<p>each school has its own SET method and formulas to determine EFC...they wont bend it for anyone..why would they...they can always find equally competitive replacement (i m talking about the ones on the high end, basically almost every school on TSAO, maybe less Hill and Loomis [they are still top notch BSs tho])....it will be a scandal if they do and if caught...</p>
<p>it's just like saying Cornell makes a desired studnet's EFC 0 to offer him "scholarship" to fight off Harvard....no they would never do that...same thing here.</p>
<p>now suze mentioned St Andrews, it's not in the TSAO so they can do whatever they want...but certainly not in TSAO...and in fact.. surprisingly, the higher end schools are actually more generous when determining EFC, just coz they have a bigger endowmnet and can afford more need based aid than a lower end school</p>
<p>All of the schools bend for the candidates they want. I have a list of packages offered to kids who all had an EFC of zero over 5 years from all of the top schools. The packages differ substantially. Also remember that loans can be a bigger or smaller part of the package.</p>
<p>Can they get as many full paying white and asian candidates as they want, yes. Can the get all the top URMs, athletes and other special talents easily? No. These are the kids who get great packages.</p>
<p>I can't speak for other schools, but SPS offers a few merit scholarships tied to certain subjects.</p>
<p>Yes, SPS is in the TSAO. And, yes, it has a number of scholarships available. There's one for a student from Montana. Another for Northern NJ. A Classical Honors Scholar. And more. And while each school may have a formula for determining EFC, there is plenty of subjective data that goes in to the calculations to provide "wiggle" room if a school so desires. Again, call it financial aid. Call it a merit scholarship. But when the subjective data gets construed favorably for a very attractive student -- when it can just as easily be disregarded or given little weight -- it's a gift of some sort. Whaddya say we just call that Manna from Admissions?</p>
<p>sorry about the wrong information earlier... i was thinking about prep 9
but i m pretty sure TSAO is not allowed to offer merit scholarship to newly admitted prospective students..our school newspaper once quoted that part</p>
<p>I'd bet that if you look at those "specialty scholarships" they probably are not funded by the schools endowment, but by an outside trust that allows the school to "highly recommend" (or basically select) a recipient for their scholarship, thus getting around these "rules".</p>
<p>To address kirmum's variation of how need-based scholarships can vary so widely, there is a saying amongst the athletes families that I've heard - Yes, there are need-based scholarships. Its how much the school needs you.</p>
<p>Overnight by UPS...the carrier used in past years by several schools...is over $50 per letter-sized package with Saturday delivery. Surely there's a budget that these people must mind. Now I suppose they could do 2nd Day Air, but it's still pricey with a Saturday delivery...plus it shaves one day off their deadlines. I don't know...but the Saturday thing throws a wrench in the works, doesn't it?</p>
<p>That's okay, because with a leap year in 2008, next year's applicants have to wait ONE WHOLE EXTRA DAY! Plus, the schools will either have to find a Sunday pick-up for their packages, lose a day (or two) themselves with a Saturday (or Friday) mailing. Or just do what they say they'll do...and mail them on Monday for a Tuesday delivery. That makes it TWO extra days...which, of course, is what this year's class will have to wait for if the schools with mail-only notifications go for the Monday delivery this year.</p>
<p>don't know if i'm posting on the right thread, this is my first post. i'm applying to 9th grade at andover and exeter from a montessori school in ohio. i know i have good recs and my interviews went well i feel. on my ssats i got V794, M682 and R728, 94th percentile overall. anyone venture a guess on my chances of getting in? btw, i'm applying for FA and i'm caucasian. thx</p>
<p>there are limited ec's available at my school, but i'm on the yrbk committe, i volunteer at local help-to-others charity, take acting classes, tennis lessons twice a week for past 5 yrs, and ski-spend most of my time reading and studying, lol good luck to you too...thx for answering</p>
<p>oh my god, it's two weeks until the march 10 decisions! You guys must be so excited! Just going through this thread triggered my body to give off reminiscent-excitement rays...I remember how I was so dreadfully calm in a very freaky way...like all of my nerves were compressed into bubbles in my stomach....so I did not dances, nor scream my lungs off, but instead walked around like a zombie....good luck, all of you!!!</p>
<p>And most schools post their decisions for you online, March 10...thus I found out all of my acceptances/deferrences online on March 10...</p>
<p>what happened to me was..i decided to go to summer school to prepare me for hotchkiss in may, so i just called up andover and asked them to use a copy of my school application as my application to summer school...they accepted me in a week or so... i dont think it takes long for them to process those apps</p>
<p>Does anyone know what they say on a rejection notice? I was just thinking, God, it would suck to be the person who dealt with applicants whose notices didn't come by mail, and have to personally tell them they were rejected. :(</p>