<p>What do you think of schools that send prospective applicants letters encouraging them to apply for merit scholarships? "Your credentials match or exceed past recipients of __________ scholarship, please apply". Then, after hopes are up, the inevitable bad news---competition high, many qualified applicants, we are sorry.....or worse, no response at all.</p>
<p>Is this just marketing, casting a wide net for as many targets as possible? Or, is it intentionally misleading? Would it be better not to receive such letters if the attendence costs are prohibitive without the scholarship? Hmmmm....... :confused:</p>
<p>I think it is fair to assume that if you receive such a letter, you are "good enough" to be in the competition. Does that mean that you have as good a chance as anyone else who was invited to apply? Maybe, maybe not. Does that mean you have a shot at the scholarship? Yes. You have to decide whether or not you want to apply. If you don't, you definitely won't get it. If you do, you might get it. Seems to me there is at least some possibility of getting it if you apply! :) But this comes with a caution: competitive scholarships are never a for-sure for anyone. You should always approach your college search with your eyes open. If you can't afford a school without an excellent merit award, don't get your heart set on going there. But if you really DO want to go, then try for the scholarship ... you just may get it! Always cover your bases, though, and have an option available that will fit into your interests & budget.</p>
<p>Oops, I read your post while I was on break at work --- and I didn't read it very thoroughly, I guess. I somehow missed the word "prospective" with applicants. That definitely makes a difference. My advice on this one would be to take a look at the school. If you like it, at least you will know you are a competitive candidate. If you don't like the school, you can pitch it & forget it! Yes, it's advertising, which they need to do in order to survive. But you are wise to realize that simply saying you have comparable stats to past winners doesn't mean much. Take that part with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>It's fair to assume hundreds,maybe thousands, of other students are receiving the same notice and a student has to consider frankly if they can compete with the others. I know there are parents who post here whose kids have indeed won these scholarships .When you look closer at the stats of their kids they are in the very top at their high school. What the colleges may be doing is trying to get as broad array as possible of students to compete for their scholarships and I don't see anything wrong with it. I think it's a good idea for kids to become aware of the numbers and real chances in life.
One thing to look for are those college who post their merit scholarships in a cut and dry manner in graphs or charts which show if a student has this or that they get a certain merit scholarship. Sometimes these schools have a this or that senario, like 1300 sat or top 10% you get the dean's award, etc. If you need some experience looking at these charts go to Univ. of South Florida, Rider University , Cabrini College, Wright College, etc. These are just a few which put the cards right on the table. Schools do change so these schools may have changed policies. Also whatch here on C.C. for "who gives good merit aid "posts and then go and look up the school's site. </p>