Reaping the benefits...

Avatar for soccermom03
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Reaping the benefits...
7
Thu, 03-08-2007 - 3:05pm

For the last 5 years or so DH and I have been "gently pressuring" DS18 to make good decisions regarding school and life in general and have encouraged him to push himself academically. He has been an Honors program student since freshman year and has taken the most rigorous classes available, while also participating in Youth Leadership and Student Council and working part time plus has been a two sport varsity athlete. He's pretty self motivated, so we haven't had to do much except remind him to keep his goals in mind ("Eyes on the prize!" has been our battlecry, lol).

It was all rewarded this week. On Saturday and Monday he received letters from the scholarship office at the University of Arkansas (he will attend there this fall), and he was awarded $56,000 in academic scholarships. These were the two "biggies" he applied for and he got both! There are several other small scholarships in the works as well that we won't find out about until May (mostly from our state, Indiana, and local foundations), but the lion's share of his tuition is now taken care of. He is so excited and we are so proud. He thanked us over and over for continuing to push him to take tough courses, keep his grades up and participate in extracurriculars, especially when many of his friends started really slacking.

Tell your high school underclassmen that it really is worth it to work hard!

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-14-2006
Thu, 03-08-2007 - 3:18pm

What a great outcome for your DS!!! I have had these conversations with my DD also - not so much about scholarships specifically, but in terms of the pay-off for her hard word in school and extra-curricular activities.

Congratulations to your DS, and to you and DH for raising such an ambitious and successful young man!

Sue

Avatar for heartsandroses2002
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 03-08-2007 - 3:22pm
That is excellent! Congrats to both ds and you!
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-28-1999
Thu, 03-08-2007 - 3:47pm

Congrats to your son. I do know what you mean. My DD has free tuition at any state college since she got a high score on the state test for graduation (it sounds better than it is, since fees are actually way higher than tuition).

Also, at one small college near home, she got a scholarship for 50% of the tuition and she has already been notified of some merit scholarships at some other schools. Plus there is a possibility of the town scholarship and various ones that the principal hands out. Now I know my DSD, who is already a junior, who didn't do well in school and has no extra curricular activites, will have a hard time even getting into college, never mind getting any scholarships.

And despite my DD's hard classes, sports and activities, she had plenty of time to have fun w/ her friends.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-25-2006
Thu, 03-08-2007 - 4:38pm

Congratulations to you and your son! Yes, hard work DOES pay off.

Although neither of my DSs are/were slackers, they would never get involved in anything their best friends were not doing, despite our telling them how important it is to be well-rounded. DS17 is much worse than DS23 was that way. DS23 is off to a good start in his career as a civil engineer in Baltimore, and DS17 will do fine, too, I'm sure. But because they didn't push themselves too much in the extracurriculars, or in the studying, there are/were no scholarships for them. And poor DS17 is finding out right now, as he still has 'deferred' status at U of M, when about 6 of his good friends have been accepted to that school. And none of his good friends will be going to MSU, where he'll likely end up. Personally, I don't think the prestige of a university is that important for undergrad, but DS17 is down about it.

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http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/october/meet_the_new_health_.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQTBYQlQ7yM

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Thu, 03-08-2007 - 4:57pm
Awesome! Congrats to you all ...

 

 

 

Avatar for cathiann
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 03-12-2007 - 10:55am
Congrats to him!!!



Surviving Middle & High School
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-05-1998
Mon, 03-12-2007 - 11:15am

That's awesome! My DS16, who is a junior this year, seems well on his way to a similar situation when it comes to colleges. He's realizing that all of this stuff he does adds up and makes him look great as a candidate to any school. Just this weekend he told me that the applications for National Honor Society would be coming home just before spring break and he would be getting his done. "Just another card in my hand for college!" he said. There's a boy who's thinking ahead!

Congratulations to your son. I hope that this time next year I'm posting something similar about my kid.

Elizabeth