Hi,
Some of yall may know me by now but for an intro I’m a high stats (4.0 UWGPA, 36 ACT, NMF) mid ECs, and pretty much unhooked applicant. I applied to the Robertson with low expectations, and as I expected I never got a senifinalist email this week so I’d imagine I’m waiting on a rejection email. This scholarship worked for Duke or UNC (who rejected me). I know Duke is a reach and have for the whole process. So, I have a few questions:
Does Duke really do merit scholarships other than this? The girl ik who got one there went to ISEF twice, was a Top 40 regeneron scholar, has a planet named after her and ended up at Harvard. So not me.
My EFC there is a solid $25,000 above the absolute max of what I can afford, but is also a solid $30,000 above what other schools told me (Amherst, Haverford, swarthmore, and about $25k above Dartmouth). If admitted which ik is a slim chance, could I appeal this or is the difference too great?
If the answer to both of these is no, should I just withdraw my application? If admitted with no merit aid and the NPC’s level of financial aid I’d feel like I’m stealing the spot of someone who could’ve actually afforded their EFC and could’ve been right behind me in line. Idk, I just feel bad still being in the running when my chances of being able to attend even if admitted are so incredibly slim.
Don’t withdraw. You don’t know what the financial picture will be - it could be better than you anticipate. As long as you have some affordable options in hand, it’s ok to have a financial (and admissions) long shot on the board. Because of the way admissions works, one withdrawal (even of a fantastic candidate like you) isn’t going to improve the odds for other students (though it is really nice of you to think that way). Just my .02.
I vote for leaving it. You’ve paid the application fee and written the essays. You do still have a chance at some merit. You just never know until the decision is in. If you are accepted and the financial picture doesn’t work for you, you can move on to one of your other great options. You won’t be stealing someone else spot. Schools figure all of this out with their yield calculations. Good luck to you!
The worst they can do is say no and you’ve already picked out a school so you’re in good shape.
But not to see it through is silly after all that effort.
You’re actually in a great place.
A free education (or near free lined up that you’re good with) with a few more high flyers just in case. While you likely knew the NPC results b4 applying - I remember your budget is parental set vs need set - you did apply and put forth the effort.
We do read stories where people say my cost was lower than the NPC.
And maybe you’re worried about rejections - that’s part of it. Not everyone says yes and it could sting but it’s 100% not an indictment on you as you’re fantastic. And you’ve already won.
But no reason not to see it through. In fact for u it’s a low stress situation. You’ve already got a winner ready to go. The rest are for fun.
Regarding your third point: Universities have a pretty good idea what their yield will be (ie, what percentage of students who get an acceptance will choose to go there). They also have a pretty good idea of how this relates to the amount of financial aid that they offer any particular student. For undergraduate admissions, universities will send acceptances to somewhat more students than they actually have spots for. They will also put some applicants on the wait list. In the unusual case that too many students say “no” after being admitted they will accept a few students from the wait list.
As such, you are not taking a spot from another student. Duke will have a full class of freshmen in September.
Also, any student who is even remotely competitive for Duke will be able to get acceptances from multiple other very good universities. There are enough university spots for all strong students to get an acceptance to a good school (whether it be Duke or somewhere else). Again, you are not taking a spot away from anyone else.
I agree with other answers. You should just wait and see what happens. Duke might surprise you and give you a better financial offer than you expect.
It is only mid February. This is still relatively early in the process. Just have patience, and wait and see what happens.
I just want to say that this made me laugh out loud. Thanks for brightening my morning!
Hang in there, and just try to distract yourself as much as you can from college admissions for the next several weeks. Go bowling or mini-golf over the long weekend? You’ve done all the hard work already!
Yeah, the girl started doing astrophysics research in like middle school and near the end of High school found a random exoplanet. I’m not joking. I’m like 99% sure she got to name it, or at least that’s what I was told. Girl was crazy smart and dedicated
Alabama, near full-ride for NMF (tuition, room, $3500 stipend to go towards meal plan, fees, and a room upgrade, $500 book scholarship). My current back up. Got accepted to Lehigh, $15k initial scholarship but waiting until March to see if I got a full tuition one. Got into Tulane, $30k/year merit + a $6518 state scholarship for in-state schools, waiting on big scholarships. Got accepted to Richmond with no merit and a pathetic aid package so that’s off the list, got accepted to Stony Brook but not enough merit aid
I’m sorry that this waiting time is so hard. Your post shows what a thoughtful individual you are, and you will be an asset to any college that you attend.
I agree with others that I would not withdraw your application, UNLESS you think that receiving a rejection could be particularly scarring, or push you over some boundary of despair. If you think that might be the case, I would definitely suggest withdrawing.
If that is not the case, however, I’d keep the app in. Even if you’re accepted with no merit aid, if you receive an acceptance from a peer school with a lower calculation of your family’s need, you can use that second offer to see if Duke will recalculate its own offer.
I know it is really hard to wait. S24 is tired of waiting too. Try to be kind to yourself - you have done all that you could do and now it is out of your hands.
I agree with the others to leave your application.
I just want to add that I remember your thread last fall and have enjoyed following your experience. You should be proud of your current options and there could be more to come. Thank you for continuing to update us. Now go do something nice for yourself!
U Alabama is interesting. Most students are non-residents of Alabama. Unfortunately, few students report back regarding their honors college experience at UA and at other schools. (Family member was offered UA University Fellows with lots of benefits including travel abroad during break which was hard to pass up, but did as so little info. was available at that time.)
I suggest that you ask UA admissions or UA Honors College administrator to connect you with a few current UA honors College students in order to better understand this opportunity. (Our only contacts were the President & the head of the honors college–which was nice–but not reflective of the typical UA Honors College’s student experience.)
Lehigh will be a bit of a cultural shock for a, presumably, native of Louisiana.
Tulane has a great Uptown location. If from the New Orleans area, I would encourage you to seek out a change during your undergraduate years.
No need to withdraw your application to Duke University.
I have thought about withdrawing some applications but they aren’t going to return the application fee to me, and I think paying $70+ is a lot, I get why they charge it, but as result, they can read the file unless they want to give me the money back.
Over many decades, I have spent a good amount of time at UA, Lehigh, Uptown area of New Orleans as well in other parts of Louisiana including Baton Rouge. If it is okay with you, I’ll pm you. (Also have a nephew who recently graduated Duke as a Double Dukie–undergrad & graduate degrees from Duke.)
Honestly, I missed #3 before - someone else touched upon - and they’re right. You’re not taking a spot from anyone. No school assumes all admits will be attending - and look at Lehigh as an example - 28% of those admitted enrolled last year.
Take out ED and it’s even less.
I can see why you are stressed - but really you needn’t be.
Your folks gave you a tight budget (not based on need) and you have multiple schools to meet the budget already.
Now - it’s true, if you get into a non merit school, you likely can’t afford it. But you applied - so pressure off your shoulders - you’re not blocking anyone - but it’s a fun challenge to see if you get in even if it’s not possible to attend.
As it is, you hit the mother load that the majority of parents out there would LOVE LOVE LOVE for their kids.
And if you do end up in the South, they’ll be so many out of staters, it’s naturally a cultural shift even if the location isn’t.
Debt free and top opportunities - there’s a lot worse out there.
But maybe you’ll get lucky and one of the elite and wealthy schools with generous aid will come through after all.
One thing that you might want to keep in mind: There are a lot of smart people in the world. If you attend pretty much any university, very smart people will be significantly more common than they are in the population as a whole. At a highly ranked university such as Duke, very smart people are even more common.
There is also an old saying: “If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room”. The point is that you learn from very smart people. Over time you most likely will learn to appreciate the time that you get to spend with very smart and very accomplished people.
And yes, dedication matters just as much as intelligence. The ability to work well with other very smart people, and to learn from other very smart people, also will help a lot in the long run.
You are already in at some very good universities. I think that you just need to wait and see how it goes at Duke.
My opinion…no need to go through the trouble. Just don’t go there. You sound like you have a lot of other affordable options. Love the school that loves you back.
Thank you for continuing to update us. Now go do something nice for yourself!