<p>With the announcement of the $35,000+ increase in NMF scholarship for 2014, following the $25,000 reduction from 2012, Alabama has managed to make the 2013 scholars feel like red-headed stepchildren. Complaints to the administration have elicited pithy statements of empathy but no remedy is expected. Sad to have such a bad taste in one’s mouth just as we are starting off for Tuscaloosa. Great news for next year’s class but beyond, be warned – a year-to-year planning cycle is likely to yield another about-face.</p>
<p>Sorry that you feel that way, but I guess it is difficult to go back each year and rectify any “year to year” discrepancies. However, do you realize that your student’s scholarship covers all tuition increases and credits up to twenty? Usually thiese factors alone make the scholarship much more valuable than other universities. Hopefully, you’ll find a way to maximize the scholarship.</p>
<p>I really hope that your student does not let this influence her time at Bama. She will meet many students who have varying levels of scholarship…some students may even have better stats and get less money. I always found it a good practice in buisness not to discuss or divulge salary info. This might be the same concept. I don’t know if I would even mention this to my student…most kids are just too excited at this stage to notice.</p>
<p>Respectfully, I don’t think this situation falls into the category you are referring to, robotbldmom. This is clearly a result of year to year yield manipulation rather than a variance between different scholarships.</p>
<p>FWIW, some of us don’t believe taking 20 credits a semester is a good idea - especially in fields like engineering. DD is coming in with 59 credits so that she can take fewer credits a semester and improve her ability to be involved in research, pre-professional and social organizations, etc.</p>
<p>Strange to suggest that students would need to compare scholarship packages with each other when the NMF is automatic, publically known, and in many cases a key factor in the decision to attend. I am sure that every NMF through 2012 knows they received 4 years of housing just as every 2013 NMF knows they did not. This is water under the bridge. But after one year of austerity to discover a new pot of money with which to fund 2 more semesters and $10,000 cash? That’s a slap in the face. No amount of maximizing can make these scholarships comparable. And, yes, life will go on, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks to the posters who have PM’d their shared concerns. It sounds like we have all submitted complaints to various administrative entities, for what its worth.</p>
<p>Who have y’all complained to? The complaints should be to: Mary Spiegel, Dr. Bonner, and whoever the new Provost is (Dr. Bonner’s replacement). They’re the ones with the power.</p>
<p>I Understand your feelings, I was just trying to indicate that perhaps your daughter would condider using her available credits to pick up another major or mnor or some graduate credits. For sure the STEM majors are time consuming but students do fit in double majors, additional minors, and university scholars…just a suggestion…yes, the scholarships are public info but i doubt students inquire of each other as to their scholarship status.</p>
<p>Several folks including myself have messaged Mary Spiegel. Thank you, Mom2collegekids, for suggesting her and others. My initial response came from Bradley Barnes with essentially no meaningful information.</p>
<p>Who is Bradley Barnes. If he’s not Mary’s stature or higher, then he has no clout to make any adjustments. </p>
<p>The 3 folks I mention need to be made aware of the PR nightmare this could become.</p>
<p>My message to Mary Spiegel was answered by Bradley Barnes, so I assume she delegated this communication. He signed as Director of Undergraduate Admissions,*Enrollment Management.</p>
<p>Did the number of NMF students registering at UA drop from 2012 to 2013 due to the large drop in the scholarship?</p>
<p>Joe Benson, Interim Provost and Vice President for Research, <a href=“mailto:joe.benson@ua.edu”>joe.benson@ua.edu</a></p>
<p>Bonner, Judy President’s Office 205-348-5103 <a href=“mailto:president@ua.edu”>president@ua.edu</a> Staff</p>
<p>I asked about yield but Mr. Barnes skirted the issue with something like, “We anticipate another strong year.” I’m not sure what would be worse: drastic swings in scholarship despite sustained yield or sudden course correction because of enormous drop in yield which they failed to anticipate.</p>
<p>Mom2twins - I share your feelings. That is quite a jump and like others am curious to know what circumstances caused the jump. I also have a somewhat related question. DS scholarship and housing and alumni awards showed up in student account - but not NM annual stipend. Does anyone on this thread know when that will be?</p>
<p>September to October…</p>
<p>M2CK posted in another thread that the delay is due to the money having to go through NMCorp and back to UA.</p>
<p>This is clearly a result of year to year yield manipulation rather than a variance between different scholarships.</p>
<p>yes, exactly. This is what admissions is all about. NMF and other merit awards aren’t offered just because UA is happy for you (though they are!) They are there to a purpose, whether to increase stats, manipulate yield or OOS, a number of things. There’s no promise everything will be the same year to year. There IS a promise that your award is guaranteed for your four (now five) years at UA. I just don’t understand why what someone else gets affects things? Your award, which you agreed to, is unchanged.</p>
<p>Merit awards change from year to year for most colleges.</p>
<p>And here I thought UA was just a lot happier for 2012 and 2014 NMFs. Glad we cleared that up.</p>
<p>While this may not comfort anyone, I’m reminded of those who miss the NMF cutoff one year, but then the next year the cutoff drops and those with lower scores end up making NMF and getting the scholarships.</p>
<p>A couple of years ago, the PSAT cutoffs for many states JUMPED by 3-6 points, which meant that a bunch of kids who’d have normally made NMF in their state lose out completely. I think there’s a mom on CC whose child was affected and then only got the Presidential. Imagine those folks annoyance when the next year, most of these cutoffs were decreased again? Ugh!</p>
<p>This thread illustrates basic human nature. During a children’s service on thankfulness at my Church a couple of years ago, the children were randomly given either a blue envelope or a green envelope. The children with the blue envelope were told to open their’s first and they were ecstatic to discover a gift of two dollars in each of their envelopes. The children with the green envelope were then told to open their envelopes and they were even more ecstatic to discover a gift of five dollars in each of their envelopes, but the ecstasy of the blue envelope children turned to disappointment and jealousy as they realized that the other children had received even more bounty than they. Human nature. Thankfulness. No word yet from the children who didn’t receive anything because their parents skipped church that morning.</p>
<p>So these were children who based their decision to attend that particular church on that particular day based on thorough evaluation of envelope offers from other churches???</p>
<p>I would completely agree that the National Merit program itself is given entirely too much weight at many schools. It has no meaning whatsoever at my other daughter’s school. The fact is that Alabama has chosen to pin extra incentives to that single unfair test so that they can tout that enrollment number in their PR. They seemed to back off that strategy last year by reducing the extras. Entirely their prerogative, but then why the reversal just one year later? Now we really, really want a higher number of NMFs?</p>