<p>So I got in but no Merit Scholarship for me :(</p>
<p>I applied to 6 schools, 3 that I REALLY want to go to and 3 schools that i would also be extremely happy at. Brandeis is in the 3 that I would be happy at, but it is not my first choice. Merit Aid (especially a large scholarship) would definitely push Brandeis up with my first 3 schools, so I am upset that I didn’t get anything but a small loan. Is there any chance that finances were considered when Merit Aid was given? I submitted the CSS Profile and I know I am completely ineligible for any sort of need-based aid.</p>
<p>people without need do get merit aid. whether its a factor, who knows.</p>
<p>you can drive yourself crazy trying to figure out why some got merit and you didn't, or why different people got different amounts. the only people who could fully explain it are those who made the decision, and i doubt they are talking. :)</p>
<p>congratulations on getting in. sounds like however everything falls out with the rest of the schools you applied to, you will end up somewhere you will be happy -- there is an awful lot to be said for that!! you're starting out in a good place and things can only get better for you. good luck where ever it is you end up going.</p>
<p>Unless things have changed, Brandeis does not use need as a basis for awarding merit scholarships, except their own need to attract certain students. If you had been awarded a merit scholarship but felt that a larger scholarship would make the picture different between schools, then you might try to negotiate for a larger scholarship.</p>
<p>However, you say that you were not awarded any merit scholarship but that a large scholarship would put Brandeis up with your top choices. If you were not awarded any merit scholarship, appealing to Brandeis is extremely unlikely to produce a large merit award.</p>
<p>dadofsam, your statement is not precisely true. Brandeis has "merit scholarships" that also require demonstration of "financial need". In Brandeis's accounting, these are lumped with merit scholarships. BUT, not all merit scholarships there require demonstration of need.</p>
<p>jlong -- I would suggest that you wait until spring when you have admissions offers from other colleges. If you have a strong merit offer from a college that Brandeis would consider as being somewhat equivalent in terms of selectivity, you might be able to push Brandeis into matching your aid package -- it just would help your negotiating position tremendously if you had an offer in hand to fax it to them. The basic protocol is to fax a copy, saying that you really want to come to Brandeis but in view of the offer from college X, you are going to have to turn them down.</p>
<p>The worst that can happen is that the college says "no". Some colleges will meet awards, some won't. I have a relative who was accepted to both Stanford & Harvard with need-based awards, but Stanford's was significiantly better. She faxed the Stanford award to Harvard, and Harvard matched it. That's about as good as it gets.</p>
<p>Since merit awards are not based on any showing of need, in theory they should be even more flexible - but it really is going to depend on how much the college wants to retain the student, so it is going to depend a lot on what yield figures look like -- as well as what is left in the financial aid budget. </p>
<p>You don't need another award to negotiate with -- that just is something that gives you a good bargaining position.</p>
<p>By the way - I did the same thing last year to get a mortgage refinance -- I simply faxed an offer I had received from a mortgage broker to my existing lender, and they matched everything - including interest rates, lower appraisal costs, less points.... it was a significant savings over what they would have offered otherwise.</p>
<p>Please excuse me, but I've seen your posting on the Yale board that shows you have very strong SATs and gpa, plus numerous AP's. </p>
<p>I think you would have a good chance of getting something from Brandeis if you do what Calmom suggests and show them you are seriously interested. </p>
<p>I know someone from last year who received an offer of merit award in late April. In his case, there was another merit award from a different school involved. He explained to Brandeis that he really wanted to go there but had been given "X scholarship" from another school. He was given a merit award by Brandeis, although a smaller one than what he'd gotten from another school. He went to Brandeis and loves it.</p>
<p>The only thing about matching a merit scholarship is that I probably will not receive any financial aid or scholarships from the other schools that I applied to. :( I wonder if negotiation is possible even if there are no other comparable offers...
Brandeis is a wonderful school and I really enjoyed my visit there. Unfortunately, w/o any aid I think it is unlikely I will go there.</p>
<p>i recently got merit aid from brandeis (25000 a year) and i wouldn't get financial aid anywhere so family income definitely isn't an issue...negotiation is also a possibility</p>
<p>blu ribbon is just if you went on the website and asked for a hard copy of the application...like if you requested it but it's nothing special....common app is fine</p>
but no Merit Scholarship for me :(</p>