<p>I only applied to Auburn and Middle Tennessee State, since I knew from the beginning of senior year that I was going to Alabama (I like to make my decisions early). Kinda wish I had applied to UCLA and Vanderbilt, but oh well. There’s always grad school.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>You would have had to have paid full freight to UCLA - about $50k per year.</p>
<p>We’re in LA now but did live in TX for several years so she might meet people she knows from Sugarland.</p>
<p>DS met admission standards for, but chose not to even apply to: Princeton, Vandy, GWU, Washington Univ of St. Louis, & William & Mary. He’s admitted to the Honors College and hoping for Fellows. Because we are financially challenged, the full tuition for his PSAT score was simply “an offer he couldn’t refuse.” 
He loves the South and is excited about Bama!</p>
<p>Mesquite_Girl—you turned down the full ride at Washington and Lee?? Gosh!!</p>
<p>DS applied for WLU’s Johnson Scholarship…we won’t hear for a while, though. To tell you the honest truth, though, we are all hugely iffy about Washington and Lee because of the dominance of the Greek system and the whole drink-till-you-drop thing. Not to mention the snobbery and conformism. Can’t see how DS would possibly fit in; he’s fiercely individual. </p>
<p>Plus, we are not in the same financial league as most WLU parents…let’s just put it that way!</p>
<p>Well, DS has not made his final decision yet, but, for us, as for many, money is a HUGE factor. </p>
<p>Here’s where he stands right now:</p>
<p>— Belmont Abbey College: accepted; no merit aid…although they are now courting him with the prospect of a $17,000 scholarship (about half the COA)
— University of North Carolina at Asheville: accepted and admitted to Honors program, but no word yet re scholarships (which are competitive, require interviews, etc.)
— Western Carolina University: accepted; admitted to Honors College as Honors Scholar, with $6K in merit aid (about half the COA). This one’s a live possibility: DS loves the mountains, and we can swing the additional $6K for rest of COA. Only problem: no classics program whatsoever. DS will be majoring in history, not classics, but he’s been taking Greek and especially Latin for so many years that it would be shame not to continue, at least with Latin.
— Franciscan University of Steubenville: admitted, with $7,500 scholarship. Just not enough. 
— Ave Maria University: admitted, with $14,000 scholarship (again, about half the COA). Not enough, alas, but we appreciate the offer!
— Appalachian State: applied; will learn verdict 1/25. Invited to apply for full-ride scholarship, but it’s highly competitive / requires interview, so who knows?
— UNC Chapel Hill: applied, will learn verdict 1/21. We’re fairly confident he’ll get in, but we doubt there will be much merit aid, if any.
— Washington and Lee: applied; also applied for full-ride Johnson Scholarship (competitive / requires interviews); a long shot.</p>
<p>And then there’s Bama.</p>
<p>For obvious financial reasons, we are leaning toward Bama at this point. Either Bama or Western Carolina.</p>
<p>There’s just one problem WRT Bama. It’s one I have hesitated to mention, but here goes…</p>
<p>About a month ago, DS received his scholarship offer from Bama (via snail-mail). It offered him only a two-thirds tuition scholarship. The letter said that, if his SAT composite (CR and W) had been ten points higher, he would have received full tuition. (His score was 1390.) </p>
<p>Well, DS is a National Merit Semifinalist; that’s the whole reason we applied, to get the NMSF (and possibly the NMF) deal. Apparently, somewhere along the line, wires had crossed, and Bama’s scholarships office had forgotten that DS was an NMSF. Oy! What a mess.</p>
<p>So, I emailed the scholarships people and explained the situation – i.e., that DS was an NMSF, that he had applied on time for the NMF scholarship deadline (Dec. 1), etc. etc. </p>
<p>The scholarships people emailed back to say that they were rectifying the situation, and that DS would indeed receive the full-tuition NMSF award. The lady who replied said that she would be sending out a snail-mail letter to confirm this.</p>
<p>It’s been about two weeks, and the letter still hasn’t arrived. As a result, I am reluctant to go ahead and make the enrollment deposit. It seems as if bad luck is plaguing this application – nothing is working out quite right, and I just can’t feel secure. </p>
<p>Needless to say, we are very enthusiastic about the possibility of a full ride for DS at Bama. But we can’t even get written confirmation of the full-tuition NMSF deal, and we are starting to get really nervous.</p>
<p>Any advice and reassurance would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Diane</p>
<p>Diane: If I recall correctly, they don’t send the NMF scholarship letters out until the kids are officially named NMFs in February. D had gotten the Presidential Scholarship letter but didn’t get the one officially detailing the housing, laptop, stipend, etc. until NMSC made things official.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>LadyD, please don’t worry about a thing. First of all, RobD is right. Second, you’ve got the promise in writing (e-mail). Besides which, there’s NO WAY Bama will let a NM student get away just because of a clerical/bureaucratic snafu. Your son WILL get the scholarship, and when he becomes a NMF (which he WILL, unless he’s a felon), you’ll be pinching yourself about the magnitude of the award: full tuition for four years (with the option to take up to 20 credits/semester), free super-suite housing, a thousand bucks a year (which will cover most, if not all of his book expenses), a two thousand dollar stipend for study abroad/summer study, and a high end laptop computer.</p>
<p>Besides which, if they renege on the e-mail promise (which they WON’T), you’ll have no trouble lining up a salivating attorney who’ll sue for so much (including treble damages for emotional distress and suffering) that you’ll be able to pay for college, grad school, a little bling, and a luxury trip to . . . Hawaii.</p>
<p>So, get those enrollment and housing deposits in right now, y’all, and Roll Tide!</p>
<p>LadyD, I have to concur about the fact that the scholarship info will come. We have always waited on snail mail from UA, it always seemed that we received the letters two weeks after everyone else. I know that this can be frustrating. However I would go ahead and make those deposits if it were me. The earlier you deposit the earlier the housing selection date. Those who waited last year did not always get their first choice.</p>
<p>LadyD, don’t worry about the letter having not yet arrived and feel free to pay the deposits. I can and will assure you that UA will give him the correct scholarship and should any problems arise this spring after he gets named NMF, they will be fixed ASAP. If worse comes to worst, UA should be able to fax you confirmation that your son will receive the correct scholarship.</p>
<p>Roll Tide!</p>
<p>LOL, youse guys are the BEST!!! And Reverend Mal, you missed your calling as a stand-up comic, LOL!!</p>
<p>THANK YOU!!!</p>