Forms were completed correctly. Still have questions about the Morehead Cain . It seems like you need to start your kid as a 15 year old doing things that will impress a commmitte 3 years later. I just wonder if a true merit based scholarship is based just on merit?
The Morehead-Cain is highly competitive, and is NOT a slam dunk for any student. I know you are disappointed for your kid, but please, just let this go and move on.
UNC meets full need for all…so if you have financial need…it will be met.
Yes, a “true” merit based scholarship, by definition, is based just on merit.
OP- your kid sounds fabulous. But the Morehead-Cain does go to kids who are truly fabulous- it’s not like your son wasn’t chosen but the winners are mediocre slugs.
Time to process and move on. It is a very competitive applicant pool once you are talking about the level of play your son is competing in. There are a LOT of merit based scholarships awarded by different colleges so if you are all disappointed by the results this spring, your son can take a gap year and reapply to a bunch of merit giving colleges. People are often shocked that their kid- number one in their own town- isn’t number one on a national and international level. That doesn’t mean the kid isn’t terrific-- just that the pool of highly academic/talented/incredible kids runs very deep.
This student would have qualified for the Presidential Elite scholarship at University of Alabama – almost a free ride.
I appreciate your post blossom . I certainly know how competitive it is . This has nothing to do with national or international comparisons but only NC comparisons… Last year 43 students from North Carolina received the scholarship which means 75 or so were finialists. My point is I am sure there are not 75 more qualified North Carolina candidates. If you know anything about the high school system in North Carolina you would agree.The Calculus course he just made A plus in is the very same course and book taught to juniors at NC State. His high school is one of the best in North Carolina. Kid is perfectly fine with the decision since there are better options for bio medical engineering. Spoke to a board member of UNC today that I know . To get you up to date… There are several current university problems. Folt the chancellor was forced to resign due to Confederate statute issue. SCOTUS may be hearing the ongoing reverse discrimination case that has already cost 16 million in legal fees. Add the 18 million spent defending the 30 years of fake classes and you might agree these are tough times for what used to be the top public university in USA. All of that aside we are moving on to other options .
You need to understand how many high stats kids are out there. Not in NC, but there are a half dozen kids in my DS school that would have similar resumes.
This scholarship is not just for in state students. Do you know the distribution for this year?
Did your kiddo receive the park Scholarship? It looks like those were awarded as well.
“My point is I am sure there are not 75 more qualified North Carolina candidates.” OK, I’m going to say this and try not to be offensive, but your son’s stats don’t mean he is superior to other kids in the running. Raw scores aren’t everything. I don’t know your kid so this is not about him, but maybe his essays weren’t as good as others were, ditto for teacher recommendations, and other parts of the app. Bitterness is not going to help your son move forward, so I hope he isn’t hearing this from you.
Merit scholarships are awarded on merit only, but that doesn’t mean stats only. They consider leadership and essays and community service and perhaps an interview and yes, they do compare him to others who were involved in big projects as a 15 year old.
He’ll find a school to go to.
A few words from the parent of a Tar Heel (OOS):
My daughter is friends with 2 Morehead Cain recipients from N.C. Yes these kids had high stats coming out of HS, but they had other accomplishments as well…starting clubs at their schools that expanded on a national level etc. Your sons stats are excellent, but they don’t make him superior to other kids and you don’t know what the other applicants brought to the table.
The Ivy League schools and MIT do not give merit. Duke, UVA (Jefferson Scholars) and UNC do, but it’s HIGHLY competitive. My daughter was a Jefferson Scholars finalist…made it through the first 2 rounds but not to the final round. I think my daughter is great and I am one of her biggest cheerleaders, but the accomplishments of these other kids blew her out of the water. My daughter also had a full tuition scholarship to a lower ranked outstanding school. She was invited to interview for room and board…didn’t get it. She walked out of the interview shell shocked. The HS accomplishments of these kids was mind boggling to her…and my kid was no slouch.
My point is that these awards are hard to get. Not diminishing your child, but I would not count on these schools.
Yes the chancellor left…they are keeping the details quiet.
Yes there is a lawsuit that has to do with reverse discrimination…the lawsuit involves UNC as well as several other very well known schools.
You might get enough FA to the schools on your list to make them affordable…IF he is accepted. In the meantime look for some schools that would be happy to give your child merit.
He will find a school. Good luck!
The biomedical engineering program at UNC is a joint program with N.C. State. It sounds to me like he will likely be admitted to both schools (?). Hopefully these are affordable options for you and your son gets the award at N.C. State. Best wishes!!
Those scholarship competitions can be very harsh and random. UNC also has percentage of scholarship for OOS too. D was finalist for Innovation Scholar there, being OOS.
D was finalist for Stamps at GT and Robertson at Duke. Those kids she met there are all exceptional. But if I learned something from one scholarship trip I took with her to GT, the schools are also looking at the right mix and blend of races, majors, interests, states coverage or abroad, and ECs. So your son would be awesome, but if he is outside of the selection, it might be that the school already had someone like him who is studying CS, boyscots, certain race from CT (just an example) or they don’t need that kind of representation for whatever reason. Kids at scholarship level in those schools have multiple ivy/MIT offers at the time of Interviews. And those interviews can be tough too. D is more of the analytical type, not the best orator.
Either way, I hope you encourage your son to move on from this. This is just a beginning for those kids. He will have a bright future no matter where he goes.
Whether this is a son or daughter…time to move on.
Hopefully he or she got the Park Scholarship award, or will receive sufficient need based aid at UNC to make a attendance possible.
This student actually will qualify for Bama’s bigger NMF scholarship
Are you saying that your exSpouse (plus any new spouse) income PLUS your income (plus any new spouse) is a total of $60k?
Are you sure that all 43 recipients and 75 finalists were NC residents? If some are OOS, then your premise doesn’t hold.
Can’t this kid still apply for the NM scholarship at U of Alabama?
120 students will make the finals and about 65 will get scholarship. Last year I believe 43 of the winners were from NC. That leads me to believe approximately 75 NC students will be invited to the final weekend selection. Have offers from several schools. Just got accepted to UVA. Will hear soon from Ivy League schools and Duke . MIT coach wants him so that may still work out.
You were asking about scholarships… and now seem happy with acceptances that don’t include scholarships. This confuses me…but I would like to extend my congrats to your son!