<p>My DS, who was named a Furman scholar (guaranteed 4K minimun scholarship), applied for and received the Alden pre-engineering scholarship (full tuition for 3 years, followed by a transfer to an engineering school for 2 years, ending up with two degrees). The only catch is that he needs to declare a major in physics or pre-engineering in order to maintain the scholarship. He thought he would also be considered for other, more general merit scholarships.</p>
<p>He really likes Furman but is concerned about the possibility that he might change his major (he's good at science, math and physics, but students do explore and change). If so, he would lose the scholarship and wouldn't be able to continue at the school.</p>
<p>He doesn't want to go to the school under false pretenses and ending up majoring in something that his heart might not be into.</p>
<p>It is not uncommon for merit awards to come with "strings." USoCal awards numerous scholarships from specific departments/schools which require that the student remain in the major/school to keep the scholarship. Each student & family must weigh whether it's worth it for the student to accept the award with the strings or try for an award (perhaps not as generous) without strings.<br>
One option your child & family can keep in mind is that many schools encourage double-majoring, often in widely different fields which is something your child can do if he discovers another field fascinates him too. It's a decision only you & your family can make. Keep in mind that once a student is at the school, there may be other merit awards available, particularly for very high achieving students, as well as research opportunities and jobs that can defray costs.
Since your child IS interested in this field, it would not be false pretenses to accept the award & if it turns out he finds out his heart is really NOT in it, he can decline the award in future years. Most kids graduating from HS aren't really SURE what they want to do in college anyway.</p>