Hi. I am thinking about applying to Clemson and the Calhoun Honors College. I was wondering if there were any National Scholars from Clemson that would like to post their stats.
Thanks in advance
I am not a NSP but when we attended an info session last year we were told it was extremely competitive with SAT scores of at least 1500 or ACT of 34 and typically ranked in the top 1 % of their graduating class.
I can post stats of someone who applied and did NOT get an interview for the Nat’l scholars (ACT 34; 4.0 UW; >8 APs; NMF; top 2% of graduating class; OOS.) She did get offered the top merit $ plus a little for NMF. Very competitive… but keep in mind they are building a class of scholars, so you may just have what they are wanting… never hurts to apply. Loved Clemson-- it’s a nice town, campus and strong honors college.
Is there a reason that you are interested in NSP other than financial?
Is the National Scholars only open to National Merit Scholarship Finalists or is it completely unrelated? The title is confusing me a little.
@thatpreppygirl it is completely unrelated. In order to be considered , you have to be accepted into Clemson Calhoun Honors College , and then invited to interview for a limited number of slots. It’s the upper echelon of the Honors College. These students are being groomed to be competitive for national awards like Rhodes, Fulbright, Goldwater scholars .
I do know that they only pick 10 or 15 a year. So I definitely wouldn’t count on it as a make or break no matter how impressive your stats. I know that there is a mandatory interview in the spring. But one of the previous posts on the same subject mentioned that the people that pick the National Scholars really want people that really want to be at Clemson. Not just at any top university but at Clemson specifically. (You could probably search and try to find the conversation.) My understanding from that conversation is that they are looking for the people that will come to Clemson either way but they just want to reward 10 or 15 elite students. I recall that one of the people from that conversation said that if Clemson is not absolutely where you want to be that you shouldn’t even waste your time.
10 to 15 people is not a lot. I am thinking a lot about it too. But I want to be a Tiger either way.
Thank you @carolinamom2boys I did not realize that that is the goal of the program. So they are definitely looking for people that they can groom to be successful in those ways in the future. That is good knowledge to having going forward. Thank you for your insight and all of your previous insight into the process!
@thatpreppygirl My son was accepted into Calhoun Honors last year . He is not attending there, but if you have any questions feel free to PM me . Is be happy to answer any questions the best that I can.
@carolinamom2boys I really liked what I read about Clemson online, and I hope to visit before I decide upon anything, but National Scholars would be one of the only ways for me to afford going to Clemson because I hope to go to medical school later on, and I don’t qualify for that much financial aid. Thanks for the information though.
@biologylover I completely understand.
The students getting selected as Clemson National Scholars are getting accepted into the Ivies and the most selective colleges all over the country. The intention of the program is to woo these students to Clemson. I’m very familiar with the program, and it is not my understanding that being “in love with Clemson” is required, although the question “why Clemson?” is implicitly asked. High stats alone won’t guarantee an invitation to the interview weekend. The selection committee is looking for stellar students with extensive leadership and/or research experience who are innately driven to excel and will become leaders on campus. The interview process is intense and intimidating. As mentioned by carolinamom2boys, the National Scholars are groomed and usually go on to earn fellowship opportunities for graduate and professional school. The program is outstanding, but incredibly competitive on every level.
My D was a finalist for the National Scholars program at Clemson back in 2014. She had a 3.9 U/W GPA, 35 ACT, excellent stats and ECs, etc. She attended the scholarship weekend, but was not offered the scholarship in the end. There were about 40 finalists invited to the weekend, and they had a goal of getting about 10 scholars to enroll, not sure how many offers they made to meet that, perhaps 15?
@mamag2855 Thank you for that information. That helped provide a glimpse of how the process works.