I am a freshman right now, and after my first semester, I acquired a pretty good GPA (not the best but above a 3.7, schedule strength also what most would consider tough). Since I did not get any Vanderbilt sponsored scholarship besides National Merit coming into Vanderbilt, I was wondering if there were any scholarships available for upperclassmen.
Thanks!
Any upperman from Vandy answer us. They might be many people looking for this
you should not expect merit offers as an upperclassman. However there is money attached to a smattering of school service awards in what is called the Magnolia Awards. You can pursue summer stipends for academic work (there may be more summer research paid positions available in hard sciences?) or internships. Academic departments have money to help defray the costs of living for selected students in research jobs during the year and in the summers.
Our son had one summer internship that was thankfully salaried (which only covered room and board --but still) and won one Magnolia Award as a senior that came with money. He applied for a handful small stipended things, was passed over a few times, and only received a modest but appreciated monetary award once during his four years. He used his Magnolia award to help pay the rent during a summer in Congressional internships with no salary.
If you are asking yourselves can I afford Vandy over my state flagship offer, I will make this comment. The world doesn’t pay your way in law school or med school or for an MBA --in general you will shoulder loans. There are exceptions for the most outstanding applicants and that includes applicants who ace graduate school exams, have stellar records and good internship records.
Does your state university system offer an inexpensive pathway to a graduate degree that would be acceptable to you? (ie in Virginia, UVA Law is nationally comparable to Ivy Law so it is as expensive as any top private law school). Not so in every state. In some states, the path to a graduate degree if you stay in public school is not devastatingly expensive. I know a couple of young women who are now certified public accountants working for top firms who simply went home and went to their local state university for these credentials. Graduate school does not have to be a huge financial deal. Ditto people who want masters in education, or to be nurse practioners.
Do your parents know that their income will be evaluated for you tuition in some cases till you are 28 years of age even if you are married and both employed? This is a serious reality for family planning for the long game. Emancipation as an applicant has to be heavily documented and proved in some institutions of higher learning–usually top ranked schools that consider an education a “family” responsibility.
Does your graduate school pathway prefer that you work for a few years (MBAs do). Are you going to qualify for a well paying job post undergrad to help you with loans and tuition later? Some people actually do land well paying jobs and use those years to pay off loans and to stash cash for grad school.
Are you going to stick to the hard sciences all the way? If you can excel, this is an example of a pathway that could possibly lead to a stipended graduate degree. This means you should earn an honors degree in your major, work closely with your department mentors and seek out student run research and publications in the hard sciences. I know a young woman who won a full ride to Duke for her PhD pathway. This selection required absolute perfection in undergrad school in her major with a good bit of research and teaching assistant work in undergrad. Nevertheless, those who can commit to their science will find some stipended graduate degrees.
just some comments to help you think. Perhaps current Vandy students can name other ways students they know earned cash infusions. One of the most obvious ways is to become an RA and to stay on Commons or be placed in other dorms on campus. This selection is competitive, and being an RA is a big responsibility but my Vandy son’s first roommate from SoCal went this route thus earning a cost reduction for his Vandy education.
Thank you Faline2