<p>Columbia_Student, you did imply that they are less qualified when you said that “stats” alone were not considered, that “poor” students were more likely to get the scholarship.</p>
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USC is need-blind. They are not looking up zip codes when making admissions/scholarship decisions. I tend to believe USC published pledge to be need-blind far more than I believe “screenname mini.” If USC wanted to make those decisions based on income, they could simply no longer pledge to be need-blind. Most universities do not.</p>
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<p>Again you tend to put words into my mouth here. I never said that. OP asks if it’s about stats and I said it’s not about stats. Because you can see from Bluebayou post, the guy was rejected with good stats.</p>
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She’s definitely not rich otherwise she would stay on Campus. I agree poor is relative and it depends on one’s background.</p>
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I do believe USC is need-blind but for merit scholarships I think USC does have a blend. If you are poor and are high achievers(however USC defines it) you get trustee scholarships. USC kills 2 birds with one stone. Enough said from me on this thread.</p>
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But that guy was invited for a scholarship interview. His stats got him the interview, and his interview seems to have ruined his chances for a scholarship. He wasn’t rejected at all - he still had his acceptance. How does that in any way show that poor students are more likely to get a Trustee scholarship? </p>
<p>I think you are mistaken, Columbia. It just doesn’t make sense strategy-wise for USC to do what you say they are doing, and USC has shown themselves to masters of strategy. They want to attract the BEST students. They are very open that they use the Trustee and Presidential scholarships to do that. They also meet 100% of need, so high-achieving low-income students would already be attracted by THAT. The scholarship is meaningless to them - they would get that much or more through FA. It is high-achieving students who don’t qualify for financial aid that would be attracted by the scholarships.</p>
<p>And on a different subject - about what percentage of interviewees actually get the scholarships, I think it is pretty high. 300+ are invited, and some of those applied ED or EA to their top choice schools and don’t even interview. Even if the yield goes up to 50% (as opposed to the 30% yield for all students) for those awarded a scholarship, that would mean at least 200+ got it. (Just guesses!)</p>
<p>^well to be fair, i’m not sure if i’ll be able to afford usc without a merit scholarship. even if they meet 100% demonstrated need, we all know that they (and every other private college pretty much) often calculate your need as a lot less than it is.</p>
<p>^Please be aware, whitecadillac, that any merit aid is deducted FROM your need-based aid, not added to it.</p>
<p>For a completely made-up example:</p>
<p>USC’s cost of attendance at $53,000</p>
<p>If a student had a demonstrated need of $45,000
They might have loans of $5,500, work/study of $2,000, student expected summer earnings of $3,000, a grant of about $34,500, and their EFC of $8,000 (in cash or PLUS loans).</p>
<p>If that student was awarded a Trustee scholarship of $38,500, their need would be reduced to $6,500 ($45,000 - $38,500). The package would then include just loans and student earnings, along with the Trustee scholarship. The EFC would remain the same at $8,000.</p>
<p>(In ALL of this remember USC uses the FAFSA and the CSS/Profile, so your expected contribution at USC may be more than your FAFSA EFC.)</p>
<p>so pretty much there is really nothing to be gained from getting a merit scholarship unless you get the presidential one or if you didn’t qualify for much need-based aid?</p>
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That is what puzzles me to when I think of merit scholaships but I think the students that get NMS fall into that category. Without stating why I think my daughter’s friends would get financial aid(based on what I’ve heard they would get financial aid).</p>
<p>Nobody gets 34k in grant money. Nobody. I know you’re using a made-up example, but in interests of honesty and informativeness, I just have to say this. They might get 8-10k in grant money, a couple k more in random scholarships, and the rest would be loans.</p>
<p>When you talk about “financial aid” you need to be specific. Grants? Loans? Work-study? Merit scholarships? They’re all “financial aid” yet they’re given out for very different reasons.</p>
<p>Also be aware that they give out these scholarships depending on who you are and what your major is. For example, I know quite a few female engineers who have trustee scholarships.</p>
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You are quite mistaken. As you do not believe my personal experience, you can check the following thread for some specific GRANT amounts. Most posts just say “I’m impressed” or “I only have to pay $3,000!” but there a few that give specific amounts. See post #49, #50, and #58, here <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/486024-gah-when-do-we-receive-our-financial-aid-package-4.html?highlight=financial+aid[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/486024-gah-when-do-we-receive-our-financial-aid-package-4.html?highlight=financial+aid</a></p>
<p>Well crap, what have I been doing wrong? Or rather, what did I do wrong?</p>
<p>I am suitably impressed, I shall go back and edit my previous post.</p>
<p>Hmm, it appears that I can’t. Oh well, my mistakenness will be on record for the REST OF ETERNITY.</p>
<p>Columbia, getting a scholarship doesn’t stop them from getting financial aid - if they have need beyond the scholarship and applied for aid, they would get it. If, on the other hand, the scholarship completely satisfies their need, they would not. So it seems the friends have had their need met by the scholarship. I still don’t see what makes you think poor students have some sort of advantage when it comes to MERIT aid.</p>
<p>Most students at USC get need-based aid - I think the figure is 60% - so doesn’t it make sense that some of the merit scholarship winners would - like your daughter’s friend - qualify for need-based aid? That doesn’t, at least to me, mean they were awarded the scholarship simply because they qualify for need based aid. My daughter qualifies for need-based aid (lots of it, Hawkwings), and she was awarded a Presidential Scholarship. According to you, Columbia, she wasn’t awarded the scholarship for (among other things) being Valedictorian, achieving test scores in the top 1%, having hundreds of hours of community service, being a varsity athlete and having lots strong leadership experience, but simply because she would have gotten the money anyhow. I disagree.</p>
<p>Also, if they used the method you suggest, she would have been awarded the Trustee, because her current financial aid (Pres + grants) exceeds the amount of a Trustee.</p>
<p>hawkwings, you have been right LOTS of times, your mistakeness is already forgotten!</p>
<p>I found the following spreadsheet with Google search:
<a href=“http://www.supportingadvancement.com/potpourri/us_news_and_world_report/us_news_rankings_2009.xls[/url]”>http://www.supportingadvancement.com/potpourri/us_news_and_world_report/us_news_rankings_2009.xls</a></p>
<p>USC’s 2008 financial aid information are listed below:
Column S (% of full-time students who received need-based grants) = 36%
Column T (% of full-time students who received self-help aid) = 40%
Column U (Average percent of need met) = 100%
Column V (Average financial aid package) = $32,720
Column W (Average need-based scholarships or grants) = $22,423
Column X (Average need-based loans) = $6,485</p>
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<p>Well I’m sure some of the sholarship recipients are awarded scholarships based on stats, some based on research project, and some based on the major. But I’m sure there are some students that the merit aid covers a large chunk of their financial aid. Like Hawkings said it’s all under the umbrella of aid. That said, I’m glad we don’t always agree on everything. :D</p>
<p>Yes, the merit scholarship might certainly cover the need. But you are saying that is WHY the student was awarded the scholarship! Do you believe those students - the ones who get a merit scholarship and also qualify for need-based aid - would NOT have been awarded the scholarship if they did not have need?</p>
<p>It simply wouldn’t make sense. The scholarships are for recruiting - why would they go out of their way to give it to someone who would get the money from USC anyway??? And, as someone else on the thread said way back somewhere, that implies you believe those students are less academically qualified than “richer” students who did not get scholarships. Again, I disagree.</p>
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<p>I think it has strong influence. </p>
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No I didn’t say they are not as qualified. I must say all these students that my daughter knows did get into one of the HYP schools so they are well qualified. But I think it helps to get those merit scholarships if you also need financial aid.
I remember last year, one student was accepted to Stanford and wondering why he did not get USC trustee scholarship.</p>
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You are contradicting yourself. If they are not less qualified, why would they need the “help?”</p>
<p>“TRUSTEE SCHOLARSHIP
Candidates are selected by USC faculty and staff from an extremely competitive international pool. Applicants pursue the most demanding curriculum and achieve at the highest level. Average SAT and ACT scores are in the top 1–2 percent of all students nationwide. In addition to academic criteria, candidates’ talent, involvement and leadership are considered.”</p>
<p>Nowhere does it even imply that financial need is considered when deciding who does or doesn’t receive a Trustee , or other merit scholarships. Since an interview with a member of the faculty is required, maybe students who don’t interview well are eliminated? Maybe they did not have outstanding letters of recommendation from someone other than a teacher? Maybe the scholarships are divvied up between USC schools and a particular schools’ quota was already reached? [I can envision this happening among those applying for Vertibi] Who knows? All I can say, as a mother of a Trustee scholar, I don’t think the need for FA has anything to do with receiving a Merit Scholarship at USC. If it did, then students would need to fill out FAFSA applications as well, in order to be considered, and to my knowledge that is not required. Making assumptions about why a student was not offered a Trustee scholarship is like making assumptions about why one student was accepted at HYP and another equally impressive student was not, IMHO.</p>