what's most important for merit scholarships?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
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<p>like...is it mostly stats-based? essay-based? equal combo of the two?</p>

<p>also would it be possible to get a merit scholarship to usc if i was rejected to the screenwriting major i applied to?</p>

<p>finally, quick glance my stats: 2140 sat (800 w, 740 cr, 600 m) and uw 3.86 gpa...is that in range of people interviewed? it seems most are 2200+ but i dunno, that might just be people who posted here?</p>

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<p>I think it’s not based on stats alone. The people that my daugther knows are reasonably poor. I think she knows about 4-5 trustree scholarship recipients.</p>

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<p>i would say stats first, then others ECs subjective factors combined. but I don’t think it’s very likely to get much money without solid stats, no matter how amazing your other stuff is.</p>

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Huh? I don’t get what you are saying - that their “stats” are poor, or they are “poor” money-wise?</p>

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<p>so what do you guys think are considered “solid stats”/in range for merit money?</p>

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<p>You can look at the 2009 stats thread - most of those reporting they were accepted the last week of January and first week of February were invited to interview for the Trustee or Presidential scholarships <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/642272-stats-only-usc-decisons-2009-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/642272-stats-only-usc-decisons-2009-a.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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Poor money-wise. I think some of them definitely would qualify as financial aid but USC granted them merit aid instead. Other parents have mentioned similar things before in the Financial aid forum.</p>

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<p>So you are saying that they didn’t “deserve” the scholarship based on their application and accomplishments, but were handed the money in lieu of the financial aid USC figured they would have to give them anyway?</p>

<p>How do you suppose USC does this? I did not file my financial aid applications until the third week of January, and the FA forms are not due until Febrary 2nd - wich is AFTER those scholarship acceptances are sent. How did USC know that I would need FA on January 24th when I received my acceptance?</p>

<p>This is just another one of those “you poor people are soooo lucky” comments. You make an assumption that because I qualify for financial aid I am less qualified academically than students who do not get FA. The truth is I managed to assemble my scholarship-worthy record without the $1,200 SAT-prep courses and tutors that the wealthy students had. </p>

<p>Applying for financial aid has no affect on whether you are offered a scholarship.</p>

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<p>I did not say that they did not deserve the merit aid. But what I’m saying for 30-50% of the students who received merit aid, some of them may qualify as financial aid but USC calls it off as merit aid. The policy might in regarding to merit aid might have changed over the years now that USC is climing up in rank. Note: all this is my opinion.</p>

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<p>That’s probably is the official line. But one can look at one zip code and figure out whether one can pay for tuition or not(most of the time). Marketing people do this all the time. And my post does not refer to anyone in particular. I’m not one of those who posted the comment “you poor people are sooo lucky” and I’m glad these students that my daughter are friended with received the trustee scholarships. But I’m pretty sure they are not completely stats based.</p>

<p>Here is the post about USC Trustee Scholarship
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/460918-usc-trustee-scholarship.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/460918-usc-trustee-scholarship.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Greta’s 1-in-3 estimate is not correct. That uses the 100+ who matriculate with the scholarship divided by the 300+ who are interviewed. It leaves out the students who were awarded the scholarship but chose to attend other schools. As USC’s yield is about 30% and the students offered the scholarships are among the best in the nation with acceptances at Ivy League schools, far more than 1-in-3 were clearly offered the scholarship. I am sure bluebayou’s friend’s son wants to think he didn’t get it because he was too rich, but maybe just he had a really bad interview.</p>

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Clearly it is your opinion, because your position is completely unsupported. (Except of course by Junior Member Greta – does she work in USC admissions???)</p>

<p>I am also interested in how your daughter has arrived at her conclusion that the 4-5 Trustee Scholars she knows (about 1% of current Trustee scholars, btw) are “relatively poor.” Has she exchanged parental financial statements with them, or does she just look them up and down and add up the lack of designer labels and then sneer. (And “relative” to what? To her? To national averages?)</p>

<p>Your daughter and I started the same year, and we are both in Thematic Option. It is entirely possible that she and I know each other. I can GUARANTEE you there are two things she does NOT know about me – that I have a merit scholarship, and ANYTHING about my parent’s finances. I don’t brag about the first and the second isn’t even MY business, let alone hers.

You seem to be saying that their financial need was what got them the scholarship – in reality, 60% of USC students receive need-based financial aid, so it makes sense that scholarship recipients would be among them. If anything, saying that only about ½ of scholarship recipients get need-based aid would indicate that FA recipients are LESS likely to get merit aid. You also would have to in some way demonstrate that scholarship recipients who also qualify for need-based aid are “less” qualified for the scholarship than the the “rich” students you seem to think USC discriminates against - do you have any evidence to support that?</p>

<p>USC is need blind and guarantees to meet 100% of demonstrated need. They do not have to offer merit aid to attract low-income students – those students will receive aid (often that exceeds the Trustee scholarship) regardless. It is the high-stat students who DON’T qualify for aid they need to attract with merit scholarships.</p>

<p>Another note – MY zip code would give USC the idea that my family was much better off than we are – so the method you say they use to determine who to offer scholarships doesn’t work in my case. But I would be a very small sampling. Then again, you and your daughter used 1% of Trustee scholars and bluebayou’s friend’s son to come up with your hypothesis…</p>

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<p>Four of my friends are merit based scholarship holders. Based on what I know of their parents’ professions, I don’t think they are anywhere close to be financially poor.
Trustee scholarship #1 - Father is a Sillicon Valley executive.
Trustee scholarship #2 - Father is a software engineer.
Presidential scholarship #1 - Father is a university professor and mother is a MD.
Presidential scholarship #2 - Father is a pattern lawyer.</p>

<p>BTW - they are truely outstanding students.</p>

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<p>She did not say they are poor. I made that assessment based on what she told me. One had to apply for the RA position because this person can’t afford to live on campus. There is no need to be snarky. She is really good friend with them so designer labels did not come into the equation. I don’t know why you jump to conclusion and get all upset. Your opinion is not fact based either.</p>

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<p>My D was informed of why she received the Trustee. She did not have a stellar SAT scores, (though she was a valedictorian).
What impressed the committee is that she stood out with a very impressive 4 year scientific research background, research that she passionate about and did herself as her principal (and nearly only) EC, and for which received numerous awards up to the international level, and which she also presented at scientific conferences.
She also received a personal note from the Admissions committee regarding the essay which I guess they liked a lot (and which was not based on her research).</p>

<p>I think the merit scholarships are offered to those who stand out in some way in a particular field, or who may perhaps be doing extremely well under adverse conditions (proof of being a real fighter and gogetter), or who may have the tippy top scores across the board etc as long as there’s something extra that makes the applicant unique.</p>

<p>I remember a guy in my D’s application year who came from an unbelievably difficult background of poverty and crime, but who managed to be a real leader in his community (Imperial valley area I think). He had pretty mediocre scores but he was obviously a guy who had a future. This guy was offered a Pres, but was also accepted to Stanford which he chose to attend.</p>

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<p>I would say not all of Trustee scholarship recipients are in this category.</p>

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<p>Let me ask you this. Would your D qualify for some financial if she did not get Trustee Scholarship?</p>

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Again, you jump to conclusion on that one. I never said they are less qualified for the scholarship.</p>

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<p>^ Yes in our case she would. However USC had no way of knowing that in advance because we too live in a zip code that’s considered wealthy, which I most certainly am not.</p>

<p>I do know of other Trustee students in my D’s TO classes who would definitely not qualify for FA. I can name at least 5.</p>

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I believe screename mini often mentioned this that admission officers are pros in identifying who can pay in full and who cannot. There are cases that people would be renting in an expensive neighborhood and therefore the zipcode does not apply but for 90% of the case it is true.</p>

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<p>I can name at least 5 that wouldn’t be able to afford $50K tuition. Is that mean I’m 50% right?</p>

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If she was “poor” (your word, not mine) enough for financial aid, FA is calculated using COA – cost of attendance – and her on-campus housing and meal plan would be included. It seems more likely she does NOT qualify for financial aid – at least not in excess of her scholarship – and so must cut costs by being an RA.</p>

<p>From the posts here on cc (which you seem to take as gospel, quoting them to support your arguments) it seems the complaints about not being able to afford USC come from students who do not qualify for aid – not from low-income students who receive sometimes MORE than a Trustee scholarship amount in grant aid.</p>

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I am not upset. I am posting to counter your incorrect claim that students who qualify for financial aid AND received merit scholarships are not as qualified for those scholarships as students who do not qualify for financial aid</p>

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Fact: Scholarship acceptances come BEFORE financial aid applications are due.</p>