Hi all!
I am an OOS quadruple legacy (will that help any? :P) to UNC CH. My school is listed as a school that is able to nominate students to the Morehead Cain, but the website lets you start an application without any problem (and I certainly haven’t been nominated yet). How can I get nominated by my school?
Also, if I were to be nominated…
I have a 4.3 weighted GPA (no senior year grades yet) in a full IB program, 1560 new SAT, a handful of 4s and 5s in APs, and a couple of community based leadership roles. How much harder is it for an OOS applicant than instate to receive the scholarship? My mother was a Morehead scholar (but instate) and she thinks I’d rock it, but then again, she’s my mother and she says that about everything. Thoughts?
Much appreciated.
At Part III of the UNC-CH Admissions Policy, http://www.admissions.unc.edu/files/2013/09/Admissions__Policy.pdf, it states as follows: “In the application of this policy of competitive admissions to nonresident students, preference for admission may be given to nonresident applicants who are children of alumni of the institution.” So being an OOS – as opposed to in-state – legacy may be of help to you.
It’s my understanding that OOS schools which can nominate candidates for the Morehead-Cain can only nominate one (1) student from the school. I suspect that the nominating process varies from school to school; at our school, the decision is made by the guidance counselors and the head of the school based upon a list of students who have expressed an interest in being considered for the M-C as well as other nominated scholarships (such as the Belk at Davidson, or the Jefferson at UVA). I would ask your guidance counselor(s) ASAP how the process works at your school, so that you can be sure to be considered for the M-C nomination.
If you are not nominated by your school, you might still have a chance at the M-C through the Admissions Referral Program: “The UNC Admissions Office refers particularly strong Early Action applicants to UNC to the Morehead-Cain selection process. In most cases, referred students attend high schools that are not eligible to nominate on their own.” It also goes without saying that you must be “a competitive applicant” to UNC-CH.
Competition among nominees is very tough. Even if you were nominated, I wouldn’t hold your breath; at that level, everyone has amazing qualifications.
Good luck to you.