<p>I'm currently a high school junior. Richmond looks fantastic, and, based on stats found on Collegeboard's website, I could most likely get in. But the cost is a major issue for my family, because we are in a perfect spot to not get much help from the FAFSA but not be able to pay full tuition. Thus, my only hope is to become a Richmond Scholar (or at least Presidential).</p>
<p>Could someone describe the stats of a typical Richmond Scholar? If my GPA is sub-par (in the 3.6-7 range) but my test scores and essay are good, would I still have a chance? And does being a National Merit Finalist help? Thanks.</p>
<p>That honestly depends on what your definition of "good" is. You would have to be more specific. </p>
<p>I would say most Richmond Scholars - if not almost all - are of high enough caliber to be accepted at an Ivy League (and most actually have been). So a lot of them turn down those Ivies to come to Richmond for the awesome opportunity of free tuition (and room&board in some cases). I know one Scholar who turned down Princeton to come here because of that.</p>
<p>Again, that's not the standard rule, but I would say it's definitely commonplace.</p>
<p>The selection process has three rounds - at least that's how it was last year for me. Semifinalist (there are hundreds of these), finalist (they go down to UR to be interviewed - a little less than 100), then the selection is made (75 to 80ish, the goal being that 50 will accept the offer).</p>
<p>Using myself as an example, I had a very good GPA, 2100 on the SAT and thought my essays were excellent, but did not make it past the semifinalist round. So, it's very competitive, to say the least. Last year, the Presidential Scholarship was only awarded to all the finalists (20 or so) who did not make the final cut and a handful of semifinalists (which I was not one of). </p>
<p>However, I would not be wary of the FAFSA just yet. Richmond is one of few schools in the US that meets 100% of need, so if I were you, I wouldn't assume it will be impossible to come here until you actually get your aid package in the mail. I was very pleasantly surprised with mine.</p>
<p>(UR Admissions - PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong on any of these numbers; I'm just speaking from my foggy memories).</p>
<p>Kelliebm is right on the mark with her reply. Richmond Scholars are hand-picked based on a broad range of criteria so it is difficult to predict who will be chosen. But I'm delighted to hear what she says about her experience with our financial aid process. We are very proud of our commitment to need-based aid and meeting 100% of eligibility with almost entirely grant money. In spite of the soft economy, we're not going to be backing away from any of our commitments in this area in the coming year(s), so I hope that anyone out there reading this will feel good about applying, and not write us off if they aren't selected for merit-aid. Please apply for both merit and need-based aid and hopefully it will all work out in the end as it did for kelliebm!</p>
<p>Ah. Although I expect to get test scores similar to that (sorry if that sounds arrogant, I haven't taken them yet ha), I guess test scores can only get you so far. If only I had applied myself earlier on in high school.</p>
<p>Thank you for the quick responses, and hopefully you will be hearing from me within the next year, UR Admissions.</p>
<p>While that test score may have been the cut - off last year for the presidential scholarship, it is likely to change this year as the awards go to the top students in the applicant pool based on both grades, program and testing. The pool will be different this year, so we won't know how we'll award them until we sit down to award them. . .</p>
<p>I hope I'm not being repetitive by asking this, but what are the most important things considered for the Richmond Scholarship? I have a strong transcript, good extracurriculars, and hopefully good essays, but my SAT/ACT scores are a bit under the "median" scores mentioned above... I know that it varies from student to student though, so if there's not a clear answer to my question its okay!</p>
<p>There is a list of about 10 qualities that we seek in Richmond Scholars on the web page for the program (University</a> of Richmond: Merit-Based Scholarships). We don't expect all scholars to possess them all of course, but showing evidence of any of these qualities is the first step to success. In a lot of ways it can be hard for us to describe (even internally) what the "it" factor is with this program. Some students have "it" and others, even with big numbers, don't. Persuasive writing ability is really important and I think some people don't pay sufficient attention to careful preparation of their writing samples and think they will make it through. In some ways, our faculty are asking us to identify students who are likely to be future Rhodes Scholars, Goldwater Scholars, Truman Scholars etc. So "scholarly" qualities are paramount. I hope that gives you some insight.</p>
<p>Thank you for the link to the scholarship site. I was wondering approximately when we would be notified if we are in the running for the interview in March. Thanks.</p>
<p>Semi-finalists for the Richmond Scholar awards are notified on a rolling basis. The first group was notified right before the holidays and others will be contacted in batches for the next several weeks. Semi-finalists send us additional information upon which the group is narrowed down to about 100 students by late February at which time they are all notified on the same day about the visit in March. For those international candidates who are out there being deeply concerned about the turn-around time for travel arrangements, we've never had a finalist NOT get a visa in time for this trip.</p>
<p>May I correct you for this last reply? If I remember right, a finalist from Romania was not able to travel to Richmond just because she couldn't obtain the visa in time. She was interviewed by phone. Luckily, she is now a first-year student.</p>
<p>Littlered, seeing as everyone who applies before December 15 is not necessarily doing so because they want consideration for the scholarship, everyone who doesn't make the semi-finalist cut is not notified - a lot of people probably wouldn't even know they were in the running.</p>
<p>I'm sorry that I did not remember the problem with the Romanian visa. I stand corrected. I would still say it is rare that we aren't able to get students here for the visit, but if that happens (and it happens in the US sometimes too--weather problems with flights etc.), it does not diminish the student's chances of receiving the scholarship. </p>
<p>We do not notify those who do not make the semi-finalist cut. That is consistent with our practices and procedures that are published on the web site, copied below: </p>
<p>First-year admission applicants who apply by December 15 of the senior year compete for 50 Richmond Scholar awards. As is the case with consideration for admission, the evaluation process is highly personalized and holistic. The writing sample is crucial because it is the medium through which the potential for special contributions to the University community can be assessed. While grade point averages and test scores are critical, they do not represent the whole student and are not used for either automatic inclusion or exclusion.</p>
<p>Students who are selected to advance to the semifinalist round will be notified by e-mail and postal mail. Semifinalists may be asked to submit additional information by the Scholars selection committee in order to advance to the finalist round. Those students whose applications do not advance to the semifinalist round will not be notified.</p>
<p>Finalists will be notified by e-mail and postal mail in order to make arrangements for an expense-paid campus visit for the required scholarship interview. The dates for the interview visit for 2009 are March 17-19.</p>
<p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>
<p>We have NOT yet sent the final batch of semi-finalist notifications but when we do so I will post here so you can all know what's going on. </p>
<p>I have been selected as a semi-finalist and one of my friends has already been notified that she is a finalist- in fact, sh says she has scheduled her interview already- but a UR admissions rep indicated that all finalists will be notified on the same day- so my question is- have finalists been notified already?</p>
<p>No finalists have been notified yet. The faculty committees just started reading semi-finalist submissions yesterday. That process will take about a month. </p>
<p>I'm thinking that perhaps your friend is coming for an audition for one of our music/theatre/dance scholarships, which are not a part of the Richmond Scholars program. The auditions are handled completely by the arts departments separate and apart from the admission office. Students must have applied by now (by the January 15 deadline) but their admission application isn't necessarily reviewed by the time they audition. Students selected for these awards have strong enough academic records for admission, but they are not necessarily academically the top of the class. Richmond Scholars with the Artist Scholar designation are not only top notch artists, but their academic records are also at the top of the class. These are two very different awards. </p>
<p>If your friend is unclear about what it is he or she is in the running for, feel free to have them contact the Admission Office where we can help sort things out.</p>
<p>Yes, semi-finalists hear from us by both e-mail and postal mail UNLESS they are international (living outside the US) in which case they are hearing only by e-mail. Check your junk-mail files just in case your filters are really good and things could have gotten filtered out. </p>
<p>No, not all semi-finalists have yet been notified, although there will be only very small numbers from here forward. We hope to notify the final batch tomorrow but I will post when that happens to confirm.</p>