Official Brandeis Decisions: Blue Ribbon

unbelievablem
Sun, 12 Feb 2006 15:08:58 +0000

he had already decided that he wouldn’t attend the school unless they wanted him enough to extend at least some aid



it is nice to feel wanted. and there are good reasons why merit aid can effect whether one school is chosen over another by a student and his/her family.

but if merit aid is simply being seen as an issue of whether they “really” want the student – all i can say is that within a week of being in college i doubt it will make any difference to a student’s college experience as to how “badly” the school wanted him or her. (of course i’m not talking about schools where merit may go with an honors program that would affect the nature of the student’s college experience.)

college is an important 4 years of a young person’s life. there are many factors that can go into deciding if a school is the best “fit” (which certainly can include economic issues that make merit aid relevant). but students shouldn’t confuse how enthusiastic the admissions office may seem in trying to recruit them with how welcome and happy they would feel their 4 years at a school.