Chances for scholarships?

[CrewDad]

<p>A very good article in the Sophian should add some clarity.</p>

<p>[url=<a href=“http://media.www.smithsophian.com/media/storage/paper587/news/2009/10/08/News/Stride.Award.Hike.Aims.To.Grab.More.Top.Studens-3795839.shtml]STRIDE”>http://media.www.smithsophian.com/media/storage/paper587/news/2009/10/08/News/Stride.Award.Hike.Aims.To.Grab.More.Top.Studens-3795839.shtml]STRIDE</a> award hike aims to grab more top studens - News<a href=“sic”>/url</a></p>

<p>Smith offers about 225-250 STRIDE’s a year. The 20-25% yield results in 50-60 women accepting.</p>

<p>

“The STRIDE program is an admission incentive program,” said Dean of Enrollment Audrey Smith. The program is offered to a small percentage of incoming first-years, and pairs students with faculty members working on a variety of research projects. STRIDE is designed to increase the yield of high-achieving students, or the percentage of these students accepted to Smith that choose to enroll, Smith said.</p>

<p>Peter de Villiers, the faculty coordinator of the STRIDE program, says the research scholarships have doubled the acceptance rate for high-performing students since the program was instituted.</p>

<p>“It is an important part of our admissions strategies for attracting the academically strongest or best prepared students to come to the college,” de Villiers said. “Ten to 12 percent of those top-rated students in the applicant pool used to say yes to Smith before the STRIDE program was implemented, and now 20 to 25 percent of that group say yes to the offer from Smith.”</p>

<p>The yield for this group used to consistently exceed 25 percent and has declined in the past few years, according to Smith. The yield for all admitted-students normally ranges from 36 to 40 percent.</p>

<p>“We were concerned with the range of students we were losing,” Smith said, explaining why the STRIDE award amount was increased. The college was losing academically promising students to Ivy League schools, state universities and other liberal arts colleges such as Mount Holyoke.Despite the award increase, STRIDE enrollment levels remained constant this year.
The college was expecting to enroll 60 STRIDE students, but only received 51, one fewer than last year.

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<p>

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, meaning that the increase in the STRIDE award will not affect the total amount of aid packages for students receiving more than $15,000 in financial aid.

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