<p>Has anyone else received the Singer letter with a lesser scholarship (16K or 20K)? Is this something new that they implemented this year?</p>
<p>Did you call them? If it’s correct, this is something new.</p>
<p>It must be new. Last year my S got the $24K university scholarship and a Stamps weekend invite. This year his friend just got the Stamps weekend invite - and he got the $20K scholarship.</p>
<p>So what does everyone think? Are they cutting back on the merit $ or is it something else?</p>
<p>My thought is that there are more top notch students applying to the U, so the school is spreading its pool of money to more potential candidates. Thus, less merit $ per person.</p>
<p>Anyone know what was the “critical” mass that decided the Singer award cut last year. What made the difference. My S is one of the 367.</p>
<p>midwestdad55, how did you know there are 367 Singer invitees? Also, I think the key determinant in getting the Singer award is the Saturday interview.</p>
<p>Univ of Miami’s singer invitation link said that 367 are invited or something in that range. It is all based on one interview? What about grades and other factors?</p>
<p>Outsider here: as an astute observer of the merit range at UM over the last 4-5 years, it appears, at least from evidence here and locally, that UM has decided to adjust merit to demographically mold the class, while inviting all eligible to Singer-Stamps…</p>
<p>i.e. by offering a higher merit award to an under-represented demographic geographically, etc, they hope to attract those who might not be well represented at the U…(think Oklahoma, not New York)</p>
<p>But by inviting all to compete for the bigger stuff, keeps everyone in the loop…</p>
<p>Hope that makes sense…</p>
<p>As far as critical mass I have no idea. My daughter was invited last year but didn’t get it. She thought the interview went fine. There is a method to this whole thing though. I remember last year, while we were at the Singer weekend, we were talking to the parents of a boy who had.been awarded the top merit scholarship at Tulane. That scholarship required you to send in a project with the instructions specified. It was open to anyone but really was for the students that had been offered the 25k merit award. There were more applicants but much fewer awards than the Singer. ( if I remember correctly) anyway, it turned out that the young man was also awarded the Singer. So, with and without an interview, the boy was chosen for a top award.</p>
<p>Wow…I guess you never know. Big scholarship with no interview but only Singer with interview.</p>
<p>Sorry about your daughter. I know some of the kids are bright but it just does not fall right. Ok, so your daughter thought it went well. Is it a panel? Did she decide to go to UMiami anyway?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>My D also thought her interview went well - and didn’t get either Singer or an invitation to speak with Mr. Stamps. She had decided she was enrolling either way, so the weekend actually became more of a financial motivator to me as the Bank of Dad!</p>
<p>The interview is with 1 faculty member and one student - probably a past Singer recipient. Seemed to last maybe 30 minutes.</p>
<p>All of the students who are there are bright, have great test scores, etc or wouldn’t have received the invite. My point above was that it would seem that the interview would be the key factor in deciding which students did and which did not receive the highest awards.</p>
<p>Yes. My daughter is a freshman there. What I was trying to say above(not clearly I think) was that 2 separate schools chose the same boy for one of their highest merit awards. There has to be some method that they apply or something that they identify in a student that makes them stand out amongst already outstanding students.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input. Well, let my son try and see what happens.</p>
<p>But does anyone know if, say, a 16K scholarship could be bumped up to a 24K at the weekend?</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone will know the answer to that because up until this year, everyone who was invited to the Singer weekend had already been offered the 24k merit award. It may be, that after the weekend, if yor son doesn’t win, they may give more than the 4k Gables award they gave last us last year.</p>
<p>Zinc- Same here. When son went down for Singer weekend (no Stamps then), he decided to go either way. Back then the U put everyone up in the same hotel, kids and parents schmoozed more with each other and the U staff. They were wined and dined well. They left the weekend with the feeling that the U wants them and the U knows they were in competition with very highly regarded schools. </p>
<p>Son has been involved with Singer Weekend since… tours, interviewing, etc. Friends of ours that was invited and attended a couple of years ago reports things have changed, (Really, really smart girl. Did not get Singer award, and ended up at Johns Hopkins.)</p>
<p>Good luck to all Singer invites, as well as those receiving any merit award. Our son along with us loved the U and highly recommend it to all.</p>
<p>Yes, it could be bumped up but don’t be too sure. It is too competitive now. Also, they don’t put kids together anymore. You find your own hotels. They have suggestions but things are so expensive and their hotels have so many catches, you might be better off staying somewhere else. Also, very limited.</p>
<p>The competition is very stiff. I thought to let everyone know that the 8 Stamps Scholars that were mentioned in previous posts includes the Stamps Quintet (Frost School of Music) that are chosen every year. So there are 3 Scholars for the freshman class that’s not enrolled in Frost.</p>
<p>Christi Busto (head of Stamps/Singer weekends) said 5 Stamps scholars were chosen last year (excluding the Frost scholars), and around 70 Singers were awarded across the 3 weekends.</p>