I think you are spot on. I do think the closer we get to May 1st things will shift. Programs will either meet their student goals or not and in the end it may come down to the good ole dollar.
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MSM replied to my son’s email appeal and said we should have an answer by the end of the day. That would be super fast if it’s true. Crossing fingers they don’t disappoint us.
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Has anyone successfully appealed their IU Jacobs scholarship offer yet? Was an email to admissions sufficient or did you have to go through a more formal appeal process. I’m trying to get this info from my son, but I don’t have access to his portal and he’s at school every day and juggling a lot.
Good luck.
We sent a lovely letter, and got a very quick response with a link to an appeals form.
We have just done that today as well. Got the appeal form right away and got it submitted this afternoon. Hopefully we hear something soon!
Maybe you’ve done this already, but make sure reach out the professor(s) too- expressing that they are excited about Jacobs but it’s not within their budget at this time and they have submitted an appeal, but if there is anything the professors can do to support the appeal/need, that is so helpful! I’ve read about lots of people who have been able to receive more from them and done more than one appeal.
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So MSM sent us another email with a link to a scholarship appeal form yesterday. I guess that’s what they meant when they said we’d hear back the same day lol The email that the link came in said their committee meets every 3-5 days, but the form says it can take up to 2 weeks to hear back. 2 weeks puts us very dangerously close to that May 1st deadline. Never in a million years would I ever think we’d be doing something like committing to college at the last minute but we may have no choice since it’s kinda out of our hands right now.
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Thank you! Yes, we have done this also.
Adding ourselves to the list of families waiting on a merit appeal. Not comfortable naming names yet, but it has been narrowed down to two and lately he’s leaning toward the one we are waiting on.
He’s started “breaking up” with a couple of programs to hopefully release scholarship dollars for others. Someone who was recruiting him pretty hard replied simply with “thank you” to my son’s agonizingly crafted decline message. Call me crazy, but even a “keep in touch” or a “good luck” added onto that would have felt nice.
And someone above said, “he’s happy (with the usual sadness about the places he doesn’t get to go/people he doesn’t get to work with,” and we totally identify with that. There is some melancholy at having some really exciting doors open, and not getting to walk through them all. My son can picture himself in multiple places. Hopefully, that speaks to his adaptability and preparedness for whatever awaits him at the school he chooses.
Sending out good thoughts to all who are in the in-between right now, whether it’s aid appeals (like us) or waitlists. May we see some magical developments over the next few days!
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My son started sending his agonizingly crafted breakup emails yesterday, too. It’s hard to close those doors when it’s such a wonderful feeling to be wanted at multiple places. I’m sorry your son got only a “thank you” in response. 
Fingers crossed for all those waiting on appeals!
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This period of waiting AGAIN is hard after the flurry of activity. We will get there!
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In your kids’ ‘breakup’ emails, did you mention the school/program they would be attending?
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DD did in some, if not all of the emails. It was an agonizing process honestly. She’s an empathetic kid and genuinely enjoyed lessons with these professors. Very tough. But it had to be like ripping off the Band-Aid.
We’ve only sent one break up email but did not mention the school/program in it. I don’t think it’s necessary.
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In the end, you’re a commodity. If you don’t choose them, someone else will.
Some schools do send post admission surveys and will ask - so they can know for future marketing/strategy who they are losing to. They won’t necessarily ask why (money, etc).
It’s hard for a kid who got attached. The school isn’t losing any sleep. Lots of talented, paying kiddos out there.
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My son did name the school and program in his “breakup” emails, and he mentioned the factors that led to his decision (including $). I don’t think it’s necessary, but he thought the professors would understand his decision more if he gave that level of explanation. Most of the professors he’d worked with have been wonderful - one of them even shared his own positive experience with the faculty and facilities at his chosen school. There was one professor who answered with “I’m disappointed you won’t be joining us. I’m sure you’ll get a good education at xxx” which sounded a little petty to me, but my son didn’t read it that way.
This waiting on appeal is purgatory. Ugh.
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This, exactly. We have to remember that these profs and admissions people do this every single year, so while it looms large in our minds, it’s really just part of the cycle to them. That’s not to say they aren’t disappointed not to get all the students they made offers to and perhaps even fought to get more money for. But it’s part of the yearly grind for them and they have to focus on their current students and start to engage with the next crop.
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If he had already decided then, yes, he did let them know what school. Most did send him best wishes and said they understood, one professor never responded at all, and we were very disappointed by that. He ended up seeing that professor a year later at a combined college event, it was certainly very awkward! And a reminder how small the music world is, you never want to burn bridges as a student, but that professor definitely burned a bridge with my kid. Two professors from schools he audition at have now come to his school to give Masterclasses. I can’t say for sure that they remembered him, but he certainly remembered them, and still felt very solid with the choice he made for undergrad and knows now whether he would consider those schools for grad programs.
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