Nitze Scholars!

Colleges and Universities A-Z St. Mary's College of Maryland
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<p>Congrats on your scholarships, Dessin & carasimp!</p>

<p>I applied for transfer to SMCM for Fall '09 and I'm still waiting to hear back. I'm OOS as well (PA), and having come from a huge state school (Pitt), SMCM was like a breath of fresh air. I visited a few months back, and though the location is remote, the campus is so beautiful. I agree with whoever said the vibe was very laid back, I definitely would agree. I meandered about some of the buildings and the students seemed friendly and content. I'd really like to go back and do an overnight; I need to work on getting that set up. I don't think transfers get notified until early May, but I'm excited nonetheless :)</p>

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<p>good luck!</p>

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<p>Thanks ocean girl! I have a friend at Pitt now. She seems to like it... but her descriptions don't sound all that appealing to me. I really liked the overall chillness of St. Mary's. I'm not 100% decided though UVA and W&M are still on the table... but i'm like 98%.</p>

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<p>haha yes, i understand. pitt was great for me my freshman year in the honors dorm, but after that i kind of realized what the rest of the school was like and really was not happy. but i can't say i regret going there; i met some awesome people. </p>

<p>if i may comment on W&M (of course you can take this or leave it) i have a friend there right now, one of the most chill people you'll ever meet. very down to earth, really nice guy. he goes to W&M and is miserable. i guess it's pretty uptight/preppy. and i've definitely heard that before hearing it from him. and i've heard similarly regarding UVA....i don't know if you visited and thought otherwise, but just thought i'd throw in my two cents :)</p>

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<p>haha, your comments about UVA and W&M are EXACTLY what I want to hear. I don't really want to go to either of them, but i think it bothers my parents a little bit that i'm passing up the "best two school in VA." The more I talk to people and them more I think about it, them more I really want to go to st mary's... and maybe (or more like probably with the size of the school) I'll run into you next year.</p>

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<p>Say, is there any chance that one of you has an inside track on when RD applicants will be notified?</p>

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<p>nope - we haven't even gotten letters about winning the nitze, just phone calls.</p>

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<p>No inside track, just what it says on their website after you click on Prospective Students. It says regular decision letters will be mailed at the end of March.</p>

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<p>I received a letter in early February congratulating me for being named a "St. Mary's College Academic Achievement Scholar." "It is clear from an early review of your application that you will be accepted."</p>

<p>Yesterday I received the official letter of admission along with details concerning housing and what not. Also, there was a nice note from the director of admissions which somewhat individualized the letter.</p>

<p>Just as a heads up, I'm in Indiana, so I'm not sure how that figures into when they sent the letters. Best of luck to all.</p>

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<p>Napier, thanks for posting. Hopefully the mail will make it's way westward soon!</p>

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<p>congrats napier!</p>

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<p>Yes, forgive my impoliteness - congratulations! Nice to know other OOS are considering this wonderful school.</p>

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<p>napier, let me know when you receive finaid info please! also, when was your letter postmarked? Something makes me think that they're sending letters earlier to OOSers because they want to attract a more diverse student body - not just a MD crowd - which is fine by me.</p>

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<p>While I didn't save the package (a big, white envelope which contained a few papers as well as a SMCM window decal), the letter of admission was dated March 17th, so I assume they sent it that day, or perhaps the day after. You may be right about the admissions office sending OOS letters earlier; it definitely seems like they're pursuing out of state kids hard. They called my school's guidance office to let them know they're interested, apparently. As you said, they are big on one, I assume you'll receive more. At least, that's what happened with me. classroom diversity, so that would make sense.</p>

<p>As for the financial aid, they let me know the details in the letter of admission. That said, the money I received was for being a SMCM Academic Achievement Scholar. I didn't apply for this scholarship, which is nice. It is different, I assume, from the NITZE scholarship in the thread title. In the likely letter they sent me back in February, I was informed that all SMCM Academic Achievement Scholars are entitled to at least $3500 a year. </p>

<p>Good luck everyone, and please post the admissions results if you feel so inclined!</p>

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<p>hey, carasimp, I was reading some of these posts and I am also choosing between W&M and St. Mary's.<br>
I was wondering if there are any other reasons that are you choosing st. mary's over w&m?<br>
I like st. mary's, but it doesn't seem like a lot of my family does (haha, don't ask me why). but, i'm from md, so st. mary's is more economically feasible than w&m.
i guess i would just appreciate any comments on either school.</p>

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<p>pancake7-</p>

<p>well with william and mary, that's actually been where i've wanted to go since like 8th grade. I even interviewed there this summer. SMCM wasn't even a thought until a few months ago... i applied on a whim. And for me its the opposite... W&M is only like 18,000 a year (instate) and more for SMCM... the main thing is that I am really hoping to get some scholarships for SMCM. if i don't though, its instate for me... :(</p>

<p>Anyway, here's some of whats going into my decision...
Reasons for SMCM- on the water (i want to study marine bio), small (I go to a small HS and sort of love it), i hear really happy enthusiastic responses from current and past students, i want to go to grad school... so i don't need that undergrad "brand name" like W&M until actual grad school, i want to learn to sail, i think the bonfires sound so cute, i'm a fan of the chill attitude, the professors seemed really down to earth, i like discussion based classes, it's environment friendly, maybe i'll learn to sail, only an hour and a half from home</p>

<p>Reason for not W&M- I have some friends there and the reviews are mixed, one loves it, but she also loves 4 hours of HW a night and only socializing with her sweet mates, then i know people that hate it, and seem think its super up tight, there are a lot of grad students so while i could get some lab time and internships, i know i would get to do much design my own studies as an underclassman, seems like a good place to be if your willing to work really hard and be around a lot of others that also want to work really hard- which isn't at all a bad thing, but idk if it's for me, i think williamsburg is nice to visit, but 20 field trips over the years has sort of killed it for me, and i'm tempted to go there for grad school and wouldn't if i did undergrad there...</p>

<p>so, really i have nothing to say which school would be better for you. but, my parents are also having trouble convincing my family on SMCM because "it doesn't have a reputation- good or bad" meaning, they'd never heard of it and neither had any of their friends... plus its much easier to get into than W&M and UVA and "do i know all the kids that would kill for my spot??" but good luck with you decision, let me know which you pick!</p>

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<p>thanks so much carasimp!
I know when i visited st marys for the nitze scholars reception, i really liked it. </p>

<p>I just got my letter today, and while I didn't get the nitze, I did get a letter saying that I got the same amount of scholarship money that I would have received, had I gotten into the program.<br>
This came out to $8,500- so I was really surprised, since I know that st marys usually gives out smaller awards. Since you've already been accepted to the nitze program I'm assuming that you'll get scholarship money similar to this (maybe even more!)
Good luck!!!!</p>

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<p>Congratulations pancake!! Shouldn't be much longer before I get me letter and we'll see...</p>

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<p>I just got my letter yesterday as well. Didn't get into Nitze but got the $8500 award. They must have sent the out-of-state letters first. I'm from MD and the letter was dated 3/27.
I was reading over the posts on this thread- what was the 2/27 event? I recieved an academic achievement award but never heard anything about the reception.</p>

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<p>Hi everybody…
I got the Nitze scholarship as well. The final four colleges that I’m trying to decide between are University of Maryland College Park, SMCM, UVa, and W&M.
Now besides the W&M reasoning you guys have mentioned so far, do you guys have reasoning why I shouldn’t choose one of the others?</p>

<p>I’m afraid I’ll find SMCM stifling. It might seem “too small” or “too chill” and I wouldn’t have the opportunities there that I would elsewhere, like CP.
Thoughts?</p>