<p>I just wanted to comment on a few things.</p>
<p>I recently received a $5,000 a year scholarship from SJU. I have a 1000 SAT and a 21 ACT with a 3.25 GPA. However, I have been receiving a 3.6-3.8 GPA since my sophomore year. I had a bit of a rocky start. I take the majority of the hardest classes offered, 3 APs, rest honors. I've never received any grade lower than a B-. I'm an excellent writer and wrote two fantastic essays that I sent to SJU. My extracurriculars were stellar also. Mostly all swimming, devoted 40+ hours a week to swimming. Yet, still managed to volunteer and was an active rep for Habitat Youth United. I attend a very elite all-girl school.</p>
<p>I know another applicant who received $9,000 a year scholarship from SJU. He attends the all-boy school in the area around mine. However, he was in all phase two classes and had a 3.5 GPA. He had lower scores than mine. Some sports but not consistent for 4 years. He is the senior class treasurer. He happens to be dislexic. </p>
<p>I know that I may be displaying some jealously but I just don't understand. I tried so hard and SJU was always my number one school and then to see someone who didn't want to go there as badly get more money than me? How could this be? </p>
<p>I just find it ironic that although all our lives we're told to take a challenging courseload that maybe it doesn't matter. Perhaps, it's the grades that we get in those easy classes that topple over the Bs in an AP class. Overall, I am outraged and I feel misguided.</p>
<p>I would also like to add that..</p>
<p>Both of us recently received letters from our in-state school. I got accepted while he was asked to send them his mid-year report, saying they would need to see his latest grades before they made a decision.</p>
<p>Yet he got 4000 more than me from SJU. Hm....</p>
<p>Because everybody gets a scholarship to St. Joseph’s. I know people who scored in the 900s that got scholarships there. </p>
<p>You should consider yourself lucky, though, to get a scholarship anywhere considering you scored below the national average on your SATs. What did he get on his SAT’s? That is probably the difference.</p>
<p>Please don’t take offense to this but if you had thos grades in advanced classes with you aptitude, I can’t imagine that your high school is “elite.” Again, no offense, but your college aptitude (based on your standardized tests) are below average. Maybe the person that you are talking about has more natural aptitude. </p>
<p>BTW, dislexia is not a sign of a lack of intelligence. It really has more to do with vision I think (or at least how the brain interprets visual data).</p>
<p>If you live in the suburbs of a large metropolitan area, then your schools is elite.</p>
<p>Bonus points for being a private school, and the highest marks for single-sex!</p>
<p>No offense to the OP, but many, many kids consider their school to be above-average or elite.</p>
<p>Your problem may also be your math skills or the obvious exageration. 40 + hours a week swimming? Thats about 6 hrs a day, everyday. You must look like a prune.</p>
<p>Maybe your writing skills aren’t as excellent as you think they are either. </p>
<p>Good luck with your appeal. Let us know how it turns out.</p>