@USAFwife2000 , Congratulations to the whole family!!
@TXRunningMom Wow! I’ve never heard of a school or foundation requesting repayment. That is ridiculous. They say they want to compete with other top scholarships such as the Stamps, Jefferson, etc. If so, they can’t have such punitive policies. The gpa requirement is already very high.
That said, I helped a student win one the first year. Engineering major. I was very concerned with the GPA requirement and check up on him about once a year to make sure things are going well. He’s had no problem staying above 3.5. It’s doable but probably not a good idea for anxious students.
@itsgettingreal21 , I know, right? Maybe you could ask your student if he has to repay it. The ones I’ve asked say things like “I think so? It’s not really clear.” Somewhere they are given this impression. If it isn’t a real thing, they have some really bad communication and PR with their scholars! I really hope they clear this issue up for the sake of the students. These kids do not need that extra pressure!
@USAFwife2000 That is amazing. Your son must be an incredible young man. Congratulations to you all.
@USAFwife2000 - Congratulations to your son!
@TXRunningMom, could you give any specific examples regarding “Everything else is very strict about the scholarship”? My son had his interview last week and was chosen for “early acceptance”. He is considering all his options but is super excited about what this scholarship offers.
@USAFwife2000 and @Olecollegetry, are your children National Merit Scholars?
@Olecollegetry , and all who are trying to decide between Brown and Brockman, I texted with my daughter who has a good friend who is a Brockman scholar. This student was not offered an interview for Brown so she did not have to pick between the scholarships. She is a National Merit.
My daughter says, “So the Foundation hasn’t given them anything official to sign concerning paying it back, and they haven’t told them explicitly either way. There also haven’t been any problem cases yet. So…they don’t know.
The strictness mostly manifests itself in monthly etiquette dinners and the like. They signed a contract saying they were going to sign a contract, and that’s what she says.
They definitely lose the scholarship is they fall below a 3.5, but not sure about repayment.”
I asked what would her friend counsel to parents and students trying to decide between Brown and Brockman and she replied, “If they are remotely interested in the MS Business, go Brockman. If they know they don’t want it, go Brown.”
I am still concerned that all these students have this “do we have to pay it back or not” hanging over their heads. However, if they haven’t signed a contract stating repayment, I don’t see how they can legally require repayment. Nonetheless, I hope the Brockman Foundation clears up this fog for the students, especially if there is nothing to it.
I hope this helps for those of you with such a wonderful difficult decision to make! It is like trying to decide between cookies and ice cream. You really can’t go wrong either way! 
@AggieDadHopeful , National Merit is a requirement for Brown but not for Brockman.
@AggieDadHopeful My son is not National Merit so the Brown was not an option for him. We did learn that some of the required workshops for scholars include topics such as budgeting, social etiquette, and resume building. I think those are excellent skills for anyone to have. @TXRunningMom when my son gets any info on GPA requirements/ scholarship repayment (gosh, I hope this is only a rumor and not legit) I will report back.
@TXRunningMom, thanks, I understand, that’s why I’m curious as to whether their sons are National Merit Scholars.
@AggieDadHopeful , got it! I was thinking they had both offers to wrestle with. Sorry about that!
@USAFwife2000 , yes, please let us know about the requirements! I think it is a fair question to ask. Plus, they may not know about this “rumor” and will want to clear that up as soon as possible! Back in my day, I had a full ride scholarship that had a pay back requirement if I didn’t teach for 4 years in my homestate. It was very explicit and up front. You teach for 4 years, no pay back. You teach for anything less than 4 years or not at all, you pay it back. It was very black and white and no scholarship recipient was left to wonder about the stipulations. Keep us posted!!
@AggieDadHopeful, Our son is currently in the competition as a National Merit Semifinalist. Although he has not been contacted as a candidate for a Brown award.
TXRunningMom, thank you for being so informative and helpful. I thought “strict” may mean taking class attendance or even something onerous. And thank you to your daughter and her friend for being so responsive. So are relationships among all the scholars common? Are there combined events for Terry, Brown and Brockman for these high achieving students to interact and collaborate?
@Olecollegetry , you are welcome! Have you read through the Brockman Foundation Scholarship website? They have some stipulations about how students should spend their summers in terms of they should either take classes, study abroad, internships, etc. They do not want them to go home and work at their local HEB or lifeguard or just whatever; they want them doing stuff towards their major. Is that strict? Maybe. Are most Brockmans probably going to be doing those things anyway with their summers? Probably. Some kids might need the structure; some might not like it too much. But, all in all, the benefits outweigh jumping through some of their hoops.
I don’t know anything about Terry. I don’t believe the Brown and Brockman scholars have anything organized. However, there is a special Conway Fitzhugh Italy trip this summer that is open for application for National Merits. They take 27 National Merits; some are Brown, some are Brockman, some are simply National Merits. That group of kids bond very well and come back really close friends. I think this is where the Brockman and Brown kids have interactions. Also, many of them are Engineers majors and live in Mosher so they may know each other that way.
Regarding the payback rumor for Brockman, please calm down everyone and chill out folks.
All the paperwork said was that in the event that the scholarship is cancelled for cause in certain circumstances, such as gross misconduct, the Foundation reserves the right to recover the costs of the scholarship awarded to you go to the time of cancellation.
The Foundation has been very clear about everything and the scholarship is incredible. Nothing in the process and paperwork gives me the impression that they are out to get anyone and after several years of reviewing school and private scholarship opportunities, the Brockman is the top one I could find. Scholars come out ahead every semester with several thousand dollars left over after coa is covered. It’s a huge blessing and if kids are anxious about maintaining a 3.5 gpa, that’s just part of the cost of getting to be a scholar and getting all of your school covered, enrichment programs, and being in a select group of special and talented scholars.
The Brockman is a huge boost to A&M’s stature and recruiting efforts. Unless a student makes it into a private school like Harvard or Stanford with the family making less than $ 60,000 a year, I haven’t found anything else out there that is as rewarding.
The Brown scholarship is incredible too but the Brown offers very different value and can be a better fit for kids who are interested in the Enmed program and research opportunities. The Brockman states very clearly what all is covered and it is more than anything else I have found out there including the Brown.
@Aggieswin96 Thanks for the info. Very helpful. Your cheerleading goes too far, however. lol While a great scholarship, there are a number of more established scholarships with actual cohort experiences that are superior. That said, I’m looking forward to seeing the accomplishments of these scholars over the coming years.
Not cheerleading. Just sharing my own experience. I’m fine with you having a different opinion. Those other established scholarship are more established. I found the Stamps and Jefferson scholarships…reviewed them, and were impressed by them but they don’t offer 50 scholarships or a fifth year MAS Business so while they may be more established vs a three year old program, scholarship vs scholarship the Brockman competes very well in attracting top students.
That fifth year MAS business is a differentiator for the Brockman though as neither stamps nor Jefferson provide that. Not everyone wants that but there is tremendous value there for the right student.
When you also look at the big picture. A&M gets to combine 50 Brown and 50 Brockman, to me it seems clear that A&M as a school offers more students the opportunity to get a full ride scholarship than either Oregon or UVA, which are both really good schools.
If your student/family wants a full ride and can compete at the highest levels academically, A&M is the only school I came across with 100 scholarships through two foundations that provides that and the Brockman for the right student is incredible.
@Aggieswin96 , I respectfully disagree with your telling me to “calm down and chill out”. I also disagree from your other post that the information on the website “is all there”. The information is not all there. It says “Further details are included in a Statement of Conditions and Expectations provided to scholarship recipients. Prospective scholars must agree to the terms therein before their appointment as a Brockman Scholar is confirmed.”. These parents and students are expected to say “yes” to Brockman, decline other big scholarships, and commit within 7 days without knowing if they have gotten into some of their other elite schools they’ve applied to, and yet they don’t have all the information before they have to make such a big decision. Why are there students thinking they can lose the scholarship if it is “all there” somewhere? I know of one Brockman in particular who has never signed anything (because she wasn’t 18 at the time of receiving the Brockman and they didn’t want her signing as a minor) and thus doesn’t have any terms or conditions to go by. I’ve talked with two Brockman mothers who also don’t know if the scholarship has to be repaid. My point is that Brockman should make it clear to these students all the perimeters of the scholarship before making such a fast turn around decision without all the facts.
Hi, I’m a Brockman Scholar mom and want to jump in to this conversation.
This scholarship is unbelievably great! I’ve been following this thread and wasn’t going to write until it kind of turned ugly (well not ugly, but concerning). I’m in agreement with Aggieswin96 with the positive things they said.
My son attends monthly dinners at very nice restaurants and they have amazing guest speakers and learn a lot. Last year at the ‘finals’ weekend the guest speaker was an astronaut, whom my son got to sit with at dinner. Great experiences he would never have if not for this scholarship.
My son has made great friends with the other scholars and will be moving into an off campus apartment next year with several of them. Socially, they go into A&M bonded and often socialize with each other outside of official Brockman outings.
I disagree with the take that they don’t want the kids to come home. I’m under the impression they don’t want the kids to ‘do nothing’ all summer and want them to either get internships or hold jobs. My son will be looking for an internship but if he doesn’t get one, he will pick up his seasonal job he holds at a store down the street from our house.
Brockman pays for them to go on one study abroad experience. They are not expected to go away every summer or multiple times.
The Brockman rep meets with them individually every so often just to see how they’re doing. I like this aspect and think it’s a benefit. I’m sure at these meetings, the student can talk about their grades and if they find they are struggling.
My son just completed his first semester with a 4.0. He knows going in that he needs to keep the gpa at a 3.5. I don’t know what happens if they don’t but I think they go on a probation period first. It’s not like they just drop you the second you fall below.
(as a side note, I have a daughter at UT with no scholarship. She needs to keep a very high gpa to be competitive for her grad school applications so it’s not like the Brockman kids are the only ones who need to keep a high gpa.)
I’ll have to re-read the contract to get the specifics about the wording of the gpa.
Anyway, I just think this is such an incredible opportunity! I don’t know anything about other scholarships like Stamps, etc, so I can’t compare the differences/similarities. Being from Texas, A&M has always been my son’s first choice and we are so thankful he was offered this scholarship. Maybe I’ll be called a cheerleader, but that’s okay. I’ll take that title.
It seems to me the negative slant taken in this thread is not from Brockman Scholars or their parents. I could be wrong, so my apologies if I am.
Good luck to all those who are being interviewed!