Leadership Fellows invitation, or form letter?

<p>My D, admitted ED to Elon, last week received a letter inviting her/urging her to apply for the Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows program. Are these letters routinely sent out to all the kids accepted ED? It's hard to tell whether this is something that goes out to everyone, essentially, or to students that the college thinks would be a good fit for the program.</p>

<p>I’m pretty sure they only send them to students they think are qualified. Our D did not get one, nor did we expect her too, her ACT was below the 28 they recommend to apply. I’ve heard that the fellows weekend is an amazing experience. </p>

<p>Congratulations! :)</p>

<p>Thanks, Supruwoman. I think getting that letter really surprised my daughter; in fact, she was so surprised she figured that they must “send them out to everybody.” She does plan to go ahead and apply, because why not? It sounds like the fellows programs are wonderful.</p>

<p>I recieved the letter too. I feel like it was because my GPA was lower then some of the other fellows programs, but matched this one.</p>

<p>My DS was admitted EA but with no scholarship. Based on his stats we thought he had a good shot so pretty disappointed about that. (1930 SAT and 4.53 Elon GPA) Is there any chance he will get a letter? Does it still make sense to apply for a fellow scholarship if he wasn’t selected for the others? Thanks!</p>

<p>My son was also admitted EA with similar stats 2kidzmom. I was really hoping for a scholarship too, and disappointed that he did not receive one. He has already applied for the fellowship programs. I am feeling pretty discouraged about the possibility that he will be award $$ for that now too. Fingers crossed, we still love Elon.</p>

<p>I applied EA and just received an email inviting me to apply for this fellows program…already applied but we shall see!</p>

<p>My son was invited to apply for this also. Frankly, it seems like the effort required to get accepted into this program, (essays and an interview weekend) is not equal to the return. $1000 with maybe $3,500 more? Are we missing something? Typically, when a school requires an interview weekend there is significant money offered.</p>

<p>$3500 for 4 years adds up to a semester of tuition. I think it is worth an essay and interview. Plus I believe the fellows weekend replaces the “Spring Orientation” weekend.</p>

<p>My son received an invitation to apply to the Leadership Fellows program. I thought I remembered reading somewhere that you’re not allowed to do a Fellows Weekend until/unless you put down a deposit to attend, but I can’t seem to find that again. Does anyone else remember reading that?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>^^not the case or they would have nobody applying</p>

<p>4mother - What your missing is that, The Leadership Program is attracting the best students without large scholarships. </p>

<p>The “Value” of being in the Elon leadership fellows program is the experience of going through the program. As a parent I’m all for getting whatever scholarship money that is available, but the scholarship $ is not what the leadership fellows program is about. </p>

<p>A short history of the LFP will show that not that long ago they offered some of the largest scholarships. What they found was that the program was attracting students who were applying largely to get the money. Occasionally the students who were receiving the largest scholarships were not in the program to take full advantage of the specialized training and teamwork that is the foundation of being a Leadership Fellow. That became unfair to the students who get (and give) everything they can from being a leadership fellow, but not receiving a large scholarship. Today all LF’s get $1,000 individual travel scholarship, a paid for trip together Winter Term of Sophomore year, and a few receive moderately larger scholarships. </p>

<p>The students and staff involved in the LFP are always looking for ways to support the next class of incoming fellows. but $ has not proven to be the best motivator. The Program is a highly valuable all by itself, and the graduating Fellows will likely be profitably applying their skills and enjoying life long friendships long after graduation. </p>

<p>So in my ever so humble opinion it is definitely "worth the effort required to get accepted into this program, (essays and an interview weekend). The return is great for the special student the LFP was designed for, but that is not everyone.</p>

<p>Can anyone involved comment on the kind of leadership training they offer through the program? My daughter was invited to apply (I am the OP on this thread and wasn’t sure if they invited everyone who got in ED or not!) and we don’t know much about it. It sounds as if the fellows have special experiences (leadership training, etc.) Are these taken as part of their regular coursework, or in addition?</p>

<p>My son is a leadership fellow and the experience has been great for him. The group of leadership fellows are from a varied background and interests and yet his best friends are from this cohesive group. With an additional 2 courses you cab get a Leadership minor. There are specific courses required. Opportunities for lectures and travel.
Some kids will drop out- not wanting to do the additional work or not maintaining the required GPA. In Jan of freshman year they will also take a few more from the freshman class . (There is a seperate application process)</p>

<p>Thanks, Scoutmom9. I was wondering whether the required leadership fellows courses mean that the student leader cannot do another minor, and whether their schedules are so full that it makes completing their major requirements difficult. It sounds like it is worth it, in any case.</p>

<p>Notmamarose
With careful planning you can do another minor. And it does leave time to be involved in other activities.</p>

<p>I am confused about how many Leadership Fellows are granted. I recall reading that 5 scholarships are given each year. Are some selected as fellows but not offered the scholarship?</p>

<p>Do they base their decisions, ultimately, on how much leadership experience a young person has had going into college? Or on other personal qualities?</p>

<p>They usually select 25 leadership fellows (five of which get the scholarship) All the fellows get a study abroad grant. I am not really sure what they base their decision on. But if a student thinks that this is something that they would like to be involved in they should go for it. You just never know.</p>

<p>Forgive me if this has been discussed, but when do the invitations for Fellowship weekend go out? My D had planned to go to the spring orientation in March, and I would love to make plane reservations, but figure it’s not smart to do that before she finds out if they want her at Fellows Weekend.</p>