S20 was accepted to Elon EA and is now trying to decide whether to apply for Elon College Fellows. Is there anyone here who decided NOT to apply in previous years?
The main reason to apply would be the chance for Merit scholarship . Because of the research requirement, it is implied that there is more personalized academic advising, which also appeals to him (the advising, not necessarily the research project). But the rest of the “benefits” are more than he can appreciate right now. His stats are good but not great. Overall he is not sure he’s a competitive candidate, and not sure about how interested he is in the program, and he is still doing RD essays for other schools due at the same time. I wish there were a way to find out more about the program – hoping someone will share their current experiences with it here…
Hello, current Elon senior here. I decided not to apply because of the time commitment and constraints. Not being in fellows has allowed me more freedom to choose my own academic path. My friends who are fellows are constantly under stress due to the additional work they have in addition to their classes. I would say if he is not ready to be fully devoted to the program, it is probably not worth it. But he could always try it and then drop it later. Hope this helps!
Here’s my two cents. I told my daughter that she had to have the mindset that she was applying to a program of study, not a financial scholarship. To be clear, she won’t be able to go without the $$, but it is definitely not a standalone merit scholarship. I personally wouldn’t want her to feel forced for the money; if that’s the case, it’s not the right place for her. I personally don’t take issue with how they link merit money with a more rigorous curriculum, but that’s just opinion.
Interesting take from Princessli – I appreciate the insight! There are those who regret not applying and, I’m sure, those who regret being in the program.
The Elon website has great information about each of the different Fellows programs. Some of them are linked to the major (e.g. Business) while others are not dependent on a single focus (e.g. Honors). I agree that being committed to a major is something to think hard about; I would hate for my kid to either feel stuck in a major or needing to change schools.
One thing I haven’t heard about is merit $ unrelated to the Fellows programs or the $ offered with the initial acceptance (Presidential Scholarship or otherwise). I have seen no mention of a student receiving more than the Presidential scholarship without being part of the Fellows programs.
We had 2 senior tour guides at our Elon tour; one was a Fellow and one wasn’t. The one who wasn’t said that she decided not to apply because she thought her stats weren’t high enough, subsequently when she attended Elon and met lots of Fellows, she regretted not applying. She says it was her only regret about Elon!
Another story…my DS also has “good but not great stats.” I thought Fellows sounded great (again, our two tour guides really talked it up) and basically pressured him to apply…he didn’t want to, but he applied. I think he also was not seeing the benefits/ and/or didn’t want to overextend himself academically without knowing what he was getting into. He did not even get an interview. So that was a lesson for me, kind of a take a horse to water thing. I still think that Fellows sounds amazing and when I read about the group activities and trips that some are taking, and hear the success stories from students that are Fellows at visits and Parents Weekend, etc, I wish my DS would have been motivated more, but I’ve realized that it clearly wasn’t for him. Hope this helps.
@TS0104
What kinds of trips do the Fellows take? Do they do a study abroad together in J-term?
Also, do they take any classes together?
What types of additional requirements do they have?
The brochure is a little vague, so any extra information would be helpful! Thanks!
@sunnyschool I assume it’s different for each Fellows program. I know the Teaching Fellows travel abroad to New Zealand sophomore year and Boston/Philly/DC two J-terms. Other than that I don’t know much about the programs. What Fellows program did your S/D apply for?
@sunnyschool , I don’t really know…my S is not in Fellows. I know from social media (Instagram in this case) that several Fellows groups went on trips during J Term. Elon has great social media and web site info, from a quick google I found bus. fellows information on the Elon web site that includes a NYC trip and a study abroad.
@sunnyschool Sorry if someone has already said this, but Honors fellows freshmen can apply to go to Italy winter term (and get a chunk of it paid for). Like @TS0104 I follow some Fellows on social media and the range of activities over this recent winter term is amazing. I find myself wanting to comment because it’s so cool, but that might be a bit much for the parent of an applicant!
