"Stewart commits to Princeton" (Greeley, CO)

Colleges & Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>Valley senior Marcus Stewart knew when he woke this morning, today would be no ordinary day.</p>

<p>Stewart will sign today to play football for Princeton University; the first day prep athletes are allowed to sign with collegiate athletic programs.</p>

<p>"I'm very excited," Stewart said Tuesday night while preparing to play in a basketball game between Valley and Brush. "It's the opportunity of a lifetime. You don't get that every day."</p>

<p>In his four years at Valley, Stewart has been a standout both on the football field, as the Vikings' quarterback, and in the classroom, as one of the school's top students.</p>

<p>Stewart's combination of intelligence and athleticism grabbed the interest of a Tigers football program that earned a share of the Division I-AA Ivy League title with a record of 6-1 in league, 9-1 overall last season.</p>

<p>In the classroom, Stewart is first in his class with a 4.25 grade point average. On the football field, the 6-foot-5, 198-pound senior gave opposing defenses fits with both his arm and his legs.</p>

<p>Stewart said his scholarship is based on both his athletic and academic accomplishments. The scholarship will provide about $46,000 -- 92 percent -- of the $50,000 per year required to attend Princeton.</p>

<p>Stewart said, as much as he's looking forward to competing for the Tigers' football team -- where he expects to play wide receiver -- he's looking forward to challenging himself in the classrooms of one of the country's top academic institutions.</p>

<p>"They turn down a thousand valedictorians every year," he said. "You're getting some of the brightest minds in the country. ... I'm just looking forward to it."</p>

<p>Stewart said he also drew interest from in-state schools -- the University of Northern Colorado and Western State College and other Ivy League schools, including Harvard and Yale.</p>

<p>He visited Princeton in January and decided to attend the university largely because he enjoyed the school's intimate setting.</p>

<p>Stewart said he was also attracted to the Tigers' football program because it employed a philosophy similar to that of the Vikings football program.</p>

<p>"We have a real family philosophy at Valley," he said. "The Princeton coaches say the same thing. It's a family philosophy."</p>

<p>Stewart said even though he looks forward to having an enjoyable time at Princeton, he realizes juggling an athletic career and academic career is going to require a lot of focus and dedication.</p>

<p>"I'm looking forward to challenging myself and doing the best I can," he said. "It would be nice to spend all your time partying and having fun, but if you want to get a world-class education, you have to work hard."</p>

<p><a href="http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20070207/SPORTS/102070084%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20070207/SPORTS/102070084&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

2

<p>Questions:
1. Is he already accepted? If so, did he get accepted ED (in which case, he didn't have a choice about where to go)? If not, how does he know he'll be accepted?
2. How did he manage to get a scholarship of $46k to go to Princeton "based on his athletic and academic achievements"? Like all Ivy Leagues, Princeton gives no merit-based aid (they are the only D1 school that doesn't give athletic scholarships). And I don't think it costs $50k to go to Princeton, unless you live an expensive life (room, board, and tuition isn't even close to 50k a year--is it?).</p>

3

<ol>
<li>he was probably accepted either ED or RD by way of a "likely letter."</li>
<li>you're right about both the need-based-only aid policy and the lower actual total cost of attendance. i'll chalk these errors up to confusion on the part of either the student or the writer. such confusion is common when it comes to the arcane process by which ivy recruits are admitted. in fact, i don't think the ivies even use the "letter of intent," which the writer implies that the student is signing today to make his commitment official.</li>
</ol>

4

<p>According to my financial aid package, the total cost is $48,185.</p>

5

<p>There are a bunch of mistakes, but what do you expect from a small town newspaper? I know my town's makes mistakes all the time.</p>

6

<p>did you guys know that room and board fees have been increased, so yeah 50k is probably a good estimate. Personally, i think you'd need more than 50k per year to attend, if all other expenses are considered.</p>