Applying to W&L and the Johnson Scholarship

Sensible111
Wed, 19 Sep 2012 10:44:42 +0000

They have an agenda with who gets them and who does not. There are 44 Johnson’s and 22 are for good students with major financial need. 22 are for students who do not need money and are very strong. Everyone given scholarships is suppposed to be very strong scholastically with tough schedules, high scores and success in other areas (leadership, volunteerism, the arts, and so on). While kids given Johnson’s are stronger than the typical W&L student, with a few exceptions they are not Harvard level. On the website it shows that this first year class only has 14 Natianal Merit Finalists in it. With 450 or so students in a class that is not a big number. Many of the students who apply for Johnsons also apply to Ivy League schools. Those colleges are very generous with financial aid and give it to 6 figure family income enrollees. With a few exceptions if a student is given a Johnson and also gets into Princeton, they go to Princeton because they are going to get money anyway. The students in the interview process do not carry as much judging weight as the faculty members. If you are aware of the leanings of typical faculty, I would avoid subjects that might offend them, but be true to yourself. There are politics involved in who receives a Johnson and if you are aware of that going in, you will not be disappointed in the result.