<p>So, I was fully expecting to get merit aid from WPI. It is my first choice and thought I did everything possible to get at least something. I made sure they knew I was extremely interested and I completed their merit aid supplement. But, after weeks of waiting, it looks like I got nothing. </p>
<p>What makes this very difficult is the fact that, for the same major (Biomedical Engineering), I received a merit scholarship of $24,000 a year at Drexel and got accepted into their honors program. I have been set on WPI and love the school but with getting no aid, this is basically $100,000 I'd be passing on and I just don't know if I can do that and if it's worth it. </p>
<p>So, my real question here is should I try to find out if at least I can be re-considered for a merit scholarship at WPI? I was hoping to get $10,000 at the very least so getting nothing completely threw me for a loop and has really changed my plans. Some useful information:</p>
<p>National Merit Scholarship Commendation (Sent score to WPI as one of my two schools. I know of 4 people from my school who were not commended and got aid ranging from $8-13K)
33 ACT
95 Weighted GPA (freshman year brought this down a lot, had mono and attended a different school. Was explained in application and also in a conversation with a person from the admissions department)
Top 10% in my class, multiple recommendations one from guidance counselor and one from principal who both said i would have been in the top 5% had I been at the school all four years)
National Honor Society
3 Sport Varsity athlete, captain in one, two year all-star in two</p>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to read this and I am really just looking for advice on whether to try and ask to be re-considered and if you think I am expecting too much or if I am justified in my concerns. Thanks again!</p>
<p>I thought WPI was good for merit aid. Hmmm Drexel is better. Do you know the COA’s off the top of your head? How much is Drexel less the scholarship versus WPI with no scholarship.</p>
<p>I agree with Erin’s dad. Have you called to follow up? I think it’s perfectly OK to call the Finaid office OR your admissions officer and tell them that WPI was your number one choice and you completed the supplements to be considered for merit aid and are wondering if those decisions have been made. It’s entirely possible that those types of merit awards are being made at the department level and the decisions have not been made. If they tell you that the decisions have been made I think it is entirely OK to tell your admissions officer or finaid officer that you probably won’t be able to attend without aid and to ask if there are any opportunities you may have overlooked. If this is your first choice school I don’t see anything wrong with digging into it alittle before you give it up.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I don’t think schools really care “merit-wise” if a student is Commended. </p>
<p>Are they also engineering majors?</p>
<p>Do they have similar test scores?</p>
<p>If they’re in a different major, is it possible that their merit is from the dept of their major? </p>
<p>If they’re also engineering, are any of them women? </p>
<p>Anyway …You might want to let WPI know about your Drexel offer and how attending WPI is unaffordable without a some merit offer. Don’t just contact someone who answers the phone in Scholarships…contact the director. Be sure to indicate that WPI is your number one pick and that you’ll enroll if it becomes more affordable.</p>
<p>You should definitely contact the scholarhip office at WPI. Your description seems like you should be in line for some merit money from WPI. They do have a formal scholarship appeal process that you might be able to go through. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you, I did call the school and I was directed to e-mail the application reader for my area. I was told that it is still under review, meaning that they are likely to re-consider. Also, the only one that I heard from that was female received $13,000 per year from WPI and, for the same exact major, $22,000 from Drexel so i am expecting to get something similar as she got from WPI.</p>
<p>Drexel’s tuition/fees amount is misleading if you’re doing co-op, because as a co-op student, you will pay tuition for 5 full years. At most other co-op schools you only pay 8 semesters of tuition spread out over 5 years. Also Drexel’s fees are considerably higher than any other school my S applied for. </p>
<p>WPI is more desperate for women than Drexel is, so if you’re not also female, it doesn’t necessarily follow that WPI would offer you a similar amount that it offered your female friend, even though Drexel did.</p>
<p>Sounds like good news that it is still under review though. Good luck!</p>
<p>Mathmo, I hear you, but if the scholarschip is for all years, then it is 34-24, or 10K net, or 50 total, v. 4 times 40 or 160 at WPI. I assume kids earn during coop time, and that is valuable, and can help with fees.</p>
<p>Yes, kids do generally earn during their co-op terms, depending on their major. Kids not on co-op have similar opportunities over the summers. </p>
<p>Clearly, Drexel with a $24K/year scholarship is a great deal, no argument there! But fees are high and dorm costs are the highest of any school my S applied to. For apples-to-apples comparisons, a student should look at the whole COA and not just tuition. WPI is an expensive school, but their room and board were on the more reasonable side, last I looked. </p>
<p>(I have no horse in this race – my S was accepted to both schools with significant merit, ruled out WPI on the basis of cost, and ultimately didn’t end up at Drexel either.)</p>
<p>*Also, the only one that I heard from that was female received $13,000 per year from WPI and, for the same exact major, $22,000 from Drexel so i am expecting to get something similar as she got from WPI. *</p>
<p>You might get the same from WPI, but if she’s a female and the merit is competitive, the it is possible that her award was gender related to get more females into their engineering program. Many Col of Eng’g only have about 20% women.</p>