I dont understand this letter- interpret for me plz

Applying to College
1

<p>"Dear ----------,</p>

<p>I am extremely pleased to inform you that you are one of a distinguished gorup of ethinically diverse students eligible to receive the United Scholars Academic Achievement Award. Congratulations on your exemplary academic record.</p>

<p>The amount of this award ranges from $20,000-$28,0000 over four years of study.</p>

<p>As a United Scholar, --------, you are eligible to receive this scholarship IN ADDITION to the scholarship eligibility represents a substantial financial commitment to you by Saint Joseph's, and a tribute to the strength of your academic record (as reported by College Board).</p>

<p>As one of the nation's 28 Jesuit colleges and universities, Saint Joseph's reflects a long-standing blah blah blah.......</p>

<p>Please apply by our regular admissions deadline of February 1 for scholarship consideration. ----, I look forward to meeting you!</p>

<p>Sincerely,
(Personally handwritten)"</p>

<p>Does this mean I automatically got the United Scholars Academic Achievement Award? Or, I have to apply to this college and attend it to get it?</p>

2

<p>probably a scam... i had one from The national honor society that was a scam.</p>

3

<p>i think you have to apply..it says you're eligible</p>

4

<p>awww....that's too bad. i thought it would be something nice to add to my resume. oh, well.</p>

5

<p>It appears to be an actual offer of financial assistance from a college in Philadelphia, St. Joseph's University. The college has an average SAT score of about 1200/1600. It is a real letter, but I would say that it is more of a marketing ploy from the college. Colleges will sometimes have automatic scholarships based on SAT scores. For example, I believe that Rutgers offers in-state tuition to anyone with a 1250/1600 who is in the top 10% of their hs class. The relevant website for the St. Joseph's Univ Scholars Awards is:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.sju.edu/acadev/act101.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.sju.edu/acadev/act101.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

6

<p>watch out for scams, i think i had a similar thing to mikep3</p>

7

<p>they just want u to apply
darn scammers!</p>

8

<p>I recommend contacting St. Joseph's University and asking specific questions about the scholarship award. The program does sound legit!</p>

<p>Visit the United Scholars Program website, even though there is not much information available. The contact person is:</p>

<p>Jacqueline M. Starks
Assistant Vice President & USP Director
113 Science Center
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, PA 19131</p>

<p>610-660-1081
610-660-2619 [fax]
<a href="http://www.sju.edu/acadev/act101.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.sju.edu/acadev/act101.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Yes, you do have to apply and get accepted to the school in order to receive this scholarship. The St. Joseph's website indicates that it costs a freshman about $38k to attend the school:</p>

<p>2005-2006 Undergraduate General Costs</p>

<p>Tuition - $27,350
Room and Board - $10,125
Student Activity Fee - $135
Orientation Fee - Freshmen Only - $200</p>

<p>Where you want to exercise caution is with the statement in the letter:</p>

<p>The amount of this award ranges from $20,000-$28,000 **over four years* of study.*</p>

<p>This equates to $5k-$7k a year for a school that costs around $38k a year!</p>

9

<p>maybe it isnt a scam.... i dunno</p>

10

<p>well, i got a lot of scholarships if I, of course, apply to those schools. But, one scholarship really catches my attention: Washington University in St. Louis's John some last name Scholar Program. If I apply and get in, I will get a FULL RIDE, and this scholarship is about $130,000. How crazy is that?</p>

11

<p>yea i shouldnt have said scam
what i meant to say was, if you have to apply in order to get the scholarship, then they probably just sent u that letter cuz u have good stats and fit some sort of criteria for that college, so its not exactly guaranteed that you will get that scholarship
plus, were you gonna apply there before u heard about the scholarship? if the answer is no, then dont let this letter change your mind.</p>

12

<p>pattycake- i got almost the exact same thing a couple weeks ago from the same place, handwritten and everything, but i threw it away because i didn't want to go there. i don't think it's a scam though.</p>

13

<p>Look at the letter closely. It is very, very carefully worded to imply that you have won (or have a good chance at winning), without actually saying that you have won. The scholarship program may or may not be legitimate, but the style of the letter is not. </p>

<p>At the beginning it tells you that you are ELIGIBLE for this award. The end of the letter is more explicit: for consideration for the scholarship you must apply by the deadline of February 1. If you had already received it you would not have to apply for it.</p>

14

<p>St. Joseph is a well respected Jesuit college just on the edge of the city of Philadelphia. We received a different letter, but I think that the college is honestly trying to attract candidates. </p>

<p>You shouldn't write this off as a 'scam', we've had good experience with the school and it's my neighbor's #1 choice. She would LOVE such an offer.</p>

15

<p>Again, the scholarship may be legitimate. It seems odd to refer to the letter as an "offer," however; the item being offered is the opportunity to APPLY for the scholarship, not a guarantee that the scholarship will be awarded to the addressee.</p>

16

<p>yea iv gotten a bunch of those and i really dont know which to separate from the soccer scholarhips from the "if you apply then u may get a scholarship" type things. they are interested in you obviously and i do think that if you apply u would get a decent amount of money, tho i dunno about 28,000</p>