<p>If I got invited to apply to the merit scholarships, how good of an indication is this of my chances? I know it says that it is done separately from admissions, but many sources have claimed that they won’t offer you merit unless they think you’re going to get in? And I guess it kind of makes sense because otherwise there’d be a chance of someone winning the scholarship and not getting in. Does anyone have any idea about this?</p>
<p>
They haven’t offered you merit scholarships - they have offered you the opportunity to apply for merit scholarships. To use the UCLA Alumni scholarships as an example, a mass email invitation to apply is sent out to all applicants who meet the basic application criteria for the scholarships. It is not indicitive of admission.</p>
<p>My D got a personal call from someone at the Alumni Association asking her to apply for the Alumni Scholarship. They couldn’t possibly call all 50,000 or so who applied to UCLA. That has to mean that she’s near the top of the list, right? Maybe not for the scholarship, but for admission to UCLA.</p>
<p>^ The Alumni Association asks for lists of applicants that are, by virtue of grades and test scores, in the top of the applicant pool. They do not ask for a list of all 50,000 applicants. UCLA gives them those lists, but does not indicate which of those applicants will/will not be accepted. What the call means is that your daughter is a very well-qualified applicant - but you already knew that.</p>
<p>Another note - all applicants are eligible to apply for the UCLA Alumni scholarships - you do not have to be invited. (Though the deadline has passed for this year.) Leadership and service are important criteria, so even applicants not at the top in terms of grades and scores will be considered.
Info: <a href=“http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/scholarships/schol_campus/schol_ucla.html[/url]”>http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/scholarships/schol_campus/schol_ucla.html</a></p>
<p>After reviewing the scholarship applications, the Alumni Association will make a tentative list of scholarship candidates. After UCLA - on their own without input from the Alumni Asssociation - finalizes their admissions decisions, they give the Alumni Association a list of accepted students. The Alumni Association invites the candidates from their tentative list who have been admitted for scholarship interviews.</p>