Northwestern - Page 2

kyler242 · 09-19-2007, 01:10 PM

Quote:

A year attending Washington University in Saint Louis will set one back over $50,000. They are the first school in the country to break the "$50K barrier," a dubious distinction, IMHO.

Wow, I did not know that. That is indeed quite a dubious distinction, and a surprising one too given WUSTL’s fairly recent rise to national prominence. One might have expected that an Ivy or a more storied university would break that barrier first.

Kevin3 · 09-19-2007, 10:04 PM

That is quite a large sum of money....It's sad that Northwestern would be crazy expensive to go to....Anybody know about the reputation of Ithaca and Hartt? I know Ithaca is good for music ed, but what about VP?? I will do not want to attend a stand alone conservatory because I feel liberal arts are important.

thumper1 · 09-20-2007, 06:12 AM

>>I do know that University of Hartford policy prohibits a Hartt music talent award recipient being eligible for any university academic grade/stat based merit award. This policy tends to vary widely by institution.>>

The Hartt policy may go deeper than just merit aid from the University. We know a young lady (soprano)...family definitely had financial need. She was accepted to Hartt...was told that NO need based UNIVERSITY aid was available to her at all. She did not receive a music scholarship either. Her only finaid was the Stafford Loan (she did not qualify for other federal aid, but her EFC didn't even cover a third of the cost of attendance at Hartt).

violadad · 09-20-2007, 08:26 AM

I will concur with what thumper describes above about need based aid and my son's Hartt experience.

The only need based aid he received throughout his time there was the Stafford, and a small Perkins when my daughter entered college. EFC was a bit lower than what thumper cited in her example. He was also offered a very small work study amount in his second year, which he declined. It was never offered again.

We were able to swing it without overextending ourselves financially, but only based on the merit aid he received.

Sam Lee · 09-20-2007, 09:12 AM

Northwestern started to give merit-based scholarships just last year. That's why there seems to be conflicting info.

Sam Lee · 09-20-2007, 09:23 AM

Quote:

That is indeed quite a dubious distinction, and a surprising one too given WUSTL’s fairly recent rise to national prominence. One might have expected that an Ivy or a more storied university would break that barrier first.

It's actually not suprising. They offer merit-based scholarships to lure students who would otherwise pick Ivies or other more storied ones. In fact, as more schools become more aggressive in offering merit-based scholarships, some top schools are feeling the pressure to offer them just to stay competitive. That's why Northwestern started giving them last year, though nothing like 50K/year yet.

kyler242 · 09-20-2007, 10:04 AM

Sam, I think you may have misunderstood. I would concur that it is not surprising that WUSTL has to offer merit scholarships to “lure” students to attend. What IS surprising is that WUSTL was the FIRST to break the 50K barrier in tuition + expenses (according to ImperialZeppelin). It is quite shocking that given their only very recent rise in the rankings that they felt comfortable charging that much to attend BEFORE schools that are more established and prestigious (i.e. just about every other university in the U.S. News top 15) crossed that 50K threshold.

violadad · 09-20-2007, 10:19 AM

Sam-
I'm confused. From Northwestern's own web page here http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/fr...tm#scholarship I quote:

<Who is eligible for a Northwestern Scholarship?
The Northwestern Scholarship is awarded to students based solely on demonstrated financial need. Because all students admitted to the University have proven themselves both in academic settings and in extracurricular activities, we do not offer merit-based scholarships. Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who complete the financial aid process are considered for a Northwestern Scholarship.>

By this information for the '07-'08 academic year, it's stated that all "scholarships" are based on demonstrated financial need, clearly not academics.

From that same webpage however is this:

<Northwestern participates in the National Merit and National Achievement scholarship programs. It currently ranks No. 6 among all colleges in the number of National Merit freshmen enrolling.

To qualify you must be a National Merit finalist and name Northwestern as your first-choice school (as to where you plan to attend if admitted). The amount of National Merit awards will range from a minimum of $500 up to $2,000. For students who have also applied for need-based assistance, and are deemed eligible, the National Merit award will be included as part of the applicant's financial assistance.>

This is the only reference I saw even mentioning any type of academic merit scholarship (and the amounts are small against a $50k COA) beyond the music talent awards I cite in my post#3 on this thread.

It's important to note the differences between need based grants, academic merit awards, and performing arts talent awards as each is a very specific component in assessing a financial aid package in totality. The process is confusing at best to newbies, let alone to us who have already gone through it.

If I've missed something on the Northwestern page(s), or if you have personal experiences to share, it would be helpful for all to share the info.

violadad · 09-20-2007, 10:25 AM

Kevin- without knowing any detail about your musical intentions or needs, it's difficult to assess Ithaca, Hartt or any program.

If you want to provide some background, area of concentration, and aspirations it's far easier to pin down specifics.

Sam Lee · 09-20-2007, 11:21 AM

violadad,

That's outdated and that's why it's confusing. The policy changed just last year (this past application cycle). Apparently though, NU hasn't made a big deal about it yet. There's no separate application for it. The student who got them this year were pleasantly surprised. It's a small amount of money though--no more than 7.5k/yr. I think NU is still testing the water and they may increase the awards in the next few years. I think once the program is well-established and the awards are well-defined, they'll ask for a separate application.

violadad · 09-20-2007, 11:37 AM

Sam- Thanks. They do keep it well hidden on the webpages at least, seeing as what I quoted is from the '07-08 year.

I'm sure I wasn't the only one scratching my head on this.

Sam Lee · 09-20-2007, 12:00 PM

http://media.www.dailynorthwestern.c...-2891536.shtml

Quote:

Incoming Class Is First To Earn Merit-based Aid
Emily Glazer
Issue date: 5/2/07 Section: Campus
PrintEmail DoubleClick Any Word Page 1 of 2 next > By Emily Glazer

The Daily Northwestern

This spring, incoming freshmen were eligible to receive Northwestern's first merit-based scholarships, allowing the school to further compete with other prestigious universities that already offer such awards.

The Founder's Scholarship was approved this winter, offering 85 prospective freshmen between $2,500 and $7,500 yearly based on academic success and their family's middle-class status, Associate Provost for University Enrollment Michael Mills said.

Kevin3 · 09-20-2007, 07:31 PM

Interesting! Thats good to know. Not much money but it's encouraging that they are increasing it.

violadad-
I'm a high school senior this year and have been looking at colleges for quite some time now. I'm a tenor and my ultimate goal is to go to school for performance while taking LA classes in order to take the MCAT and many years later (haha) become a laryngologist, who deals with vocal disorders and the science of the throat. However, if the opportunity presented itself, and I could live comfortably, I wouldn't mind performing as a career (dream...)
I hope that gives you a sudo-idea....this is some great dialogue here. It's very helpful!

violadad · 09-20-2007, 08:17 PM

kevin- My own son's experience lies in strings, so I have no background to offer suggestions for voice performance. There are many here who can.

My son is a Hartt grad in viola performance so I do know they have a strong program both in voice and in musical theater, both of those programs are very competitive. I have no knowledge of Ithaca's vocal program. Both Hartt and Ithaca have strong music ed programs as well, and Ithaca has a rep as a good cello school.

A lot of people have called the academics at U Hartford "light" or not the best program for those seeking a high academic experience, something you may want to keep in mind.

Sam Lee · 09-20-2007, 09:06 PM

Kevin,

You can just apply and see. You may get lucky with loads of grants; you never know.

FYI, NU has a top-ranked program in communication science and disorder.