<p>We received my son’s notification by FedEx. I believe he submitted his application (RD) sometime in late December. We had visited the campus once and he had an interview near home at a later date.</p>
<p>We also received notification via FedEx. Visited and had local interview this fall. RD app. We are not close to school. Very exciting news. Good luck to all Finalists.</p>
<p>Were your mid-semester or trimester grades in already?</p>
<p>Do you think all the letters went out already? My son also applied regular decision. Was wishing for a scholarship, since he loved the school, but the school is very expensive. How competitive is the scholarship? (my son has pretty good stats, but hasn’t found a cure for cancer, for example) :(</p>
<p>@foto2gem - I’m a finalist, but I haven’t submitted my mid-semester grades yet. </p>
<p>@shellywelly - An email has been sent out to notify finalists in addition to a Fed Ex package. I would advise your son to check his email inbox. To the best of my knowledge, the admissions committee has invited 120 finalists to participate in a selection program. After the program, about 25 students are chosen for the Fellowship. I don’t believe curing cancer is necessary - I certainly haven’t. Objective stats aside, I just think they’re looking for potential leaders. There are more details at <a href=“http://finaid.lafayette.edu/financing-your-education/types-of-financial-aid/scholarships/”>http://finaid.lafayette.edu/financing-your-education/types-of-financial-aid/scholarships/</a> . </p>
<p>Hope that helps a bit! Good luck to everyone!</p>
<p>@shellywelly - These notifications were for the Marquis Fellowship–only ~25 will be chosen from among the finalists. But there are also the smaller Marquis scholarships, of which there will be many more, so even if your son didn’t receive the notification for the Fellowship finalists, he still has a chance for the Marquis Scholarship, which is still a very generous scholarship.</p>
<p>Thanks. We will keep waiting and looking.</p>
<p>Any international students receive word ?</p>
<p>I was wondering if all the people who didn’t get the Fellowship are the ones that get the Marquis Scholarship?Now I am hoping he gets into Lafayette at all. They did say that they prefer early decision applicants, but we were told not to apply early decision if you are depending on financial aid/scholarships.</p>
<p>Shellywelly. I didn’t study the board, but I would suggest that if they are gathering 125 people to announce the Fellowships, then the rest will get the Scholarships. From memory, Lafayette awards Marquis Scholarships to 20% of the class, which based on 625 new students last year would suggest that everyone invited is being given the Scholarship. Everyone wins…some just win more than others (is my guess). </p>
<p>Lafayette was probably our child’s second choice (maybe first…we’ll never know), but we decided to EA at a reach school and ended up not needing to apply to Lafayette. Best of luck.</p>
<p>@EyeVee and @shellywelly: There was nothing in my son’s notification that promised a Marquis Scholarship. I don’t have the letter in front of me, but my impression was that students who are invited AND attend the interview day are promised “top consideration” for Marquis Scholarships if they are not fellowship winners. Also, somewhere or other I picked up a number of ~250 scholarships offered. This is still consistent with 20% of the class being scholars, as not all kids offered the scholarships will necessarily accept.</p>
<p>Momx4…The hit rate for accepted students was in the low 40’s (%) last year, so it makes sense that they would get half of those that they offer Marquis $ to. </p>
<p>would any of the invitees to the Fellowship care to post their GPA, SAT/ACT, and ECs?</p>
<p>They do seem very generous with scholarships. They must have great alumni.</p>
<p>Shelly. Their endowment is around $600M, which is obviously a lot of money, but not as much as other liberal arts schools (Williams and Swarthmore both over $1.6B) or local competitors (Lehigh is >$1B). Many in the liberal arts community are against merit based awards, so this type of award is infrequent. </p>
<p>I believe it is a strategic initiative on the part of the school to elevate its profile and attract better students. Every parent involved in selecting a college has looked at SAT scores, ACT scores, etc. as a measuring stick to judge the schools and their child’s chances of acceptance. If you can drive the statistics higher by getting kids with better scores, then the selectivity perception goes with it. In theory, the better the student the better the experience for the others as well. I like what Lafayette is doing. I think its a niche school that has a ton of upside, and by the way the campus is beautiful.</p>
<p>For $12M-$13M per year, are the Marquis Fellowships and Scholarships a good investment for the school…maybe. Are they a good deal for the recipients…absolutely.</p>
<p>That makes sense. My son visited the school twice, the second time with me. I saw a sparkle in his eye that he didn’t have with any of the other colleges we had visited. He’s a hard worker and a good kid. I hope he gets in.</p>
<p>jkeil911…stats for one Marquis Fellowship invitee are: ACT34, GPA 5.3, all IB/AP classes, Habitat for Humanity 4 summers, started handicap sports program locally, soccer team captain, NHS, traveled abroad for charity work 3 summers in a row, youth symphony for 4 years lead chair, plus other awards for music and other school clubs. </p>
<p>thank you, justcurious. I wish you luck. any others?</p>
<p>Any feedback on the Marquis finalists’ weekend? How was it?</p>
<p>It’s next weekend. March 8th.</p>