<p>I always send thank you notes, but I'm wondering if it's "standard" to send a thank you to a college for an academic scholarship. I'm also not sure how to address the note. The college awarded me the scholarship, do I simply address my thank you to the admissions department?</p>
<p>Thanks for your advice!</p>
<p>It would not be “normal” to send a thank you to a school for a scholarship, but I’m sure it would be welcome. Typically there is a scholarship department that is separate from admissions. Do you plan to attend this school? If you don’t, be cautious that your thank you may read a different way than you intend. It should be “thank you, but no thank you”.</p>
<p>Depends. My daughter was fortunate to receive several generous scholarship offers from schools. Some were the “guaranteed” academic merit awards based on her stats. Others were awards she competed for (like Elon Fellows…when she chose to decline that, she did write a lovely “thanks, but no thanks” so that someone on the alternate list could be selected as a Fellow and receive the award). Any school where she declined admission and scholarships, she made sure to include thanks for their offer in her “no”. At her current school, she received a major competitive award, and had to send a written acceptance of the scholarship – this she did, with a heartfelt thanks, and addressed to the director of the scholarship program. She received another generous award, and although she did not write a specific thank you for it, this year she’s had some opportunities from the University’s Development Department to write some of the named donors, letting them know how much the award has meant to her. (Hard to put into words, really.) From that same school, she did not write specific thanks for the mostly automatic Presidential (stats-based) award or her National Merit College-Sponsored Award.</p>
<p>HOWEVER…when a glitch caused an overpayment and refund into our account (wishful thinking!), when we worked to straighten it out, both she and I (in separate emails) thanked the school for their generosity in all the awards she has been fortunate to receive.</p>
<p>Any time someone says thank you, I feel it is appreciated. Just, as crazymomster said, be sure you differentiate between whether it’s a “Thanks, and I cannot WAIT to see you next fall” or “Thanks, but I will not be attending. Please redirect this award to another deserving student.”</p>
<p>Congratulations on your award!</p>
<p>I think you would be a bright star in an administrator’s day if you emailed the college financial aid office and said </p>
<p>“I’m thrilled to get this scholarship! Is there an alum or organization I should thank?”</p>
<p>then you’ll get an answer that will direct you. Good manners is always a good idea.</p>