UD Distinguished Scholars

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Delaware
1

<p>Hey guys! I just got a letter informing me that I'm one of 100 Finalists for UD's Distinguished Scholars Competition!!</p>

<p>To those who don't know: Finalists are invited to compete for scholarships that range from full tuition to full tuition + room and board + a book stipend... and all of the scholarships include money for a discovery-learning experience, like research or study abroad. The next stage of the competition is an overnight stay from March 20th to 21st, during which the Finalists will compete through essay examinations and interviews.</p>

<p>I'm psyched for many reasons: I'm honored to be chosen; this represents my first acceptance (I'm assuming that I got in, lolz); I love competing (>:]); I'm looking forward to seeing the campus again (last time I saw it was Summer College two summers ago!); and, of course, there's a possibility of substantial $$$. </p>

<p>So... yeah, I'm definitely going. :] Who else?!</p>

2

<p>hey! yea same here :) i haven't gotten any acceptances yet, but is this basically one? i'm excited and am planning on going to that weekend. whether or not i get a scholarship i think it sounds like a lot of fun! congrats poseur!</p>

3

<p>Congrats to you, too!!! :D</p>

4

<p>Unless they have changed their procedures, if you don't receive one of the 10 or 12 Dupont scholarships (full ride) -- you will get a scholarship of some type. Last year, everyone received a minimum of $20,000/year which covered the OOS tuition until they raised the tuition. Decision is quick, they sent out the letters within a week of the interview/selection weekend.</p>

5

<p>Wow, awesome! Thanks for the info. :D This is great; I'd be a bit disappointed to go out there and write essays and not get any money, haha.</p>

6

<p>THIS IS TOMORROW</p>

<p>bumpin' dis</p>

7

<p>Good luck to all!
Ill be applying to UDel next yr. OOS.
Hopefully Ill be able to make it into the UD Distinguished Scholars.</p>

8

<p>I hope you make it! It sounds like an amazing program with lots of opportunities, especially for research and study abroad. Based on the people I met, study abroad is a huge thing at UD, especially within the Honors program and the Distinguished Scholars program -- I didn't meet a single person who went abroad fewer than 2 times; in fact, 3 or 4 seemed to be the average!</p>

9

<p>For anyone who attended the Distinguished Scholars weekend, what, if anything surprised or impressed you about UDel; what did you think about the intellectual caliber and opportunities of the program; and what might encourage you to accept the offer of admission, aside from the promise of significant merit aid? Are there other pros and cons that you are considering?</p>

10

<p>Surprised and impressed:<br>
Okay, so I knew that there were research and study abroad activities, but the sheer number and the extent to which most students take advantage of them was absolutely amazing. It really sounds like if you're a student at UD -- especially an Honors Program student -- you can do anything within the realm of possibility as far as studies abroad, and although research opportunities are generally limited to what's going on on campus, there are a lot of choices there, too. Also, the education is extremely personalized, which is helpful especially if you have postgraduate goals (such as med school or law school); all of the students raved about the course advisement that Honors Program students are offered. </p>

<p>Intellectual caliber and opportunities of the program:
Kinda covered up therrre. </p>

<p>What might encourage me to accept:
Well, same stuff. It sounds like even though Delaware is such a big school, if you're part of the Honors Program and especially the Distinguished Scholars program, you're part of an exclusive group on campus that has access to everything the area has to offer. The professors I met seemed great and really approachable (partly because the program had us interacting with professors as much as possible, haha) and some of the academic programs caught my attention (like the art conservation one, which is one of only two so extensive in the country). Also, I have a lot of different academic interests, and it seemed like lots of UD students are similarly involved in many different academic fields, partially 'cause a lot of majors have pretty lenient course requirements and Honors Program students get such good course advisement (I heard a lot of "I'm double majoring in Chem E and Art History and minoring in French and English and African Studies" and stuff like that, haha). It's worth noting, on that topic, that multiple people with whom I talked stressed the fact that it's not really important what particular areas your degrees are in; it's more important to just choose classes in fields that you're interested in. So, either way (whether I had all of these majors on paper or not), I'd be free to explore a lot of different areas intellectually.</p>

11

<p>Thank you. That is so helpful. From what you are saying, it sounds like there are myriad opportunities for distinguished scholars to take advantage of, and a great deal of support. For someone who is looking for real intellectual engagement, though, the lingering question is whether the kids who finally accept the distinguished scholar offer are able to create a vibrant, close knit and stimulating academic and social environment. The scholarship itself, however, is incredibly generous.</p>

12

<p>I guess I had (and maybe still have?) a little bit of bias about the "intellectual engagement" thing since the stigma among overachievers is that the kids at state schools aren't as motivated and driven as those at top-tier privates. Honestly, I don't think that I'm qualified to make a judgment as to the accuracy of that notion -- nobody really is, except for someone who's experienced multiple college environments -- but I'm willing to bet that the environment is comparably intellectually stimulating and what not, especially among the Honors / DiScho kids.</p>

13

<p>Poseur - Can you tell me about the weekend? Like what you guys did, etc.</p>

14

<p>Just out of curiosity, what sort of profile do the students in the Distinguished Scholars program fit - i.e. SAT ranges, GPA's, etc.?</p>

15

<p>I think you have articulated the essential question for a student who is struggling with this decision -- perhaps a bias or an assumption that at a state school there isn't the kind of drive, challenge and motivation that you would find in another academic environment. And while it might be, as you say, that within the Honors/DiSec group, you might find that stimulation, you are still a student in a larger school where the population might not share those goals. So that separation between the Honors students and non-Honors creates opportunities, but also some potential conflict of community and outlook. I don't know; as you say, this is an impossible question to answer unless you have had both kinds of academic experiences. And grappling with the pros and cons of attending UDel if these issues are important is not all that easy!</p>

16

<p>The scholarship list for Distinguished Scholars is out. My son was named an Alison Scholar.</p>

17

<p>Congrats!!!</p>

18

<p>Congrats to you and your son!
If I may ask, what were his stats/amount of scholarship?</p>

19

<p>My son’s scholarship was for full tuition based on this years tuition. I imagine we will be paying some as it goes up over the years. It is still a great deal since we are OOS.<br>
His GPA is 4.4 W and I think 3.8 UW, his ACT score was 34 (we are from the Midwest and ACT is much more popular here) so he didn’t bother to take the SAT. He is 4th in his class of about 330 kids. Average public school. He had some ECs but nothing outstanding. He did have great teacher recommendations.</p>

<p>As a side note, GWU was by far his first choice until he spent the weekend at UD. He loved the people and came home and said even if GWU gave him a full ride (which he knew they wouldn’t), he would still go to UD. He is very excited and wants to send his acceptance in ASAP. He was accepted at GWU and it was very anti climactic since he had made the decision to to go to UD.</p>

20

<p>I went to the DiScho weekend last weekend.
The weekend consisted of videos and presentations by current DiSchos, a meet-and-greet with honors professors, a short group discussion with a written response that will be evaluated as part of your selection as an Alison scholar or a DuPont scholar etc, and an interview, which is the most important part of selection for the additional scholarships (on top of being a Distinguished Scholar, which guarantees you full tuition unless they find out that you’re a horrible person).</p>

<p>This year of the ~100 Distinguished Scholars, there were 29 I believe from Delaware. 30 people total (by no means all DE residents) received the DuPont Scholarship, which is full tuition, room and board, a book stipend, and additional funds for out-of-classroom learning.</p>

<p>Overall, I was not particularly impressed with the program. The informational sessions about specific majors were focused much more on how double majoring works than the actual academic quality of the major. I stayed one night with a current DuPont scholar, and found her to lack a social life–it seemed like she was purely focused on studying. The program was also poorly organized in my opinion. After I RSVP’d, I received no contact from them whatsoever. I found out the hotel we were staying in by checking CC and did not find out that they required a medical waiver until after I got there. Apparently this information was sent by email to many DiSchos, but a significant minority had also received no information whatsoever. There was also a lot of waiting around and downtime, which I’ve heard was intentional, to promote bonding between the students; however, I don’t think it worked at all.</p>

<p>Honestly, this weekend convinced me not to go to UD. The money would have made me choose it over my safeties, but not over most of my schools.</p>

<p>That said, Delaware still has some great opportunities for those who are truly interested in going there. Especially for those considering Chem Engineering, physical therapy, or art conservation, UD is a fantastic school. The study abroad is great, and the faculty made it clear that the DiSchos and especially the DuPont scholars are pretty much given anything they want. The Honors and DiScho students also do seem to form a smaller community with the larger body of UD–a positive or a negative depending on how you look at it.</p>

<p>Let me know if you have any questions.</p>