<p>mojojojo69- You are a very humble person to say that! Good luck wherever you go!</p>
<p>mojojojo69- I think lots of students (and parents) were dissapointed with how stingy Wake was with merit this year. They have such a time consuming application to complete - and then nothing. We could afford it (with some future pain of course), but my son really thought it wasn't worth it (especially compared to some of the other fine offers he received). We have always tried to stress how important it is to evaluate the full picture when it comes to college, including cost (we're not made of money). For some, the full cost of Wake may be worth it - but I think the huge pricetag makes quite a few of us think carefully about other choices. Good luck!</p>
<p>thanks everyone :) yeah, i feel sorta betrayed since i filled up/paid for the cost of the application and then... you get in and your all happy BUT THEN!!! you hardly get any aid and they dont take all your credits! So, basically, its back to square one for me.... So for me, i dont think wake is worth the cost, and by contrasting price of privates vs public, i will probably end up @ a public, unless of course you get into an IVY and they hook it up with dough $$ like princeton!! Good luck to everyone going to wake; have fun :)</p>
<p>Best of Luck MOJO. Let us know where you end up.</p>
<p>mojo- thanks for the "have fun" after ripping wake a new one! </p>
<p>for others--i am already going to wake but i have a friend who hasn't heard from the fin aid dept yet...he has to pay 25k for bucknell and i was curious how wake compares to bucknell in the fin. aid. giving dept...if anyone can shed some light on it, that'd be great. thanks</p>
<p>I can share D's experience with Bucknell and Wake - Bucknell offered $20,000 and Wake $30,000 - both packages made up of a combination need and merit based aid - obviously Wake was the best package and that is where she is - and very happy with her decision!!</p>
<p>We were warned that Wake doesn't give as much merit money as its cross-admit schools, but thought that our son's profile would help (double legacy/parents active as alumni club pres, 4.7 GPA in all honors/APs, 1440 SAT, 760 SAT II Bio (intended major), lots of friends/experience at Wake, all region lacrosse player, captain of soccer, basketball, lax, academic teams, all-region singer, Jefferson Scholar finalist at UVa, Geo. Wash. Hon. Scholar finalist at Washington and Lee). It did not. He was offered nothing. It wasn't a difference in the application, bc his was similar to his apps to Vanderbilt, W&L, UVa, URichmond. Ironically, he received a full tuition GWHS scholarship to W&L, a nice academic merit scholarship at Vanderbilt, and a small merit scholarship from UVa (as an out of state kid) -- nothing from Wake or Richmond. So go figure . . . . He is thrilled to be going to W&L.</p>
<p>That said, we still adore Wake! It was the best decision I ever made to go there, and the best time of my life. So enjoy yourselves, Demon Deacons in the Class of 2010. You will be a part of our family forever.</p>
<p>As for reputation, Wake's business and accounting depts are stellar (once again, the #1 in pass rate in nation for CPA exam), which is why it's so important, when asking about reputation, to remember that each school has strengths that no overall ranking should trump.</p>
<p>Esquette: Your son has a similar profile to ours and we also got NOTHING from Wake and Richmond (1480 SAT, 4.8 GPA with honors/APs, tennis captain and all region awards, eagle scout, NMF). He did get big money from Lehigh and Dickinson, and ironically from in state PSU (honors college, NMF and business scholarships). Since PSU is almost free tuition and he thought it was a good fit (especially with the honors perks), he's going there and is very happy. We liked W&L (beautiful campus) but he thought it was too small. I think he would have seriously considered WF - but it wasn't his "dream" school and I think he had problems with the idea of paying full price for it (our money - so we're quite impressed that he was sensitive to our finances). Have fun with W&L!</p>
<p>Interesting story ToneRanger! Nice to have kids who can be happy in more than one place, and realize that college expenses can and should be weighed in the decision. Esp. when they expect to go to grad school!</p>
<p>One thing I can say after our first go-round in college admissions (two more to go): I see definite dollar + happiness value in investigating each school's aid/scholarship stats and reputation along with its academic and social profile, in keeping an open mind, and expecting surprises! Who would have thought that W&L, Vandy, and UVa -- schools that are def harder to get into -- would "want" our son more (financially only, I'm sure!) than our beloved alma mater Wake? than URichmond, which has tons of money and is trying to up its profile in the sciences my son intends to major in? </p>
<p>So our advice is to find a number of public and private schools where you could be truly happy, keep your mind open throughout the process because you will learn something from that as well, give it your best effort, and then let the chips fall where they may. The results may yield a clear "winner" on all fronts. That is certainly what happened to us! Although W&L is small, my son is graduating in a class of 27, so he's always been fine with that fit. And the "love" that school showed him over the past two years (not just with the scholarship money at the end) made it climb to the top of his list before he ever opened any of the acceptance/scholarship envelopes. If you had asked him for predictions last year, he would have laughed at this scenario. Now he cannot imagine a better result! Though it's not Wake, we are so very happy for him. And for what it means to our family financially.</p>
<p>great points esquette. We would have never predicted that our son would choose the honors college at our instate public. But they have a highly regarded and selective program, and in addition to the $, they rolled out the red carpet when we visited. He walked around the big beautiful campus and said " I can really see myself going here". So there it is. We thought smaller might be better but his mind was made up. He's from a big hs (1800) and he sees the big environment as a plus, especially since he'll be doing a number of smaller honors classes (best of both worlds). We'll help him with grad school since we're actually spending a lot less than we saved for undergrad and only have him to worry about. Again...never would have predicted this.</p>
<p>well, we have two more shots at Wake undergrad, with lots of interest by both sons, and possibly another shot with med school for #1! Keeping all options open and taking each child on his own individual merits . . . at least we get a year off before we start all over again! Who knows what the fa/ma situation will be then?!</p>
<p>I can't tell you to hear how much you liked Wake when you attended...my S is attending in the fall and, what I care most about, is him having the same attitude that you have years later...it was the best decision I ever made. I am sure that many schools can give you that feeling years later, but I am glad to hear you say that Wake felt that way to you.</p>
<p>My S knew it was a great fit almost from the minute we entered the campus...it just felt right and I even felt that it was a good fit for him. I can't even really explain why...if he learns to trust his gut instincts from this choice, I will be pleased. That lesson has served me well over the years and when I didn't follow my gut on a few occasions, the decision turned out fine, but I can see why I didn't feel completely right about it, even today.</p>
<p>Congrats to your son -- and you! I too felt that "chemistry" when I first stepped on campus in 1975, and I still do (drinking from my WF mug right now, with my dog Duncan -- as in Tim -- and cat Salem right beside me)! Even though our son is going to W&L, what we all love and appreciate is that he feels chemistry there, like we do at Wake. And both schools, like others known for their devoted alumni, will always be "home." Go Deacs!</p>
<p>I almost got full tuition from richmond, i only had to pay them 2 thousand a year...but i rejected them too lol</p>
<p>Esquette, the feeling the alum have for Wake is one of the reasons my son applied only to Wake--ED single choice. He got cold feet at first and wondered if maybe he should have looked around more, but after finishing his first year, he is enthused about the upcoming year and very glad he went with his initial gut feeling. (alas, no merit money here either though)</p>
<p>I've always been a true believer in the "gut check" school of college selection! If you're lucky enough to find that chemistry, no doubt it will be a great match. The same thing happened to the daughter of our great friends, my husband's business partner, who originally was certain she would never look south. She went to a summer educational program on the Wake campus and took the tour just because she was there. Before the tour was over, she told her parents, "this is it!" ED single choice in the first week of Sept! How ironic that she will be headed to Wake next fall, while our son heads to W&L! It's all good, when it fits . . . . </p>
<p>Welcome to Deaconland!</p>
<p>The same thing happened to me with Wake. I didn't think that I'd go to school in the South. I'm Southern and spent most of my childhood there and just expected I'd go somewhere up North or out West and get away from my family. After visiting Wake though I knew it was the one and that I didn't want to go anywhere else. So I applied ED Single Choice in October and I'll be going there next year. I couldn't be any happier with my choice. I absolutely cannot wait to get on campus and start school.</p>
<p>while we're on the topic of very little merit aid, i'll tell you a story about one of my best friends:
-wake was one of his top choices as long as he got half tuition merit aid, because his parents weren't willing to pay full
-applied with great interest to wake, uva, davidson, w&l, and UNC
-1510 SAT, 4.35gpa out of maximum 4.4
-tennis frosh, soph & junior year, captain junior year
-large assortment of clubs, including amnesty international and it's acacemic
-accepted to UNC in february, to start off the acceptance list
-accepted into the UVA echols program, but no merit aid, so that was ruled out
-accepted to W&L as a GWHS, received full tuition, would only have to pay room and board
-accepted to Davidson with full academic scholarship, no expenses due
-waitlisted at wfu, obviously no merit money
-he worked very hard on his wake application and used some of the same essays for wake as he did for other schools
-you cannot be serious! why yes I am folks...very serious indeed
there was nothing in his application or resume to suggest this...very confusing
he's attending davidson next year and is very excited, but still confused about wake</p>
<p>Maybe they didn't like his essays (?) or thought he wasn't going to attend based on his stats (ie: using it as a safety) and didn't show interest. I doubt they'd w/l an applicant of that merit without a really good reason.</p>
<p>ahh the bewilderment on readers faces...i wanted to see what people thought about taht situation, even though there was one twist on what really happened</p>
<p>everything aforementioned is true, but he was caught smoking weed on a school retreat back in october, and was nearly expelled, except that his sister had been killed several months prior, so our school sort of took pity on him...this went in his application, and is why wake waitlisted him...I am very glad to know that wake has a no-tolerance drug policy, and took it into consideration on his application...what surprises me, however, is that davidson and W&L didn't seem to mind...very odd, but im glad wake took a stand and didn't let the extremely qualified candidate (save the one incident) in---we are going to a great place guys!</p>