<p>I just got a letter from brandeis with a huge surprise. My initial financial aid package provided me with only a 5,000 loan. I completely crossed Brandeis off of my list of possible colleges because when I visited I decided that it really was not a good fit for me. Today I received a letter offering me $30,000 a year. I am literally blown away. My family is not really classified as “needy” and the other schools I was accepted to have given me no where near that amount of money. The letter called it a “trustee scholarship” so what I’m trying to figure out now is whether or not this scholarship was merit based. Despite how amazing this news is, it is also somewhat difficult because it really does force me to take Brandeis into account when making my decision which is already making the process so much more difficult. (the other two schools I am deciding between are Macalester and Hamilton… any advice?)</p>