I got a letter today saying that I've been chosen as STRIDE scholar, and it comes with a grant of $60,000 over four years + stipend for a research project. They said that they will mail out my acceptance letter in about a week so I don't know what my official financial aid package will be. Does this STRIDE grant come with need-based financial aid? Or is that my total scholarship money?
They will figure out your total financial need. If it is more than the STRIDE, you will get additional assistance. If it is less that the STRIDE, then the STRIDE amount is what you get.
But the best part of the STRIDE (in my opinion) is the research opportunity.
STRIDE is a merit scholarship, so if your financial need is greater than your STRIDE award, you may be awarded more money, usually as a mix of grant, loan, and work study. You'll have to wait unitl you get your official letter to know what your full aid package will be. But receiving STRIDE is a great stroke of fortune. Relatively few applicants out of the whole pool are chosen to receive it.
The best part about STRIDE IMO is that you get the stipend regardless of how much work you actually do on the research project (and it is a generous stipend). So unlike other workstudy jobs where they pay you based on the hours you put in, with STRIDE you get a garaunteed paycheck even if your hours wax and wane over time. And how beneficial the research project is, in my opinion, varies widely depending on what research opportunity you choose and how well the professor utilizes you.
BTW workstudy grants are a mixed bag - my daughter got one with a $1500 max per year but has never been able to earn close to that due to wage rate and the amount of free time she had and the hours of the jobs available and her sched. It's a bit frustrating.
I agree with SaP. how interesting the research is will depend on the professor you are assigned to, but the stipend is paid regardless. When D got a Stride (only 5K in those days), the stipend was only for 2 years. Now that she has to tutor instead, and despite putting in many hours (too many imo) she doesn't come near to what she got before.
Congrats on your achievements to those who got it. For those who didn't and who are going to Smith, believe me, it doesn't mean at all that you're less likely to succeed. Good luck to all.
Alright thank you for for clearing that up! I was very surprised when I received it, but it definitely makes Smith really appealing! It seems like an interesting program.
I don't think you can have STRIDE and work study, simply because your STRIDE stipend assumes that you will be working on your STRIDE project for the full number of hours allowed to a work study student every week (depending on the project, this may or may not be the case), thus not leaving you additional time to do other forms of work study, at least as long as you have the research project. I don't know about the loans though.
My D got a $20,000/year scholarship plus invitation to STRIDE. It made Smith much more on her radar than originally. If our EFC is less than the $30,000 to cover the cost of Smith, is there an advantage to the scholarship besides STRIDE?
I've heard that if you are getting financial aid, that a STRIDE replaces the loans and work study in your aid package..is that true?
RE: work-study.
S&P, as usual, gave great answers. The STRIDE stipend is $2,100.....More than enough to visit Herrell's Ice Cream. I'm serious. You've worked very hard and earned the $2,100. Buy a treat
RE: Loans:
Quote:
The STRIDE award forms a part of students' federally determined financial aid. For admitted STRIDE students receiving financial aid, the award first replaces the loan part of the aid package. Merit awards cannot be added on top of student's federally determined need,
GTalum, congratulations to your daughter! I'm sure she has deserved it! My daughter was just writing a thank you note to the local Rotary for the scholarship they gave her for the current year, and she emphasized how important her STRIDE work has been to her. I don't know of any other competitive LAC that has an established diverse research program such as STRIDE for the first two years of undergrad. It really sets up the students for research in the upperclassmen years and grad school.
