Comments | modestmousenate: GRRR

modestmousenate

GRRR

Jul 15, 2006 13:19

So UF is cutting the merit aid packages for National Merit finalists and scholars. This is the reason I came to UF over Dartmouth, Northwestern, Emory, Wake Forest, UGA, and Duke. Their argument is "well, it just pads the pockets of students that can already afford to pay." Their argument that it doesn't raise the profile of the freshman class (the ( Read more... )

Comments 5

twirlandswirl July 15 2006, 20:24:51 UTC

They should lock you in at what you come in at, you know what I mean? Like, cut it for those coming in next year or later... but keep it at what the current students already came in at. It's really not fair... but, life isn't, I suppose.

I was almost National Merit. :( I was a semifinalist! heh

modestmousenate July 15 2006, 21:45:17 UTC

It is, I'm "grandfathered" (locked in) at what I came in at in fall of 2003. It only affects those students that enter in Fall '07 or later, from what I understand. I'm just saying that at the new rates, there's no way I would have considered UF, the package just isn't all that good, especially since I was out-of-state and thus didn't have Bright Futures (in which case the National Merit money was just padding as opposed to the actual payment of tuition and room and board).

twirlandswirl July 15 2006, 21:48:01 UTC

Ah, yeah, that makes sense. And locked in is at least better than not.

(The comment has been removed)

modestmousenate July 16 2006, 03:17:22 UTC

Yeah, I agree completely that with Bright Futures the cut in National Merit packages makes sense for in-state students. However, the reduced package GUTS UF's ability to be competitive in getting out-of-state National Merit kids to come there. Does UF not realize that, for a lot of those kids like you or I, UF's NOT competing with "2nd tier state schools" like ones you might have referenced in your comment, but rather top public schools (like Ga Tech haha) or private schools (like Dartmouth and Northwestern for me). I just view it as a move on the cutting out of merit-based aid, which really bothers me because it moves education away from being a model of the real world, which is largely more a meritocracy than an egalitarian (need-based aid) model. I suppose this makes me a bad Democrat...oh that's right, i'm a Libertarian!

yo bradleylytle01 July 23 2006, 17:21:12 UTC

hey man whats up? its been awhile. anywho im on LJ now so gimme a holla on there. Peace out dude. lol im so tired