mamajay

Did anyone get an email inviting them to a dinner in their area discussing a possible McNair Scholarship? Just curious about how hard it is to get one of these scholarships.

proudpop

My daughter got a phone call about this time last year inviting her to dinner when USC was not really on her "list". To make a long story short, she is now a McNair and LOVES being at South Carolina! The way she has been trated and the opportunities offered are in her mind (and mine as well) second to none.

It is very competetive and the application is very rigorous but ,in my opinion, USC accepts a very diverse group- of course academics are very important but they have a number of McNairs that excel in other areas- sports, community service, ec's, etc.

Best of Luck.

cathymee

mamajay
Its competitive but so worthwhile
S is now a Senior at USC,a McNair from New York
Lovely thing abt USC is they allow you to "stack " scholarships so you can get a McNair PLUS other scholarships .
Attend the dinner if possible and hear what opportunities a McNair can have there.Come back and ask more q's of us!!

cheerleader

I got the invitation as well am plan to attend. I have applied to SC and did visit the campus and really liked it. I am curious about the requirements for McNair. For instance any idea about SAT and GPA ranges?

cathymee

theres info on the Honors College pages of the USC website sc.edu about the stats of the Honors college students but I've never seen a breakdown of the McNairs themselves. I suspect it would be on the higher end of the Honors stats. But they also look for other traits/accomplishments.They admire well roundedness and expect their chosen students to be the future leaders of the campus, whatever their area of interest/major (in other words, not necessarily a student government leader, but if a science oriented student, a leader in that area.

easmesmom

My daughter is interested, but we are wondering how one might get "invited" to one of the dinners. We are in Ohio....does anyone know what areas they are in?

cathymee

easmesmom
you might want to call the admissions office and ask for the admissions person who is handling McNair applicants to see if there is a dinner in your area. S did not attend a dinner here in NY in the year he was applying but he did meet up with an admissions counselor who was travelling the area (not specifically an Honors/McNair counselor)to get more info and gauge his chances.
You of course, are free to apply w/o attending a dinner!

easmesmom

thanks, cathymee....my D called and talked with someone in their office. No dinner in our area of Ohio, but he was kind and encouraging. Her applications are in and complete, and of course, I think she's a perfect candidate! I guess they let you know the end of January. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

cathymee

come back and ask any questions you might have along the way!
best of luck to your D doing the app is the hardest part LOL