Do merit scholarships from other universities count as major/minor awards? I’m an Australian and I’ll be receiving my Australian universities’ offers prior to receiving my decisions from American universities.
The Australian scholarships I’m applying to are awarded to a handful of top students from the university’s pool of applicants based on academia, leadership, ECs, personality, etc. Assuming that I receive these scholarships, would they be considered as major or minor awards?
Also, if anyone could recommend any competitions/awards to participate in, that would be great. I have a few “High Distinctions” (Top 1%) in international (technically, they’re not advertised as international competitions - i.e., they’re named “Australian…” but the exams are conducted in many Asian/Pacific countries), national and state competitions. I’m in my senior year in Australia, if that helps.
I have never heard that scholarships from other colleges count as awards. If a student here got one early they would not mention it. Only outside scholarships are listed as awards. Coca Cola scholarship. Gates Millenium scholarship.
@BrownParent - So, only external scholarships might be considered as awards? I’ve heard of the Coca Cola and Gates scholarships, but in Australia, corporate scholarships are only available via the universities. The Australian universities have their own scholarships from their own funding and scholarships from organizations un-related to the university are also available via the universities’ application forms. Would I be able to list these “corporate scholarships?”
I agree. Scholarships awarded by other colleges are not considered major awards. I would not list them on your applications for schools here.
I would not list ANY scholarship that is awarded through a university. It doesn’t matter who made the donation for that scholarship.
You will not be the only applicant who doesn’t have any major scholarships to list…in fact, most applicants do not have these.
Thank you both for your advice. If anyone could still give me recommendations for awards in Australia, that’d be appreciated.
@milopenguin - If you haven’t already communicated with the counselors at the closest EducationUSA advising center, you should do so. They will know if there are any Australia-specific scholarships out there for students who want to study in the US.
https://www.educationusa.info/Australia
@happymomof1 - Coincidentally, I discovered them a few days ago and sent an email (awaiting reply). Thank you for the input!
If you can get an ATAR 99+ (99.80+ for the Ivy Leagues) in addition to some awards in competitions like the Australian Mathematics Competition (prizes etc.) then you should be good. Otherwise for the Ivy Leagues I’m not sure that High Distinctions would be very impressive, unfortunately for both of us haha
@blu5959 Thank you - that is certainly a big relief!
Not clear about the OP’s financial picture. BUT at the Ivies, it’s need based aid ONLY. Those scores might help with acceptance (although in the 95% or so who are not accepted annually,met here are many many with outstanding stats). It will not help with financial aid at the Ivies…no merit aid there.
Thank you, @thumper1. I believe my family is on the borderline when it comes to financial aid.
@milopenguin I only just realized the fact that your post is about scholarships. As thumper1 stated, there are no scholarships at Ivy League universities and all available financial aid is need based only. As we seem to be in a similar situation (my family is borderline as well), I will offer my view if it’s any help. A lot of great schools in the US offer financial aid to international students, however not many offer need blind admissions (they don’t take into account whether you need aid or not) for internationals. As a result, Ivy League schools like UPenn will only offer admissions for a select few of top international students asking for aid while admitting more that don’t require aid (translation: money= increased chances). This just comes down to how much you and your family is willing to sacrifice for an US education and opportunities. Receiving a scholarship from top Australian universities (I suggest Melbourne’s Vice Chancellor’s Program) would be a boost for admissions I guess. Have a look at Duke University’s Robertson Scholarship, which has annual spaces for Australians/ New Zealanders. https://scholarships.online.unsw.edu.au/scholarship/sc_al_search_detail.display_scholarship_details?p_scholarship_specific_id=607
@blu5959 Thank you. I’m already familiar with financial aid (need-aware/need-blind universities) as well the scholarships you mentioned. I appreciate the time you put into the response.