D was accepted into Honors program; she’s wondering if anyone has been invited to apply for the Presidential Scholarship yet? Does anyone know how or when they send or email those?
When I was offered to interview for the GPSP, the invitation came in a separate package a few days after my acceptance letter. If your daughter is one of the 60 or so selected to interview, she’ll be invited to go to BC in late January/early February for about 4 days.
@VaMomma - The 60 students invited to come to campus and continue to consideration process for the Gabelli Presidential Scholarship will receive an additional packet in their acceptance package. All acceptance packets will be mailed tomorrow.
–Boston College Undergraduate Admission
Dear DevlinHall208 : Mario Gabelli’s contributions to Boston College have been large and worthy of special praise. Now that the Presidential Scholars Program (one of my least favorite for recognizing merit at Boston College) is now endowed via Gabelli, wouldn’t this be an opportune time for Boston College to rethink the lack of merit scholarship offerings with the ongoing growth of the middle class double-bubble?
Dear DevlinHall208 and All : A bit of disclosure is in order on my part. I have been openly opposed to the Presidential Scholars Program for nearly a decade now … as it is currently structured. Only available to Early Admissions candidates, the PSP recognizes the best early potential students from a very select EA pool and leaves potentially more talented and greater achieving students from the RD round without merit recourse.
The PSP’s all or nothing award approach, even for those making the final round interviews, leaves a very negative impression among those not selected as winners - the bitterness is palpable. I have seen the same story repeated by numerous students and families in the Honors Program for both CAS and CSOM over the course of six years (and more with orientation and post-graduate parent panels).
Think about it from a tradition of Jesuit excellence : Men and women for others is NOT about “all spoils go to the winners”.
Scottj, I’ll address two points you made:
First, the reason it is open only to EA applicants is because of the complex logistics of evaluating the students’ applications, inviting them to come to BC while giving them enough time to adjust their schedules to accommodate the trip, and then re-evaluating the students after a busy few days on campus, offering certain students the scholarship, and giving them ample time to decide whether to accept–all before May 1, the typical matriculation commitment date. It would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to make this happen with students who didn’t apply until January 1.
Second, and you may already know this, but the GPSP wishes they could accept more students every year, but they simply do not have the funds to do so. The program at its current size is mostly endowed (it does not take any money from the general BC endowment), but still relies somewhat on sizable annual donations. BC wishes they could extend offers to more of the 60 or so invitees, but can’t. In this case, rather than seeing it as an “all or nothing” situation for the students who are invited, perhaps it would be better to view it as a “something is better than nothing” in that every student there has been given the opportunity to compete for a full-tuition scholarship.
Also, I know of some students who were interviewed for the scholarship, did not get the scholarship, and went to BC anyway.
D got an invitation to the Gabelli Presidential Scholars weekend today in snail mail. She’s so excited!!! Regardless of whether she gets it (which obviously she hopes she does), she’s thrilled to get to spend time at BC. Thanks for your quick answer, DevlinHall208 - it really helped her to know roughly when to watch for an envelope!
Did the invitation to the Gabelli Presidential Scholars come with the general acceptance packet or seperate
I believe it came in a separate envelope.
Did the separate envelope come day or more after your acceptance packet?
I got mine in the same envelope as my normal acceptance packet
Do you guys know how long it takes to receive the acceptance packet (and letter)? I’m an international student, and I received my emailed electronic letter of acceptance a couple of days ago. Didn’t receive a mailed packet yet though
So everyone received in their acceptance letter an invitation to go the weekend of January 31st? Is this the inviation to the scholarship program??
Is the January 31st weekend invitation?? does it specifically see the Gabelli Presidential Scholars weekend. Thank you
@motheranxious - The January 31 invitation is to Admitted Eagle Day, an on-campus event to which all accepted students are invited. The Gabelli Presidential Scholarship invitation and packet come in the same large envelope as the acceptance folder.
Mother Anxious: I’m so sorry - haven’t checked this for a bit. I think my daughter accidentally got two of the packets - one in the same envelope as the regular acceptance packet, and one separately that didn’t have a personalized letter in it. I’m guessing that one went out by mistake. Good luck with everything!
@DevlinHall208 How long it takes to receive the acceptance packet (and letter)? I’m an international student, and I received my emailed electronic letter of acceptance a couple of days ago. Didn’t receive a mailed packet yet though
@DramaIce Admitted students with international home addresses will not receive a physical packet in the mail. All important information and a PDF of the admitted student packet can be found on the accepted student website, which was emailed to you last week.
–Boston College Undergraduate Admission
Can anyone tell me about the 4-day visit to BC for GPSP finalists? What kind of “evaluative experiences” take place? Is it an enjoyable 4 days or is too high stress and competitive to be called enjoyable? Frankly, it sounds a bit surreal to me. I am imagining 60ish extremely high caliber students all doing their best to appear nice and bright and kind, tempted to be friendly with the other participants who might be their future classmates, but realizing that it’s a fierce competition and only one in four will succeed. Feels like we should be wishing the participants, “May the odds be ever in your favor.” Can anyone who actually attended (or knows someone who attended) shed some light on the experience?