<p>Well we did contact Pitt and still no scholarship. First they sent a form email which basically cited statistics about the minimum scholarship recipient had a 1417 average SAT with a 4.19 GPA (I assume weighted.) I wrote back that that was exactly why we were inquiring about a scholarship as my daughter had a 1450 SAT with a 4.00 unweighted (yes straight As again in the mid-terms) and a 4.9+ weighted GPA. I also mentioned that she was President of two academic clubs, Treasurer of one, had a job working about 15+ hours per week, lots of other academic ECs. Great summer stuff including a free competitive science program, People to People, etc., etc. She’s completed 4 APs and is already an AP Scholar with Honors and is taking 4 more this year.</p>
<p>The counselor said that she could assure me that her application had been reviewed but she would forward it to the scholarship committee. So what did the scholarship committee do…well they basically took the text of the original email (without citing any statistics about SAT or GPA) denied her a scholarship, encouraged her to seek private scholarships or financial aid and to contact them, etc ., etc., etc…it was quite discouraging to realize that they would simply copy and paste a form letter and pretend it was a “real” scholarship review. </p>
<p>I’m tempted to contact them again just to see if they have the nerve to send the same form letter…</p>
<p>I am confused about all of this and assume that she wasn’t in a group that they wanted to attract… female, health chemistry…not engineering…they probably have many female applicants for chemistry…and we’re in-state and seems as if they want to attract more out of state.</p>
<p>So, we move on…lucky for my daughter she has been accepted to many other schools and has lots of academic merit offers. I do wish I could get a straight answer from Pitt but I’m sure that’s not coming because it was amongst her top choices…but now because of other scholarship merit awards it would be more expensive that many other schools even though we are in-state.</p>
<p>It’s seems we get mail from Pitt all the time…Honors Day, welcome from the chemistry department, etc., etc — hopefully it will soon stop!</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the suggestions to contact Pitt it was certainly worth a try!</p>
<p>As we are in-state any scholarship would have made a difference.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear that, AdvicePlease! I do think that it was because of your daughter’s Pa. residency. I think Pitt is looking for “exotics.” I’m glad your daughter has other great options! Best of luck to her.</p>
<p>Thanks LurkNess! Maybe we’ll re-visit Pitt when she’s done college and looking to apply to medical schools. She still has 2 more colleges to hear from and has been accepted to quite a few others with significant merit money. All will work out!</p>
<p>Advice: I am so sorry you are having such a hard time with Pitt…It is so very obvious that your daughter deserves a scholarship from Pitt. We had the same issue with Purdue…No scholarship…not one penny…and it just doesn’t make sense. In our case, however, son was not that interested in Purdue, so I guess it’s just one school we can cross off our list.</p>
<p>There’s one more avenue you can try if you feel bold…you can contact the dean of the chemistry department…and explain the situation. I am getting the sense that admissions and the scholarship committee somehow let your d’s application fall through the cracks and are too busy to re-check it. A call from the department of chemistry to admissions may make them look at it again. </p>
<p>Hi d101parent – Thanks for writing! At this point my daughter is not “feeling the love” from Pitt so has moved on. She is getting almost annoyed at the letters and the invitation to the Honors Day, etc…I think it’s just one to cross off the list as you did with Purdue.</p>
<p>I did write one final email…kept it direct but very polite…just to point out to them that it was obvious that they simply restated the email in the form of a letter and that it was difficult for me to believe that they actually re-reviewed her application. </p>
<p>My daughter has already mentally crossed it off her list…disappointing though as her cousin and a few friends go there…but I think it just wasn’t meant to be.</p>
<p>Good luck with your son…and let me know his final decision…and I will do the same!!</p>
<p>AdvicePlease, congrats to your daughter on all of her success with other choices! I know that she is going to just great, no matter where she chooses to go.</p>
<p>I’ve come to the conclusion that it just isn’t possible to predict what college admission committees are going to do.</p>
<p>S1732 – Thanks! Yes it isn’t possible to predict this college scholarship game! In late April we’ll all know how the big game plays out…and hopefully all will choose exactly where they were meant to be.</p>
<p> Accepted School/major: College of Arts & Sciences
Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT/ACT: 1290/1980
[</em>] SAT IIs: 670 lit; 620 math
[<em>] GPA (UW): 2.9
[</em>] GPA (W): ~3.0 (School doesn’t calculate and only offers 6 honors courses)
[<em>] Rank: n/a
[</em>] Leadership Positions: Student Council, Senior Council, Co-Chair of Community Service Club
[<em>] Awards/Honors: n/a
[</em>] Extra-curricular activities: Intern in U.S. Congress, Varsity Soccer, Theater, Organizer of various breast cancer research fundraisers, Volunteer for Obama 2008, Peer tutor
[/ul]</p>
<p>Location/Person:
[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: CA
[</em>] School Type: Private/Independent (extremely competitive)
[<em>] Ethnicity: Caucasian
[</em>] Gender: Female
[/ul]</p>
<p>AdvicePlease, just so you don’t think it’s anything personal against your daughter, my daughter (out of state resident) also didn’t get the kind of money I see others getting with lower scores and gpa. She’s a complete applicant in every way but she must not have been what admissions was targeting this year. Fortunately she was admitted ED at a top private which will cost us less than Pitt so it worked out for us. For those looking for merit aid here next year, get your apps in as soon as school starts in September and don’t count on anything. </p>
<p>As for getting off the mailing list, we’ve had no luck. They even sent my daughter an honors college t-shirt after she notified them she was bound to an ED acceptance elsewhere.</p>
<p>electronblue – Thanks for your post…we’ve already moved on! My daughter’s been accepted with merit money to lots of other schools and we’re still waiting to hear from 2 more schools. My daughter also received the Honors t-shirt and regular letters. We still think Pitt is a great school – but it’s not the one she’s meant to go to.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your daughter’s acceptance to her ED choice. I can’t wait until May 1st when everything has been decided. It’s an exciting but stressful time for all of these top students.</p>
<p>AdvicePlease, my D too did not get what she should have from Pitt based on what I have seen posted here. We are OOS, so without the scholarship, there is just no way Pitt can be a possibility. We pushed also for them to review her file once again and we are waiting for their response. I am hopeful, but not much. Thankfully our D too has several other options. These kids all work so hard to do well, it is really a shame that sometimes choices have to be made strictly based on finances. I guess it is better they learn that lesson now rather than later though.</p>
<p>usafa2011dad – Yes the prospect of financing college is scary! My daughter has 2 great options that would be very affordable and then others that are somewhat affordable. Then there are few that are quite expensive even with some academic merit money!!</p>
<p>At this point were not limiting her choice as we wait to here from 2 more schools but at the end of it all we’ll be laying everything out in a spreadsheet to make the final decision. </p>
<p>She already know that she wants to continue her education beyond a Bachelor’s degree so hopefully she’ll choose a more affordable option for her Bachelors. </p>
<p>Sounds like our daughters are very much alike. We are also waiting to hear from her last two colleges, Cornell and BU. Then we will do the same, lay everything out. Rank the choices without consideration of cost and then with consideration of cost and hopefully there won’t be a big difference.</p>
<p>Since my daughter wants to be a registered dietician, she definately needs to do at least an internship following undergrad, but most likely a masters will be in the cards as well.</p>
<p>This is not my first, I have a son in his second year at the US Air Force Academy. That was a much easier decision. Well for us anyway, not sure if it was easier for him or not. But he is extremely happy there.</p>
<p>Boston University. Unfortunately, we won’t hear from either until middle to end of March.</p>
<p>Just got today’s mail. Still no response from Pitt on the 2nd review of her file. I believe they were to meet on Friday, assume something would have gone out by Monday. Should definately know something more by Friday I hope.</p>
<p>Waiting also now to hear what she might be offered at University of MD College Park and a couple others. Waiting is not fun.</p>
<p>usafa2011dad, I applied in August, got my transcript in to Pitt in October and was notified that I needed a 2nd review after 2 weeks. After sending in my transcript, it took them a month to complete a 2nd review so apparently the 2nd review takes much longer than the 1st</p>