<p>I’m writing this as a current Yale student who was also admitted to UChicago and Harvard. I fell in love with pretty much everything about UChicago, and I still have a place in my heart for it.</p>
<p>However, one of the reasons I didn’t attend was money. UChicago just doesn’t have the same financial aid as Harvard and Yale. However, as a valedictorian with test scores well into the top quartile of UChicago scores (plus some decent ECs and other miscellaneous stuff, including great recs and unique essays), while coming from a small and poor (academically and financially) high school, I figured I had at least some chance at one of the merit scholarships. After getting in at Harvard and Yale, I figured I really had a decent shot.</p>
<p>This was not in fact the case. Though I had previously thought that I was just not worthy of merit aid (which would not be surprising given the high quality of UofC), recently gained knowledge has changed my perspective. </p>
<p>UChicago doesn’t actually give all the merit aid it says it does. There have been a few winners of these scholarships here on CC, and from what I have seen they have usually been incredibly brilliant and qualified people (certainly beyond my credentials). But be aware that many of these scholarships are used as a back door to persuade athletes and minorities to commit. I now have a suitemate that received one of the $9,500 per year scholarships with the following qualifications:</p>
<p>1500 SAT (M+CR)
Many B’s and some C’s on transcript
Teacher wrote “Steven does no work and does not pay attention in class” in recommendation.
Essays were barely comprehensible, with terrible grammtical errors including some phrases that did not even qualify as a sentence. He repeated the same simplistic ideas over and over and then contradicted himself. I know this because he actually let me read them.
Recruited Fencer
Black</p>
<p>Note that this individual also somehow got off the waitlist at Yale.</p>
<p>"However, as a valedictorian with test scores well into the top quartile of UChicago scores "</p>
<p>You probably did have a good shot - but these things don’t always work out. The student from my son’s hs that received the merit offer was a val + 1590 (m+v) - excellent everything else (I read the essays). Another student (val + 1600) was not admitted at all - excellent ec’s - I did not read her essays. </p>
<p>It is my understanding that colleges do not (in the vast majority of cases) recycle unused merit scholarships. </p>
<p>The consensus - at least on the parent’s board - seems to be that you should probably be in the top 10% (at least) of applicants academically to be considered - unless you can offer the college some non-academic enticement. Since this latter may be subjective - and change from year to year - it is very important to cast a wide net if you are dependent on merit aid.</p>
<p>BTW I knew a girl who got the full tuition package at U of C. She also got into Harvard (very talented), and I remember her telling me that her particular scholarship was geared toward asian americans. I’m not 100% but I think that might help explain how your friend received a scholarship offer.</p>
<p>I think the school does care about athletes a bit more than any of us would like to believe, but that’s not to say the majority of students do or do not.</p>
<p>Sorry it didn’t work out for you at U of C, and I hope you’re very happy in New Haven. </p>
<p>It sounds like your suitemate’s story is what has made you think that Chicago’s merit aid goes to athletes and minorities. I hope everyone reading and hoping for a shot will recognize it as only one story.</p>
<p>I also have only one story, but it’s the exact opposite. My daughter is white and has no athletic hook, plus she sent a very strong message that Chicago was #1 by sending in her deposit immediately after being admitted early EA. But she got one of the University Scholarships (they are 10K per year). Plus a Chicago-sponsored National Merit scholarship (they award 1K per year to all NMFs that get no need-based aid, 2K per year to those who do). She did have great stats and a super interview, and she wrote a killer essay.</p>
<p>I have little idea how the Chicago merit scholarships are decided. I do know that the admissions office nominates a group and that the final decisions are made by a faculty committee. I’ve read on this forum that the committee chooses “students they would like to teach,” and I like that thought.</p>
<p>I believe Seashore is quoting something I said only as a guess. I have no idea how the faculty actually chooses scholarship recipients, but given conversations with faculty members who talk about how much they value the U of C because of the types of students they get to teach, it would not surprise me if it was a significant factor in the decision.</p>
<p>Since the scholarships are chosen in a closed-door session by faculty, I would be surprised if they were given out to lure athletic recruits. It’s one thing for the admissions office to favor athletes, but I can’t see faculty members doing this. My athlete friends have actually complained to me about how they’re not treated specially by professors. It’s possible that athletics and minority status are considered, but it’s hard for me to imagine professors giving these things the weight you’re implying.</p>
<p>I have a merit scholarship to the University of Chicago. I’m a white female from New England, so nothing special there. I was not a recruited athlete. I am not a developmental admit. I did pretty well on my SATs but not extraordinarily well. My GPA was lower than most CC posters’ GPAs. Nonetheless, given my application as a whole, I was pretty sure that I would get into the U of C, and I suspected that I would get a merit scholarship. I think it’s the combination of factors that can’t be seen with numbers, and I think it’s hard for us to see how decisions are made. Beyond numbers, the application has all three essays, recommendations, interview, activities… What do these things say about the applicant? How will this individual impact the campus community as a student and later as an alum? How will he or she add to the classroom or residential house or student club? Is he likely to go to another school if we don’t grant a scholarship? Do I want this student on campus? etc.</p>
<p>I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you, but there’s no way to know why you didn’t get a scholarship. It’s not something that any student can count on, but I don’t think you can easily dismiss the process and say that they’re given as substitute athletic scholarships. I can’t really see that being the case.</p>
<p>Also remember that the new Odyssey financial aid packages will be put into effect for next year, which will dramatically change financial aid practices at the U of C.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say that this example is why I personally didn’t get one. I’m sure there were more deserving people than me. However, I am saying that these merit scholarships are NOT based strictly on merit, as one would think. I think it has been remarked here before, in addition to my anecdote, that they use these scholarships to attract minorities at least (not sure about athletes).</p>
<p>I am VERY puzzled why the U of Chicago admissions office and financial aid office aren’t saying more about the alumnus gift that funds the new Odyssey Scholarship program at Chicago. With that amount of money, Chicago ought to be able to match financial aid offers with any peer college in the country. </p>
<p>As I’ve said, I don’t believe the faculty committee chooses scholarship recipients based solely on whether someone is an athletic recruit or a racial/ethnic minority. Having said that, these factors are likely considered, along with the rest of the application. To play the Devil’s advocate here…</p>
<p>Why shouldn’t athletics be heavily considered? It’s an extra-curricular activity requiring hard-work, commitment, leadership, teamwork, and perseverance. What do you think about the weight given to special musical talent? The U of C music department listens to and evaluates musical recordings that students send in. Is it better for admissions to consider music over sports? Does success in music demonstrate as many positive qualities as success in sports does? Both of these may demonstrate positive personal characteristics. Does an athlete give more to campus than a musician? How about a musician compared to a strict academic? A Rubik’s cube expert? </p>
<p>Now, affirmative action is its own debate, which has been had many times over on the CC boards (and everywhere else). Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the U of C is open about its affirmative action practices. Is it wrong to try to attract minorities to campus? Is it wrong to use scholarships to bring students to campus who wouldn’t otherwise attend? How about the fact that increased diversity, in all ways, adds to every student’s experience on campus? </p>
<p>How heavily do you think these factors should be considered? I don’t have a problem personally with scholarships used to attract certain students to campus who would in some way add to the campus community who may otherwise choose a different institution. This is a weaker version of what you originally said, that merit aid is used as a back door way to persuade students to attend, while implying that these students do not actually “deserve” the scholarships. What factors do you think make someone deserving? </p>
<p>From the website:
The U of C does not say that merit scholarships are only given for academic reasons. In fact, they say that other, non-academic factors are considered. I do not think that the U of C is misleading anyone about what the scholarships are or how they’re chosen. </p>
<p>I do think it’s going too far to say that the faculty who awards scholarships does so based on race or a coach’s request, though these factors are likely considered alongside many other factors.</p>
<p>Tokenadult, I believe it’s not widely available on the U of C website yet because they weren’t going into effect right away. If Odyssey Scholarship information were put all over the financial aid website right after the announcement, then many students in the Class of 2011 would believe they were going to get these scholarships when in reality they weren’t going into effect quite yet.</p>
<p>I think this is a great thread, and we may be on to something. Although still a major portion of the student body, the % of asians at UC is much lower than at other top universities – 15% compared to the usual 25%. this does not surprised me, since UC is known to be a liberal artsy school emphasizing literature and writing.
one of the above posts mentions someone getting a scholarship suspected to be geared towards asians. My friend recently got a 10k scholarship and she is half asian… (gears turning in the noggin)</p>
<p>The U of C does not give any scholarships “geared” toward a specific race or ethnicity. Frankly, Asians are not under-represented students at the U of C or at most other top schools, so if scholarships are used to increase diversity (which, as I’ve said, I doubt they are–at least as a sole or primary purpose), then they should be used to increase the numbers of black, Hispanic, Eastern European, Alaskan, whatever students. The fact that your friend is half-Asian means nothing… Lots of students and applicants are Asian. Anecdotes are not evidence or proof, especially only two anecdotes (not to mention the fact that the only two actual posters who have posted here who have gotten merit scholarships from the U of C are white). If CNI’s friend got a scholarship geared toward Asian or Asian-American students, it was probably from an outside source.</p>
What do you mean here? Realize that the Ivy League does not give any merit-based scholarships.</p>
<p>A “whatever you say” attitude is not very U of C. You can have discussion and disagree–but you still need to have the discussion. If you don’t want to continue a discussion, for whatever reason, at least have the respect for the other person and for your own points to be straight about it. I hate that pompous passivity, the message of “I disagree but I’m too good to tell you why,” which is exactly what “whatever you say…” implies.</p>
<p>I’m going to temporarily hijack the thread-</p>
<p>today a girl at my school told me that the U of C sent her a letter saying that they new she was a national merit semifinalist and if she was a finalist they would give her FULL TUITION to the school. she’s not even applying there… Do they really give this much to national merit finalists? I thought this was a bit out there. Just wondering. Thanks.</p>
<p>I really can’t contribute much to this conversation, as I know even less about financial aid/scholarships as I do about the admissions process (and even then, it’s me using common sense and what I imagine Ted O’Neill, Libby, et. al. look for). What frustrates me the most right now is the insinuation that ethnic minorities may somehow not be “deserving” of their spot at the U of C or elsewhere. Maybe it’s because I’m reading into these posts too much. Maybe it’s because I have a lot of friends who are leaps and bounds smarter than me here who also happen to come from under-represented backgrounds…</p>
<p>OP: Chicago does not have a varsity fencing team, so I don’t imagine your suitemate would have been recruited for that. I also know that there are plenty of high-scoring and high-performing ethnic minorities who don’t get into superelite schools-- students who fit the profile of HYPS+ even before their background is factored in. (I know this because I went to high school with a lot of students in this scenario!) Perhaps your suitemate has other things going for him that weren’t represented in his summary of himself for you?</p>
<p>Blindkite: I’ve never heard of U of C doing that for any applicant.</p>
<p>FWIW, all the merit award winners I know happen to be white and un-hooked, much like corranged. That’s not to say that the entire merit aid pool is representative racially of the admitted students pool, but it is to say that merit aid is not solely a lure for “hooked” applicants.</p>