A couple of days ago, I was given the news that I would be a finalist for Colby College by Posse Foundation (They are known for rewarding full tuition scholarships). The thing is, I don’t know if I can fully commit myself to Colby College. So if I decline the Early Decision position, does anyone know if I will still receive benefits from Posse? I heard that they will notify other colleges about my status, but I don’t know if that requires me to accept the ED and get rejected first.
Thanks!
Why did you choose Colby, if you were not interested in committed (that is part of the process, if you are matched, you will apply ED. Even then, it is not a lock that you will be admitted by Colby).
If you are not selected as a finalist you can opt be placed in a database for Posse Access.
Posse Access, the hundreds of finalists nationwide who are not selected can opt to have their application profiles made available to each of Posse’s partner institutions. It does not give you an edge in the admissions process, you would be applying RD like any other candidate.
If you opt out, it will probably be unlikely that you will have any further benefits from Posse because you are in essence rejecting the program.
Colby was my third choice, and it was sort the one school I wasn’t sold on but I had to Put down on paper anyways. After consideration, I have decided not to pursue this scholarship.
Thanks for your response 
Oh no!
That’s what I say, oh no! Visited Colby, what a lovely place.
I agree. Check out Colby! It is beautiful and there’s a lot of energy and engagement in the classroom. You might be passing up a great opportunity.
How much realistically can your parents afford to borrow or pay to send you to college
Run the Colby net price calculator to see if Colby will be affordable after your full tuition scholarship
A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. Are you so sure that you will find a better school that costs you and your family the same or less?
You could be throwing away a life-changing opportunity!
Please rethink this! Talk to the adults in your life (guidance counselor, teachers, etc.)
What “dream school” idea (and why is it your top choice?) is stuck in your head where you think you will be admitted affordably?
Yes, it is a good question as to how much your parents can afford, since you describe them here as being in the “highest income bracket.”
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1899844-chance-me-i-chance-back.html
I’m kind of curious as to what it is in your background that you think fits Posse’s mission of “The Posse Foundation identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes.”
Why would you have been overlooked by the traditional college selection process?
OP made another thread in June of this year, listing five schools he was considering: UT-Austin, NYU, West Point, UCLA and Boston University. He’s from Texas, with a 3.6 UW GPA (5.3/6 W) and a 1990 SAT score, super-scored.
OP, I don’t know if your top choice schools have changed since then and maybe you are considering something else, but Colby is probably a better deal than any of them.
Isn’t Posse for low-income students primarily? If you got into Posse, how are you in the highest income bracket? If your family is very wealthy then you can ignore this, but if your family is not very wealthy and you need a lot of financial aid, NYU, UCLA and BU are unlikely to be realistic options for you. NYU is notorious for giving out poor financial aid; BU is not much better, and UCLA reserves the best aid for CA residents.
Admission to NYU and UCLA as a non-resident student would be a stretch for you. Boston U would probably be more attainable. UT would depend on your class rank, yes? It looks like you are in the top 10%.
Colby is the kind of education that would be a stretch to attain without the support of Posse - I mean just in terms of admissions, you’d be unlikely to be admitted on your own. (It’s not that you can’t handle it - it’s that Posse uses a special process to find talented students that might otherwise be overlooked by elite colleges.)
If your family is super wealthy and you’d really much rather go to BU or NYU or UCLA than Colby, then I could maybe see throwing in the chips and trying out, although I’d think it was silly and quite frankly you are unlikely to get admitted to a school that is the same caliber as Colby. It’s an elite liberal arts college, very top-notch. You’d get a great education there.
But if your family is not super wealthy, then I think you should think long and hard before you give up the chance at a full-tuition scholarship to a really great school that could change your life for the better.
Posse does not have income guidelines the way quest bridge does. Posse is s leadership scholarship. If Op’s family is high income and if Op should receive a posse scholarship,parents would pay fees room and board.
I’m gonna say the opposite of what’s here. Don’t go to Colby. There are many students who would really WANT to be there and I hope the spot goes to one of them. Genuinely. I hope you find something else that fits better with you.
I agree with redpoodles that you shouldn’t go to Colby. If you see yourself at these other big, urban schools, Colby is not going to be a good fit for you.
Will money be a factor?
How much are your parents willing to pay/borrow?
you posted the following
At UCLA you will be OOS with no need based aid
NYU and BU are not known for their generosity
West Point is going to be extremely competitive for admissions.
If money is going to be an issue, and you have no desire to attend Colby, please build a list where you can receive merit money/need based financial aid. The above 4 schools will be a reach. Sit with your parents and run the net price calculator to make sure that you have some affordable options.
As a POSSE donor, if you are high income, I prefer that you not take the scholarship. This scholarship serves a lot of truly needy kids.
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Posse does not have income guidelines
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? I wonder why not. As @ClassicRockerDad indicates, he’d prefer high income kids not get the award and that sounds fair.
https://www.possefoundation.org/about-posse/program-components/recruitment/nomination-process
They’re looking for leadership. I also thought it was a program for low income students till now.
“The Posse Foundation identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes.”
I’m wondering what is the likelihood of someone in the “highest income bracket” being “overlooked.”
^ Good point but students are nominated so I don’t know how they would balance that.
If you live in a posse city, is your gc going to the meetings so that they can nominate students. I think part of the challenge is that many schools are not taking advantage of the program or they think it is only for poor and minority kids