Scholarship Notification

<p>Anything?</p>

<p>I’m pretty positive we find out about Gordon around March 1st. My friend got it last year and she said she got the email March 1st as well. </p>

<p>Alright thanks @sags611 do you know how the interviews are like? The type of questions asked</p>

<p>Anybody know if they’ll send invites out on weekend? Hahaha the anxiety, someone needs to just make a guide to. Wake forest scholarship notifications</p>

<p>20 students were notified today as a finalists for Gordon scholarship. </p>

<p>Hate to be negative…but some realism may help. My D is at a west coast private, and has a best friend at Wake. Very smart, high act, EC’s, minority…the whole nine yards. Got zero merit money. Don’t hold your breath. Wake is very very stingy. They assume you feel honored to get in, and pay full fare. All of that said, our current sr. in h.s. is considering Wake. But we pretty much gave up on any merit.</p>

<p>I think stingy is a little strong. Here are some financial aid comparisons from collegedata for Duke, Vandy, WF, and Tulane, chosen because they are private, in the South and relatively the same size. Duke gave fewer people more money. Tulane gave more folks less money but chose to not meet 100% of the need of folks who needed financial aid. WF was the most generous in determining if their students needed financial aid.</p>

<p>Duke
Freshmen
Financial Aid Applicants 948 (55.4%) of freshmen
Found to Have Financial Need 799 (84.3%) of applicants
Received Financial Aid 799 (100.0%) of applicants with financial need
Need Fully Met 799 (100.0%) of aid recipients
Average Percent of Need Met 100%
Average Award $41,979
Need-Based Gift
Received by 761 (95.2%) of aid recipients, average amount $37,533
Need-Based Self-Help
Received by 666 (83.4%) of aid recipients, average amount $5,334
Merit-Based Gift
Received by 78 (9.8%) of aid recipients
Merit-Based Gift 60 (3.5%) of freshmen had no financial need and received merit aid, average amount $54,947</p>

<p>Vanderbilt<br>
Freshmen
Financial Aid Applicants 975 (60.6%) of freshmen
Found to Have Financial Need 824 (84.5%) of applicants
Received Financial Aid 821 (99.6%) of applicants with financial need
Need Fully Met 821 (100.0%) of aid recipients
Average Percent of Need Met 100%
Average Award $44,416
Need-Based Gift
Received by 729 (88.8%) of aid recipients, average amount $39,892
Need-Based Self-Help
Received by 315 (38.4%) of aid recipients, average amount $2,370
Merit-Based Gift
Received by 429 (52.3%) of aid recipients
Merit-Based Gift 126 (7.8%) of freshmen had no financial need and received merit aid, average amount $20,968</p>

<p>Wake Forest
Financial Aid Applicants 556 (45.1%) of freshmen
Found to Have Financial Need 495 (89.0%) of applicants
Received Financial Aid 487 (98.4%) of applicants with financial need
Need Fully Met 433 (88.9%) of aid recipients
Average Percent of Need Met 99%
Average Award $34,647
Need-Based Gift
Received by 409 (84.0%) of aid recipients, average amount $32,846
Need-Based Self-Help
Received by 325 (66.7%) of aid recipients, average amount $6,060
Merit-Based Gift
Received by 241 (49.5%) of aid recipients
Merit-Based Gift 51 (4.1%) of freshmen had no financial need and received merit aid, average amount $17,809</p>

<p>Tulane
Freshmen
Financial Aid Applicants 1,046 (63.7%) of freshmen
Found to Have Financial Need 660 (63.1%) of applicants
Received Financial Aid 654 (99.1%) of applicants with financial need
Need Fully Met 502 (76.8%) of aid recipients
Average Percent of Need Met 95%
Average Award $31,130
Need-Based Gift
Received by 647 (98.9%) of aid recipients, average amount $26,426
Need-Based Self-Help
Received by 417 (63.8%) of aid recipients, average amount $7,820
Merit-Based Gift
Received by 205 (31.3%) of aid recipients
Merit-Based Gift 566 (34.5%) of freshmen had no financial need and received merit aid, average amount $19,847</p>

<p>@cbrand but look at the huge difference in number of applicants. Wake had 500 applicants for financial aid compared to the 900+ at other colleges. Yes obviously a school with only 580 kids asking for money will be more likely to give out funds. & also look at the ridiculously low percentage of merit gifts behind only duke & also the average amount of merit is so much lower. I think it’s pretty fair to classify wake forest as a school for the upper middle class. The campus vibe says it all, we spotted a student with a Versace purse on one of our tours if that says anything.</p>

<p>We are so disappointed that we didn’t get the Gordon interview mainly because we received interviews for scholarships at some other pretty impressive schools, but Congrads to whoever got interview invites. Might have to really put wake off our radar for now.</p>

<p>Funny. I wouldn’t know what a Versace purse looks like. </p>

<p>My son received a letter today, notifying him that he has been awarded one of the Presidential Scholarships in Theater. I’m very proud of him and the work he did to get there. I’m also grateful to Wake Forest for making this scholarship available. It is nice that a school goes out of its way to support students who want to study/ participate in the arts.</p>

<p>I can’t say enough good things about the process. He and seven other semi-finalists in theater were invited back in mid-February to audition and interview with the theater department. My son spent 3 days and two nights on campus. He bunked down with a current Presidential Theater Scholar, saw a show, hung out with students in the department (debating late into the night the merits of Sondhiem), attended classes, got to know the other semi-finalists and finally… performed his monologues and interviewed with the theater faculty. </p>

<p>My son had visited campus last fall, but this trip solidified in his mind that Wake Forest is a perfect fit for him. He found the current students to be smart, hard-working and gracious. More importantly, every student he talked to LOVED the experience they were having at the university.</p>

<p>Looks like I’m going to be the proud parent of a Demon Deacon!</p>

<p>Congrtulations Cbrand to you and your son. </p>

<p>Congrads @cbrand! Wake forest is truly a breathtaking place!</p>

<p>It is breathtaking, yes! </p>

<p>Congratulations, Cbrand, to you and your son. Sounds like he has had a great start to his college career. I have a son who will hopefully be in the same situation next year! We just visited Wake this week and were quite impressed. He will apply for the Presidential scholarship as well. Hopefully you won’t mind a few questions. Sounds like your son applied as a Theater Scholar, but from his interest in Sondheim, he maybe does Musical Theater? If so, wondering how/why your son decided to apply for theater instead of music. Also, wondering if your son applied ED? We are not in a financial position to do that, but I’m not sure how the process would work if you don’t already have an admissions decision by the time you are being considered for the Presidential Scholarship. Maybe that’s a requirement? Any information or advice you have would be greatly appreciated. </p>

<p>@momother, I’m happy to tell you what I can. Sorry that this is so long. My son is ALL about musical theater. Seriously… it is his obsession. I asked him last night why he never thought to approach it from the music school side. He said that it is because it is the “book” in musical theater that interests him more. He also said that he is a better actor than singer, which I think is fair assessment. I think his real talent lies in play writing and I bet that is where he ends up. He is just going to have to find someone to be the Rogers to his Hammerstein. </p>

<p>Why would someone so obsessed with musical theater go to Wake? First, his dad and I put our foot down. We said absolutely NO BFA programs. We are old fashioned and we still believe that college is about getting a broad education. Along with a BA program, we stipulated that he had to double major in something else besides theater. We also wanted him to have a “real” college experience with a campus and school sports etc. This is the only time in your life that you are going to get to be a part of that. If in 4 years he still wants to do theater, then he can join an MFA program. The Wake theater program is interesting even for a BA program because they make you do everything. You can’t just say… I’m going to focus on acting. They make you do costuming, sets, lights, sound etc. I also think that Wake gives students the opportunity to drive projects that are of interest to them. My son was disappointed that Wake only does a musical every other year, but he already has plans to organize student run productions. </p>

<p>About your questions. My son applied non-binding, early action. The deadline was mid fall sometime. He is in the same financial position as your son. Money matters and my son knew going into this process that he had to go where he got the best package. </p>

<p>Have you looked at the Wake application process? It is long and involved with multiple, thought provoking essays. It also requires an evaluative interview. This was a real interview where they asked my son hardball questions. (He loved it!) You can skype in, but if you can swing it, try to interview in person. Most male applicants were in suits. My son felt under-dressed in a sweater, blazer and khakis. While we were on campus, my son took the time to meet with professors from both the history (his second major) and theater departments. It was helpful to learn more about the programs and I think it demonstrated his interest in the school. </p>

<p>The application for the Presidential scholarship in theater required yet another essay (or two) plus a video of two contrasting monologues. In early February, my son was notified that he was one of 8 semi-finalists for the PS in theater. If you are a semi-finalist, it means that you have been admitted to the school. As far as I know, all of the theater semi-finalists were planning to major in theater. My son was the only boy. The semi-finalists stayed on campus for two days. They saw a show, stayed in the dorms with a student, went to classes and then interviewed again and this time, for actors, they auditioned three contrasting monologues. I know there were at least two girls who came from the tech side and they brought portfolios of their work. </p>

<p>Hope that helped. </p>

<p>It did help, cbrand. Thanks so much and best of luck to your son at Wake. </p>

<p>I’m surprised that less than half of the admitted students applied for financial aid. I didn’t realize there were that many kids who can pay $60k a year cash. I thought more families would at least ask for help. </p>

<p>Anybody have any personal tidbits about the Holding Scholarship?</p>