application. We have indicated on the list below where additional materials are required.</p>
<p>Scholarships are awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Admission using multiple criteria including academic achievement, performance on standardized tests, leadership, artistic talent or other personal qualities that distinguish students in the applicant pool. Financial need is not a factor in awarding scholarships.</p>
<p>Admitted students will be notified of any Case Western Reserve University merit-based scholarships they have been awarded in their admission acceptance letter. The name, amount and terms of the scholarship will be listed in the first paragraph of the letter. For scholarships that require additional application materials, notifications will be sent at a later date.
*</p>
<p>Maybe there is a history of high performers from your D’s HS not attending…so…they’re giving what they have to others…and may be waiting for your D to “show some love.”</p>
<p>Is she a citizen or permanent resident?
If so, I also find it hard to believe they did not offer something.</p>
<p>In some ways, I would not pursue it, and let someone who really wants to go there get the award.</p>
<p>If she decides it is one of her top choices, you would need to probably go back to them with an example of what type of merit she has been offered at the competitor’s school.</p>
<p>We were able to appeal our S’s merit scholarship amount that way and get it increased. However, it was his first choice school and he let them know that.</p>
<p>We were successful in an appeal. It was a “love you best but [cross-town big time rival] is less expensive” kind of discussion, and done late in the game. </p>
<p>(which I see the OP here has visited) mentions some other admitted students who received scholarships. Always in such cases, one issue is the lack of comparability among different high school programs. The test scores will be directly comparable, while high school grade averages are all earned at different schools while taking different courses. The university makes its judgment about whom to court with scholarships, and the applicants decide where to enroll if admitted.</p>
<p>I know times are very tough for colleges – the number of students applying for financial aid is soaring. Earnings on investments are rebounding but no one is out of the woods just yet. </p>
<p>If I were a financial aid/merit scholarship officer, I think I’d be playing my cards close to the vest until April. I definitely would be sniffing the air to see who was a strongly committed student. </p>
<p>I don’t think parents can compare this year to the previous ten years. We are in different territory. Money is going to be tight everywhere, IMHO. Money for merit aid may dwindle and be shifted as more students simply NEED financial aid.</p>
<p>Same thought as others, it seems very odd that she was not offered anything with that stat. How’s her ECs, recommendations and essays that would be used to distinguish her from the rest of the applicants? And what geographic location are you from?</p>
<p>Perhaps her GC would be willing to make a phone call. The college might be more willing to check into her file and share their thoughts with a counselor than an unhappy student or parent.</p>
<p>Just a guess, spring162, but I think it’s possible that Case looks at the full financial situation, and then splits the financial aid award into merit and need-based components. The students who have already been notified of merit scholarships may have checked a “no financial need” box, or something similar. The qualifications you mentioned seem likely to result in a merit award; however, it’s possible that if the “need” meets 100% of costs, then there won’t be a “merit” award, even if the student is highly meritorious. Colleges have to manage their overall financial aid budgets, coming from different sources. I’d look at the final bottom-line cost of attendance, and not the partition into “need” vs. “merit.”</p>
<p>Well, it is not her first choice now BUT we all know how things can move around if her 1st choices dont pan out with Merit. Like I said, it is just weird and DD has had TERRIBLE luck with her Apps(duplicate files, not receiving materials, lost stuff). Case did send her an email that said “through no fault of yours, your app was not reviewed by the Dec.15th EA date. Please give us one more week” I just thought maybe with this oversite her app. got pushed through quickly and maybe not reviewed correctly. </p>
<p>I think we have showed some “love”. We made the trip to Case (we are in IL) for a visit and all that entailed. Multiple contacts with admissions.</p>
<p>I did send the Addmissions counselor an email asking him to review her stats/application. No reply as of yet (got the out of office rebound email).</p>
<p>Quant, I have supplied no financial info to anyone as of yet. It is unlikely that we will get any “need” based $$. Our EFC is pretty high. Relying on Merit to help us out.</p>