<p>DD2 is ranked in the top 5-10 of 450+ in a competitive public high school (in PA), and her GPA is approximately 98 out of 100 (uw). She has already taken the ACT this past spring as a sophomore and got a 35. She has taken one AP course so far, and received an A in the course and a 4 on the world history exam, and 2 SAT2s, Math 2 (750), and Literature (740). She has a loaded junior year schedule this year with 4 AP courses and other honors level courses. She is heavily involved in equestrian, spending 20+ hours every week with training and competing in regional and national eventing competitions. She has some other ECs as well, including Key Club and other community service involvement, but nothing remotely involved as this. Her recs and essays should be very good. She is very interested in UD Honors (Pre-vet) for a variety of reasons, and this will be articulated in her essays</p>
<p>I think she would have a good shot at the Honors College...but what about significant merit scholarships at UD?? Anyone have any first (or second-) hand experience of what might be possible??</p>
<p>My guess is that your daughter is a sure thing for the honors program. Scholarships are harder to predict as I am not sure to what degree the student’s major comes into play. Nonetheless, her act is magnificent and will certainly guarantee something. Assuming the major is irrelevant (and tht is only an assumption on my part) I would be surprised if her merit package would be less than $20k per year. </p>
<p>My unsolicited opinion is that if your daughter is open to a wider range of schools, she could go on a full ride scholarship, that is not to say that could nnot happen at Udel. In any case, you should be proud, and it sounds like you are doing the right thing by seeking out information. I honestly think that a parent cannot be too involved in helping their student navigate the college admissions process. That is especially true with high achievers whose achievements have earned them privileges like admission to highly selective schools and scholarships. The problem is, the achievement is not enough. It takes research and an aggressive and thorough effort to maximize the opportunities out there. I have never met a student who can do that by themselves.</p>
<p>I think she is an amazing candidate and it’s very smart that she’s identified a school that would meet her unique needs. My daughter chose UD over higher ranked schools for the exact reason and we are all thrilled. What I will say is that UD likes to see rigor of coursework and success in those courses, so your daughter will need to take a full load of academic courses in her senior year and continue on her excellent path. As far as the honors program, what they really want is a mix of interesting, engaged people, so the essay to the honors department should articulate specifically what she would bring to the program and what she would hope to gain from it. And I do mean specifically. It shouldn’t be a generic recitation of her accomplishments. My D wrote a whimsical essay from the point of view of giving a speech as an older woman after having achieved her most cherished dream and looking back on how the experiences in her youth at UD had brought her to that achievement. It was very detailed about the UD program and where she wanted to take her skills. So make it personal and make it specific. Good luck to your wonderful daughter!</p>
<p>Thanks to both of you. What are the possibilities of a full DuPont scholarship? Other than what was mentioned above, is there anything besides the essays that are a major impact for this?</p>
<p>Cdk, there is a thread here on college confidential under univ of Delaware called “dupont scholarship” please search and you will be able to get some perspectives. In general it is hard to predict these things as it is always a moving target. The funds change, quality of applicants change, recruiting strategies change, etc…</p>
<p>Another strategy may be to have your daughter attend some kind of program at UD. I am not sure what is offered, but having some direct experience with the school will help her determine if it is the place for her, and it will reflect well on her application.</p>
<p>Found thread from 2009…thanks. That was a good thread…just was hoping for some more ‘profiles’ of recent DuPont winners. We have been to UD (live 1 hour away) and we are going to a ‘Blue and Gold’ Saturday in October. I think she will definitely apply to UD Honors, and a slew of similar programs.</p>