<p>Copterguy,</p>
<p>He’s a mechanical engineering major. He was in the honors program and enjoyed the end of the first year project. They designed, programmed and built a mini-robot.</p>
<p>My daughter got a letter saying she has been selected as a scholar in the National Hispanic Recognition Program. She is applying to Penn Sate, UNC, UMd, UVA, College of William and Mary, Dickinson College and Universitry of Wisconsin. Does anyone know if those places give scholarships to NHRP kids?</p>
<p>Does anyone know what schools waive application fees for NHS’s?</p>
<p>maraviha,
Welcome to CC and the Hispanic Students forum! This thread has a very complete list of colleges that offer scholarships for NHRP:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hispanic-students/735291-colleges-offering-scholarships-national-hispanic-scholars.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hispanic-students/735291-colleges-offering-scholarships-national-hispanic-scholars.html</a></p>
<p>hsg,
I don’t know of any, but other posters might.</p>
<p>hsg,
We have come upon a few schools on Common App that have free apps when applying online by the early action dates (which are very soon). e.g. Denison, UOP, Knox? Not specifically for National Hispanic Scholar, for everyone using Common App.</p>
<p>maravilha,</p>
<p>One way to find out about specific schools in relation to NHRP is to go to their web sites and do a search with the term “National Hispanic Scholar” or “National Hispanic Recognition Program.” The results may direct you to web pages with information about scholarships for NHS.</p>
<p>Can you not receive a National Merit Scholar award and the NHRP award as well?</p>
<p>I received a National Merit Scholar Letter of Commendation for getting a 215 on my PSAT. I marked Hispanic on the PSAT (I’m 50% Mexican) and I meet all of the categories in the link on the first post. I received no award however, while another Hispanic student in my class received the award, getting a 185 on his PSAT. What problems could have arisen? And I’m guessing there is no way to correct this? Thanks.</p>
<p>Yes, you can receive both, they are separate awards. Something fell through the cracks, I’d recommend immediately calling NHRP at the number on their website:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Many students have gotten NHRP relatively late in the process, so it’s worth a try. Good luck!</p>
<p>I called the phone number you provided and they told me that all my counselor has to do is email my information to <a href="mailto:nhrp@collegeboard.com">nhrp@collegeboard.com</a> by December 1st and I will receive the award.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot entomom :)</p>
<p>Glad to hear it!</p>
<p>One college sent a letter saying, “Congratulations on being a National Hispanic Recognition FINALST.” Is finalist another level that I don’t know about, or were they just using an incorrect term?</p>
<p>I think they’re using the term incorrectly (probably taking it from NM which uses Semi-finalist and Finalist categories) and they really mean Scholar. The letter D2 received from NHRP says that: Scholar = gpa 3.5 and above and honorable mention = gpa between 3.0-3.49. When I talked to NHRP over the phone earlier this year they said that only Scholar names are sent to colleges.</p>
<p>Is the 5k Vanderbilt gives to NHS a one-time thing or every year?</p>
<p>My daughter was recognized by her (small, Lutheran) high school for being the school’s first Hispanic Recognition Scholar. Most of the feedback I have received from other parents has been wonderful and congratulatory, but I have to admit I’ve been blown away by negative reactions from a few. Including members of my own family! </p>
<p>My daughter is of Mexican descent on her father’s side and of Irish descent on mine. Of her many cousins on her dad’s side, she will only be the third one in her generation to go to college. (Not necessarily because they couldn’t afford it but because they just haven’t been encouraged to see higher education as all that important.) </p>
<p>On my side of the family, everyone has gone to college. There of course has never been any question that my daughter will attend college and we are proud of her and admittedly delighted about her Scholar designation.</p>
<p>I just got off the phone with one of my siblings who said my daughter should not have identified herself as Hispanic because she is just as American as any other child in our family, and that it will be totally unfair to accept any scholarship money we might possibly be offered because scholarships for minorities are ridiculous and racist in this day and age.</p>
<p>This from a person whose own daughter just signed with a college on a swimming scholarship. I mean, if you take that same reasoning and apply it to my sibling’s situation, isn’t it unfair to give financial aid to an athlete? What does athletics have to do with higher education? (Mind you, I don’t feel that way personally and am very happy and proud of my niece for her scholarship award… I’m just sayin’.) My sibling’s point is that their daughter swam for hours and hours each week to qualify for her scholarship, whereas my daughter might get a scholarship because she just happens to have been born a member of a certain ethnic group. </p>
<p>What do you other members of this forum think about this? Should the NHR program be limited to recent immigrants, rather than given to students of Hispanic descent whose families have been here for generations?</p>
<p>zansmom, Sorry you had negative feedback about what really should be an honor. If you take out the ethnic factor, Scholars have a high PSAT and high GPA. We could have a very long conversation about the questions you pose, which are complicated. But I just want to throw out a couple of points to consider. Universities that offer merit aid to NHS are motivated in part by their own self interest. That is not the only reason, and many do also want to provide opportunities for Hispanic kids – BUT truth is that in the competitive world of higher education, the percentage of minority students on a campus is a factor that potentital applicants consider. It’s also sometimes considered in rankings. Also, notice they are making these offers to the top Hispanic students, not all. </p>
<p>Second point to consider – the universities offering scholarships are in many cases outstanding universities. But they are not Ivy Leagues. At many of the scholarship universities, NHS students are also eligible for honors programs. In the case of some NHS students, their stats would put them in the top 10 percent of universities offering NHS scholarships – regardless of the Hispanic part. So in many cases these universities are offering aid to honors students who would also help the universities diversify.</p>
<p>I will echo Copterguy, you should be extremely happy and proud of your D. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, I’m not surprised to hear the types of negative comments you’ve received, they’re all over this site. If you go to the College Admissions forum, there’s an ongoing thread that is currently in it’s 8th incarnation about race/ethnicity and college admissions. Basically the entire thread is full of arguments from one side or the other and similar to what you’ve heard.</p>
<p>Maybe your sibling needs to look at the college stats and see that the representation of Hispanics in college (as well as other URMs) are well below their representation in the general population. I hate to say this, but what it boils down to is that your sibling thinks that your D has gotten an unfair advantage simply based on the fact of who you happened to marry and consequentially, who her father is. Sure she’s been raised much like her cousins, but she also has an ethnic inheritance from her father’s side that is equally as important. And it’s a factor that schools are interested in, much as they are swimmers. Schools want to field good sports teams, and schools want to have a diverse student body. They use scholarships as one way to try to accomplish both of these goals.</p>
<p>As far as your question about whether NHRP should be limited to recent immigrants, I’m sure this was considered when they made the guidelines for who qualifies. While for NHRP a 1/4 Hispanic background is required, another Hispanic scholarship (sorry can’t remember which) uses 1/2 as the cutoff. I can only assume that these programs have taken this question under consideration and weighted the various factors, such as: How do you determine what percentage of Hispanic background constitutes having a strong ethnic identity? Should income be used as a factor? If the pool were limited to recent immigrants, would there be a substantial number of viable candidates?</p>
<p>And the fact of the matter is that through their application, students give much information about their income, degree of ethnic identity, etc. And the colleges are free to use this information. After all, they chose to give scholarships to all NHRP scholars or to make it a competitive process where they can include other factors in their selection.</p>
<p>If your sibling or anyone else has a problem with these scholarships, they should be talking to the colleges, not you or your D.</p>
<p>I appreciate everyone’s comments on this matter. For me, the bottom line is: 1) the huge achievement gap 2)the need for role models so that academic success becomes more widespread in the Hispanic community and 3) the value of diversity (off all types) in academia and life! My children are half Scandinavian and half Mexican-American. They have attended a 98% white school and we live in a community with little diversity.Throughout their lives, both peers and adults identify them as “Mexicans.” The mostly benign ignorance is sometimes incomprehensible to me. My D is referred to by her friends as the girl from Mexico, although she is third generation on her father’s side. My son has been racially profiled numerous times and in high school was “the nicest Mexican dude.” So, in my way of thinking, most people see our children as their Hispanic ethnicity first, rather than individuals. The students who are recognized as NHRS have achieved at the highest level and are being handed nothing for free-they have worked for it. The diversity of race, ethnicity, culture, thinking, experience, religion, sexual orientation promotes tolerance, cultivates expanded thinking and understanding so that people can be viewed as individuals, not just their phenotypes. The number of hispanic students who enter college but don’t complete their degree is also troubling, as well as the small numbers of hispanic students who continue to professional school. I believe diversity promotes tolerance through personal experience and is vital to the climate of an institiution of higher learning.</p>
<p>Copterguy, Entomom, and Stillwatermom:</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your responses. I agree with your viewpoints and will use the facts you cited in any further discussions with my family members. I also appreciate your encouragement and support.</p>
<p>I’m new to this forum and I see there is a wealth of valuable information that you and others have posted about the NHRP. Thank you for taking the time to do so and I am going be spending a lot of time here over the next few months as my D finalizes her college plans. I will also plan on sharing any new or updated information as we go through the process!</p>
<p>Glad to have you on board, and best of luck to your D!</p>
<p>Anyone know what the cutoff IN Puerto Rico is?</p>