Scholarships

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
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<p>“So don’t beat yourselves–or Carolina-- up if you didn’t get an offer. You can’t know what they are looking for from year to year and there isn’t much money to go around!”</p>

<p>That’s very reassuring, and I do sincerely appreciate it. </p>

<p>But, OTOH, I’m thinking UNC’s parsimony puts UNC at a competitive disadvantage. More and more UNC-accepted students (at least, judging from other threads hereabouts) are saying, “The heck with this!” – and opting for schools with better merit packages.</p>

<p>The tough economy affects us families, too. We sympathize with UNC-system schools that are struggling, but guess what? Things are tough all over. And some of us are simply not willing or able to shell out $80,000 or more for what may well turn out to be a less-than-breathtaking education. I am not knocking UNC by any stretch, but it’s not the only catfish in the sea. The honors colleges at some more generous schools have SAT stats comparable – and even superior – to the average SATs at UNC. Some of these more generous schools also have outstanding faculty, programs, and opportunities, too. And, bottom line, they give better merit aid. </p>

<p>It seems to me UNC runs the very real risk of losing some of its most academically promising in-state students to out-of-state schools. The last thing NC needs right now is a “brain-drain,” but if UNC-system schools continue to be so stingy with merit aid, that’s precisely what we’ll get.</p>

<p>Moreover, I have a hard time believing that a well-endowed school like UNC cannot cough up a little more merit money, even in this economy. If they can hand it out to athletes like candy, then they can hand it out to academically promising NC kids.</p>

<p>As for the “holistic” stuff, the focus on ECs, etc.: Not only does this hurt kids who have fewer opportunities to do ECs…it also potentially hurts UNC. Bright kids who haven’t saved the world (or the whales) lately will simply opt for schools that appreciate their hard-won academic achievements…schools that “say it with dollars” for National Merit Finalists et al. </p>

<p>Visionary schools like Alabama, Arizona, and Oklahoma will end up out-pacing UNC academically if UNC does not wise up. Just my two cents’ worth.</p>

<p>P.S. I just mentioned this stuff to my colleagues – lifelong NC residents – who concurred that UNC is notorious for its stingy merit-aid policies. Obviously, UNC is free to do what it wants in this regard. And we are equally free to “vote with our feet” by opting for a more generous school.</p>

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<p>Not so sure that I would call them “visionary”…more like opportunistic. The reality is that UNC (like UVA, Cal, USC, UCLA, and Michigan) don’t really have to “buy” students to get them to attend. Before you jump all over me, understand that the Morehead and Robertson are both independent of UNC’s entire process and they make no pretense about the fact that they are consciously trying to attract the top students away from HYPMS.</p>

<p>Money to athletes comes from a different fund…privately donated by the Ram’s Club members and from ticket sales…it doesn’t impact the academic side in any way.</p>

<p>It’s no secret that Schools like Bama, OU and Arizona aren’t exactly academic powerhouses…they have the reputation here of being big party schools for rich kids who just need a degree where pedigree isn’t important. They all use the scholarship $$ as a carrot to try to attract high performing kids to improve their student body profile and their USNWR rankings…OU brags about having the highest number of NMS Finalists enrolled there because they treat Texans almost as in state from an admission perspective which attracts many kids who either don’t want to go to a huge school like Texas or A&M or who didn’t get in due to the Top Ten Percent Rule. </p>

<p>Auburn has always been considered the more academic of the two Alabama schools and only since the Mercedes plant came to the state has Bama been able to get the research monies that once primarily went to Auburn. Oklahoma and Arizona are looked upon here in Texas as “safety” schools with Arizona and Arizona State getting the “rap” of being a “pulse” schools…ie you just need a pulse to be admitted.</p>

<p>South Carolina does this very successfully as well. My DD took the $$ and ran to South Carolina, (turning down many much higher ranked schools) but the difference in her case was that her chosen major there was the top ranked program in the US…so she got the best program out there and got monies that made her cost of attendance far less than had she stayed in state and gone to our flagship, U Texas. I really wrestled with the program ranking versus school ranking throughout her process…outside of the scholarship kids there, the overall student population isn’t the brightest bulb in the box.</p>

<p>None of the big name “top” publics offer in state tuition remission as a hook…like I said, they don’t have to and even at full pop, UNC and UVA are good deals when compared to many other state schools across the country.</p>

<p>And, FWIW, Bama, OU and Arizona won’t outpace UNC anytime soon…in fact they aren’t even trying to…they don’t have the faculty, facilities or research monies that UNC has and are so far down the pecking order with places like the NIH that what little they do get pales by comparison.</p>

<p>Lady D I am not trying to be ugly or to call you out here …I know you want your S to get some merit $$, in fact we ALL know it since it is your mantra in virtually every post and every discussion. If he doesn’t get the $$ you need, all we ask is that you stop doing what you can to take shots at UNC…even thinly veiled ones like the post I am referring to…I can’t tell you how many PMs I get from other posters asking me to talk to you about your continued hijacking of threads…we get it…ok? </p>

<p>To illustrate my point…you seem to have glossed over what kroe really said to you…</p>

<p>"So don’t beat yourselves–or Carolina– up if you didn’t get an offer. You can’t know what they are looking for from year to year and there isn’t much money to go around!</p>

<p>Good luck… I REALLY do hope it works out for you and your S.</p>

83

<p>eadad,</p>

<p>LadyD does have a good point. It would seem as though UNC schools (not just Carolina) would be interested in making an effort to keep some of the talent in state by offering something to National Merit Finalists. Many would likely stay in state if there was some offer that helped them bring their costs of college down. It’s hard to turn down an education that is close to free, especially when your own state universities offer little incentive for you to stay. In my mind, it would seem prudent to offer some merit aid to National Merit Finalists in an effort to entice North Carolina students to remain in state. Offering something to those students would certainly make it more feasible for them to stay in the state they call home. I think those students with roots here would be more likely to utilize their talents here after they have finished their education. Perhaps I’m wrong.</p>

<p>In the meantime, LadyD can keep hoping the NC Education Lottery will come to the rescue…;-)</p>

84

<p>There is a point, but I think that it is almost rude to berate a school for not giving out more scholarship money in this economy. It is also not quite right to put schools like Alabama and Arizona above UNC out of spite. In the same way that you cannot afford to go to Carolina without aid, they cannot afford to give enough to keep you here. </p>

<p>So be it. Also, there are so many outside scholarships out there - if your son has not already applied to quite a few, he needs to start. You can’t put down UNC for not giving any aid if your son and your family are not working on getting other aid on your own.</p>

85

<p>It is also not fair to compare the SAT scores of a few hundred kids in an honors college with the SAT score of the whole population (thousands) of UNC. Many out of state kids with amazing stats would be thrilled to go to UNC for 80,000. Also as someone else mentioned they do offer the small NMF scholarship like many schools including UGA, GA TECH and others. From UNC website-“We also sponsor National Merit Scholars; if you’re a National Merit Finalist, you’ll need to indicate UNC-Chapel Hill as your first choice in order to qualify.” It amazes me when people post things without checking the school’s website first.</p>

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<p>Moreover,</p>

<p>Oh, they know. It’s just 76,000 or 80,000 vs ZERO doesn’t seem like much…</p>

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<p>UNC does in fact offer “something” to NMF Finalists…$1,000 per year which can be stacked on other scholarships, not subtracted from as it is at some schools. As others have said you just have to put UNC as first choice on your NMF paperwork, then continue to complete the paperwork each year of undergrad. In addition UNC offers the Carolina Covenant to very low income families…there’s nothing like that here in Texas, I can assure you.</p>

<p>At $6666 a year (tuition and fees) UNC is such a bargain for in state students…the $19,764 total cost of attendance is less than just OOS tuition and fees and can be reduced through lesser meal plans, buying used textbooks when possible and saving in other areas…for example, I really can’t see how an in state student would spend $750 on travel.</p>

<p>By comparison, U Texas costs range from $22,464 – 27,168 for in state students…that’s a BIG difference.</p>

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<p>eadad,</p>

<p>Got it. Chapel Hill certainly represents a relative bargain in education. Is that bargain enough to entice Carolina residents to stay in-state when other universities are offering to pay close to full freight? Everyone’s priorities/financial situations are different. I do think UNC schools will lose many good students to the likes of Alabama/Auburn/UT-Dallas, etc. When your DD was offered Full Fare at South Carolina did you not wish that U Texas had offered a little more merit aid? I think that is where LadyD is. I have similar sentiments, but, DS is more interested in an Engineering degree and thus NCSU makes more sense as an in-state option for us. Yes, I did just go there on the UNC board…;-)</p>

<p>As to the hijacking of threads, please forgive my contribution to such practice here. I can, however, understand LadyD’s disappointment.</p>

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<p>Of the kids that were invited to Scholarship Day, how many do you think are OOS? I feel like UNC’s FA/Scholarships for OOS students are somewhat lacking. Also, doesn’t this mean that the majority of OOS students that attend UNC are upper class? Maybe I’m wrong, but can someone who attends UNC talk about whether the OOS students are somewhat homogeneous?</p>

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<p>loring</p>

<p>Actually, no. Neither of my kids applied to a single school in Texas. You have to live here to understand but Texas and Texans tend to think not that the world revolves around them but rather that it revolves because of them…;)</p>

<p>I wanted both kids to go out of state to get another perspective on life…in fact, I wouldn’t even let them apply instate.</p>

<p>I always knew my D would one day come back…she’s a Dallas girl and fortunately was admitted to her top choice Law school, SMU which is here in Dallas. On the other hand, my S is more likely than not going to end up elsewhere…probably in the SE. He’s a 3rd year med student at UTSouthwestern but will be applying for residencies in the SE including both UNC and Duke Med.</p>

<p>There’s nothing wrong with picking NCSU if your S wants to be an engineer…kind of hard to do that in Chapel Hill…:)</p>

<p>UT-Dallas? You have to be kidding…it’s a good school but NOT even remotely comparable to UNC…great for science and math but little else and it’s mainly a commuter school…they use apartment complexes as dorms…hardly comparable to other schools here let alone UNC.</p>

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<p>Lady D - haven’t you already paid your deposit to Alabama? If your DS is going there, probably no reason to be on the UNC thread?</p>

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<p>eadad:</p>

<p>you’re scaring me about Texas! haha. Hopefully Austinites won’t think the world revolves because of them.</p>

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<p>“If your DS is going there, probably no reason to be on the UNC thread?”</p>

<p>Well, except that it’s a free country. :)</p>

<p>But, FYI, we have not closed off ANY options. We’re even still considering Western Carolina (which has awarded DS scholarships worth half the COA) and teeny little Ave Maria University, which has also been remarkably generous, although its endowment cannot compare with UNC’s.</p>

<p>And yes, if we are pleasantly surprised by UNC this March, we will certainly consider it as well. Especially as it is only 1-1/2 hours away from us. :)</p>

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<p>“Many out of state kids with amazing stats would be thrilled to go to UNC for 80,000.”</p>

<p>No doubt because they can afford it. </p>

<p>This is the sticking point some folks seem unable or unwilling to grasp. When you tell someone to whom $80,000 would be a strain, “Well, you should consider yourself privileged to pay $80,000,” it’s a bit like saying “Let them eat cake.”</p>

<p>If you are wealthy enough so that you can disregard the difference between $80,000 and ZERO, well, God bless you, and more power to you. But please do try to recognize that not everyone is in that position.</p>

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<p>cloying – are you considering UT Austin? IIRC, back during the '80s and '90s, Austin was one of the schools that “bought” NMFs. Apparently that strategy paid off, because now UT Austin enjoys a stellar academic reputation. </p>

<p>If you buy enough NMFs, you end up upgrading your student body. It’s just common sense, non? :)</p>

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<p>It seems like people think they are obligated to receive merit aid from UNC. Merit aid is a privilege, not a right. UNC doesn’t give out tons of merit awards because it doesn’t have to in order to draw in top students. We are regularly named one of the most affordable educations in the country because of our outstanding need-based aid, so I don’t understand the hang-up on merit aid. You haven’t even received you need-based aid as of yet, so why are you complaining about affordability? From reading these complaints, you would almost think that UNC cost the same as Wake Forest or Duke.</p>

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<p>cloying</p>

<p>Since they have yet to invent a sarcasm font I guess only I know your true intent…;)</p>

<p>I’m sure you already know this but just in case…most “Texan” Texans don’t claim Austin as part of the state :)</p>

<p>Most Austinites know the world is revolving around them but for very different reasons…LOL…in fact it’s usually spinning around them…</p>

<p>Like Chapel Hill, it’s the “blue” island in the “red” sea…but FAR more liberal…it really is its own little world…Austinites not only love their “weirdness” but also celebrate it! It is by far the most laid back big city in Texas and very close to other Hill country spots like Dripping Springs and Kerrville that will make you think you are back in the 60s.</p>

<p>I have zero doubt that you will love your time there…I have a number of good friends who are Texas Law grads and all have nothing but great things to say about it.</p>

<p>UT Austin has always had a stellar reputation…its size has been the mitigating factor in higher USNWR rankings but no one has ever doubted the value of a diploma from UT…their biggest problem is the sheer number of people who would LOVE to go there…</p>

<p>They have never had to “buy” quality applicants, but they do use merit money to try to get kids who might be heading to an IVY to matriculate there, much like the Morehead or Robertson do at UNC. They aren’t trying to take kids away from other instate or out of state public schools. They have more than enough of those applicants to fill several classes if they wanted to.</p>

<p>The biggest problem they face is the fact that so many highly qualified applicants get turned away each year because of the very stupid 10 percent rule that is in effect. But that is another whole story that doesn’t need to be discussed here.</p>

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<p>^^tarheel151, I totally agree. Until you see their need-based packages, I think it’s bordering on ridiculous to slam UNC for not giving out a ton of merit aid. IMO, every in state kid is already getting a $38k/yr scholarship from the state subsidies to go here (or whatever amount it would cost for someone to get an education of comparable quality and prestige). UNC’s F.A. is amazing to boot, so really, the complaints over merit aid don’t make much sense to me. Wait until after you get your FA package to determine how affordable the school is. UNC really, really takes care of its FA kids. The reduced sticker price and FA, imo, make merit aid a much smaller piece of the afforadability.</p>

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<p>Mrethinks y’all misunderstand my point. I have never even remotely implied that my kids are “entitled” to a UNC scholarship. Rather, I have explicitly asserted that UNC has a perfect right to dispose of its merit aid just as it likes. And we, by the same token, have a perfect right to say, “the heck with this” – and go elsewhere. ;-)</p>

<p>BTW, Artemis, we are long-time taxpayers here in NC. That means we help fund the “subsidies” you mentioned. In fact, so far, as home-schoolers, we have poured a lot more into the system than we have ever gotten out of it. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>But your point is well taken. As I said before, we have not closed off our options. It is extremely unlikely that we will receive much in the way of need-based aid (or any sort of aid) from UNC. But we are very, very open to being pleasantly surprised, believe me.</p>

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<p>LadyDi - </p>

<p>I don’t think the real problem here is that UNC isn’t giving your son merit aid - the problem is that you can’t afford to send your son to UNC. You can’t blame the school for that. UNC doesn’t owe anybody anything, for the reasons people have already mentioned.</p>

<p>If you can’t afford to send your son to UNC you can either:</p>

<ol>
<li>Send him to UNC and take out loans (which many people have to do)
or</li>
<li>Send him to a school you can afford (Alabama)</li>
</ol>

<p>I am not trying to be disrespectful in any way - this issue just seems very black and white to me. That being said, I can only imagine the ruckus that would be going down if UNC had sent out likely letters this year… I can see now why they didn’t.</p>