Tiger Tip 4: How Sewanee Reviews your Application

Hi, everyone. Good afternoon. Thanks so much for joining in to our Tiger Tip series this summer. My name is Leticia. I'm one of the admission counselors here in the office. And I'm just so happy that you guys are tuned in that you're taking time out of your summer to get to know Suwanee a little bit and dive into different pieces of the application, so.

Um, hopefully you've been following along with our Tiger Tip series. We're on Tiger Tip #4, which today we will talk about how Suwanee reviews your application and we will talk about the holistic review process. So I'll give kind of some general information in the beginning and then I will leave time at the end to talk specifically about our review process in tips and tricks that you can kind of use when applying and filling out your application. And so I'm just looking at the chat. We have so many folks from all over which is.

Absolutely amazing. So many folks from all over the US, from Russia, we we have a lot of folks in the house. So if you have not introduced yourself in the chat, please feel free to do so. And so just so you're aware, this chat feature is moderated. So you might ask a question in here and it won't appear immediately, but I can see it on my side and so I'm kind of approving those as they come in. So if you don't see your question right away, don't, don't worry. And then also if you're having any issues.

Feel free to maybe refresh the page or just drop me a chat in here if you're having any trouble hearing me or seeing anything that's that's going on here. So feel free. If you have any questions as I'm going along, feel free to put them in that chat box. You don't have to wait until the end, but I will try to leave some time at the end for some questions as well. And yeah, without waiting too long, let's just jump right on in. So, you know, the main question that I get a lot is what?

Exactly. Is holistic review. It's a term you hear all the time. But like, what exactly does it mean? And so here we have somewhat of a definition. And so basically it's a process, an admission process. That means your application is considered as a whole rather than individual data points. And So what that means is rather than just looking at your GPA, just looking at your test scores, we're considering every single piece of your application, everything that you submit to us. And we're making a decision collectively using all of those.

Factors. And so you know, of course we still look at your grades and your test scores, but we use those other pieces of application, you know, of your application to give us context that is super helpful in the admission process. And so these are some of the things that are typically considered in a holistic review. So of course you know your academic coursework, any trends that you've had over your academic career. So what that means is, you know, we want to see maybe you started out freshman year.

A little rocky, but you know you've had an upward trend since then and things have improved. That's what we love to see. So that's what we mean by trends. Or on the flip side, if you've kind of had a downward trend, that's something that we're going to look at and consider as well. Test scores, we are test optional school, so you can submit your test scores. You also have the option to not submit your test scores, but you know if you do submit them, that's a piece that we will use as well. Here at Suwanee, we don't necessarily weigh too heavily on.

GPIB exam scores, if you do submit them to us, if it is a part of your application, it is something that we will look at and again take into consideration. But it's not required by any means and it's it's not something that is one of the the required materials that you have to submit with your application. But again, if we have it, it's just another piece of context for us to show how you've done in those courses. And so you know another piece might be how your performance compares to other people in your school. So an example of that is like.

Class rank. And so we know that not all schools rank and that we totally understand that. But if we do, again, if we have that information, it's something that we take into consideration. Your recommendation letters is a huge piece and so you know what your counselor, what your teacher have to say about you definitely goes a long way and it's something that we consider in the process. Essays, short response answers. Definitely here at Suwanee we do not.

Have any short response questions? We only have the one coming up essay. So good news there is that you just have to submit one essay, but it's definitely something that we are using in that process And we do have another Tiger tip Series A little bit later in the summer that is going to talk about the essay specifically. But you know, really we're looking at that to get to know you a little bit more, evaluate your writing ability and just kind of learning more about you hopefully through that essay and it is one of those pieces that we're looking at.

And so extracurricular activities is another one when it comes to that. We really want to see what you're doing, what you're involved in. And it can mean a lot of different things. So that can mean clubs, organizations. It can mean, you know, sports, volunteering, leadership positions. It could also mean holding, having a job. It could also mean you spend a lot of time helping family, you know, whatever that may look like for you, whatever you spend your time doing, we want to know about that. We want to hear about that.

And it's something that we kind of, you know, use when evaluating our applications, any special talents, passions, things like that. And then also any special circumstances, like any situations that you've gone through, any illnesses, family situations, financial situations, disabilities, anything like that. Again, any additional context that you give us that you know gives us a little bit more information to the things that we're seeing is super helpful. And so one thing that I always tell students.

Is that if you do have any special circumstances or anything that you really want us to know that you feel will be helpful context as we look at your application, feel free to use the additional section space in the common app because we do look at that and that is a place where you can kind of tell us anything that you want us to know. There is always usually a question related to COVID and if that has impacted you and your family in any significant way. But if there's anything else that you would want us to know as we're reading through your application.

Totally put that in the additional information section and it will be super helpful to us as we're going through and reading your application. Again, If you have any questions, feel free to pop them in the chat as we're going along.

So when it comes to a holistic review or when it comes to applying to college, you know, you might think that your score is your GPA, really are determining the fate of your application. But again, we're looking at so much more than that. And we want, it might sound cliche, but we want well-rounded students. We want students who are going to come to Swanee and just really add to who we are and add to our community. And your GPA and your test scores don't always tell us.

Exactly how you're able to do that. And so we look at so many different pieces of the pie and we look at so many different pieces of your application. And you know, I never want you to feel discouraged or like you can't apply based on just two pieces. Just think about it that way. Your test scores, your GPA are just two pieces of the puzzle. And then especially at a school like Swanee, if you do not feel like your test scores are a great representation of your ability to do well or your academic ability, you don't have to submit them.

So that's one less thing there and we get to use all of the other pieces to really get a good picture about you. So again, holistic reviews I think are just great because it allows us to factor in so many different things and not just make those decisions based off of GPA's or based off of scores. And so knowing this, how can you use the holistic admission process to your advantage is, is the question, right? And so you know by the time you're applying and by the time you're a senior.

Your GPA is your GPA. You can't change it. You know, and your test scores. You might be able to take it again. But you know once you get to a certain point, your scores or your scores, you know and so you know. What you really can do is take time and effort and energy into those supplemental pieces you know, of course we want you to put forth effort throughout high school. We want you to do your best. We want you to strive for your best. But after you've done that, it's important to then put the time and the effort into the other pieces.

And so really decide, think about and and choose your recommendation or you know the the folks that are. Write your recommendation letters. Choose them wisely. You know, like for for US1 letter does need to come from your college counselor, but another letter can come from a teacher.

And so we would prefer that to be like a core subject teacher. But you know, really you get to choose who will write on your behalf. And so it's important for you to choose folks that know you, who know you in multiple, you know ways and scenarios, who can speak to your character and your academic ability. And also you get to choose kind of what to highlight in your application as well. You get to choose what to write your essay about. And I know that can seem daunting because you're like, OK, well.

What do I choose? But it's, you know, it's your application and it's going to be special and personal to you. And as long as you are true to yourself, that will come through in your application. And that in itself is what's going to help you in the process. Because there's only one you and those you know, other pieces of your application are really what's going to help us see who you are and allow you to shine through, you know. So of course GPA is a big thing. Of course test scores are a thing, you know, but.

Those other pieces are just as important, so hopefully that helps.

In that process as well. So I do have one question that came through and so it says is an interview required as well as a resume. That's a good question. So here it's Suwanee. We do not require interviews. We have what are called counselor appointments and so if you want you can sign up for a appointment with your admission counselor. They are short 1520 minute appointments. We can do them virtually or in the fall we might have some in person appointments when we come and travel to to your home.

Towns. And so you're able to talk with your admission counselor, just ask any questions, get to know the school, get to know you know the the process a little bit more and just have that one-on-one time with your admission counselor if you're interested in that. But it's that's not required and it's not it's not necessarily an interview and it's not something that's required, but it is something that's available to all students and you can sign up for that if you want to do that. And then in terms of the other part of the question, a resume we do not require that you submit.

Any sort of resume. So really the biggest piece, a lot of that information that you would put on a resume is going to go in your application like in the extracurricular section and things like that. But if you do feel like you do not have enough space in the common app to, you know, accurately tell us everything you're involved in or everything you want us to know, again, you definitely can submit a resume. You can e-mail that to your mission counselor and we will include that with your application.

If you'd like us to do that, So that's always an option. Same with recommendation letters, we only require 21 from a counselor and one from a teacher. But if you really feel like there's someone else out there that can speak to your ability in a professional setting, so maybe like a coach or a supervisor or something like that. We, we always do accept additional letters if you want to send them to us, but again, that is in no way required and you will in no way be at a disadvantage if you only submit the two. We are only looking for two.

But you can always send you know, another one if you want. Um.

Yeah. So that's kind of how how that goes.

Another question if.

If I apply early in my considered for merit aid, yeah absolutely. So actually all students that apply to university will be considered for merit aid. So when we are applying I'm when we are reviewing applications, we are reviewing applications for admission and for scholarship. So there's nothing extra that you need to be need to do sorry to be considered for merit aid. It's kind of an automatic process. The review happens automatically when you apply. So with you're admitted to the university.

Um, you are then able to find out what scholarship you got at that same time. So it's an automatic process that happens and we review all students, both domestic and international for merit aid at at the university. And does Sewanee take into account demonstrated interest? Absolutely we do. We. It's definitely one of the pieces of the puzzle that we're looking at. It's never something that's going to make or break in application. It does not put you at a disadvantage if you have not been able to visit or anything like that.

Um, so I don't want you to think that, but you know, demonstrated interest is is I don't want you to think of it as a box that you need to check, you know, or it's just something that you need to do to to kind of get some points in the process. Really I want you to look at it as this is a place where you are going to spend four years and this is a place where you're going to grow personally, professionally and and have all these experiences. And I think it's important for you to research and get to know that place just as much as it is for us to get to know you.

On the application process, so really you know, by expressing your interest, you're able to do that by just learning about the school, learning about the programs, offering, sitting in on sessions like this. So you know, if you're worried about showing your interest, as long as you're going through the process and you know learning about us in that way, that's really what we love to see. But again, it's something that is is considered, but it's nothing that holds a ton of weight in the process, if that makes sense.

OK, let's see. OK, another good question. So I am going to talk about the kind of dive into the application process here at Suwanee.

In just a second. But I do want to answer some of these questions 1st. And then and then I'll do that. So this next question says does undecided negatively affect my chances of admission and my application overall? Absolutely not. It sure does not. So here at Suwanee, as a liberal arts college, we.

Don't actually make you declare your major until the end of your sophomore year. So we allow that flexibility and we even welcome it. So it's totally OK if you don't know exactly what you want to do when you're coming in, because that's what college is for, right? So no, it will not. It will never disadvantage you if your application is undecided or if you do not have a major listed. Also, if you have a major, we do not review applications based on major, so you don't have a better chance of getting in if you have.

This major on your application versus another major. And so really we are just reviewing applications and we are admitting students to the university. We are looking for students that are a great fit for Suwanee as a whole, not for a certain major. So it will not disadvantage you if you apply undecided. It also will not, you know, affect your application if you put one major versus another. So hopefully that helps.

And let's see. So OK, as I know you have need based I guess need based aid, Is it possible to get a full ride it, it's possible. So our scholarships range from about 5000 to 30,000. Those are our merit based scholarships. Now we do have a couple of scholarships that are full tuition and we do give out a full ride scholarship every year as well. And so it's just again happens through the emission process and we evaluate.

You for that when you're applying and so just putting forth your best effort in your application is going to ensure that you have your best chances at the best scholarship that is available to you. So again, there's nothing more you need to do in that realm. Once you apply, we'll review you for scholarships and then financial aid is a separate piece. So if you do want to apply for financial aid, you need to submit the FAFSA and the CSS profile and that is a separate piece, but whether or not.

Whether you apply for financial aid or not, you will be considered for merit based aid epsilon.

All right.

So, OK. So I am going to go, there's a couple more questions in the chat, but I am going to go on through the application process because I think it might answer some of the questions that you all have. And then if you have questions as as I'm going along, definitely feel free to put them in the chat, all right. So, so far, I've just kind of talked generally about the holistic process. And so really I just want to dive into how we do things here at Suwanee. So when it comes to the application, like I've mentioned.

Or we are a test optional school. So here you will see what we called the basics, you will see the numbers. But again we are looking at so much more than that. So don't you know, don't be alarmed. So average GPA of the students that we admitted and that entered in in 2021 was a 3.87, OK And you'll see the average acceptance rate there as well as 47% and then you will see the middle 50% for the ACT and the SAT. So we again are test optional.

So these are the ranges for students that have decided to submit their test scores. And So what I always tell students when you're debating whether or not you want to submit your test scores is to look at the range, see where you fall within that range, and whether you feel your application would be competitive with those scores. And so those are just the kind of the basics there. In addition to that, you do need to submit your essay through the common app, You apply through the Common app. Okay the Common app is free, and so you're submitting your essay through the Common app.

You are submitting 2 letters of recommendation, so one from a teacher, like I mentioned and one from your college counselor. We are also then requiring your transcript. OK. So that's how we're going to see your grades and your GPA and then your extracurricular involvement is going to be filled out through the common app as well. And so those are the pieces of the application that we are looking for and looking at. And like I said, we are looking at all of those things and taking all the pieces of info.

That we have into consideration and that is how we are making our decisions on admission and scholarship. So if there's something on your application that you want to explain to us, if there's something on your application that you feel that we need more context about, you know, as we're going through, again don't be afraid to use that additional section space. Let us know anything you would want us to know as we're going through your app.

Here you will see the deadlines of when you can apply. So early decision one. Early decision two are binding contract options. So these are for the students who know for sure, without a doubt that Swanee is the place for them. Because if you're accepted in these binding options, you are then required to attend. So it's you know you should only be applying to one school early decision and it's, you know, a serious process that you know. Don't take it lightly.

If this is where you know you want to be, the binding options might be great for you. And then if you want to apply but you still want to apply other places are non binding options are going to be great for you as well. So we do have early action which is due December 1st. We have regular decision which is due February 1st. OK, so those are going to be your non binding options. Early action is still a way to apply early, show that interest and you find out your decision a lot earlier as well. But it's non binding and then regular decision.

Is our other non binding option. You'll find out your decision a little bit later, but it also gives you more time to apply. So it gives you more time to maybe you know, submit your first half senior grades with your app, or retake the SAT or ACT again, or whatever it is that you need to do. It gives you more time in the process to apply because that's not due until February 1st of your senior year. So no matter when you know what you're applying through as a first year student, these are your deadlines. So this is the same for domestic and for international.

Applicants OK um.

Let's see, any questions that you all have about the admission process itself, how we look at apps, anything that I have not covered that you're wondering about?

Please put that in the chat. So I'm going to start going to the chat because there's a ton of questions in here and so I definitely want to make sure I can get to everything that you all want to know. So anything you think of, just pop it in the chat and we'll start to go through it, OK?

OK. So first question was that 3.87 on a weighted or unweighted score scale, great question that is it's, it's a weighted scale. So it's actually whatever your high school gives us. So we do not recalculate GPA's. So if you're high school only computes unweighted grades, we are going to use that as your GPA. But remember we are holistic review and so we take all of those things into consideration. So we will have the context, we will.

Know that your school only gives out unweighted Gpas. And so we will have that in mind when we are looking at your GPA, when we are reviewing your application. And so do not feel bad about that or any way about that or worried about that because again we take all of that kind of context into consideration. So that is a weighted GPA. But again, we just use the GPA that your school gives us. We do not recall GPS.

Um, let's see. Do we have restricted or unrestricted early action? We do not. No, we do not. So you'll see. These are all of the deadlines that we have here. We do not have any restricted EA option, so our early action is is non binding, non restrictive. We we do not have any restrictive EA options.

OK, um let's see is it is the possibility to get knee based affected by the time of submitting application? That's a really great question. So basically is your I guess you're asking is your possibility of getting a scholarship either merit based or need based aid dependent on when you apply? And that's a really good question and what I always tell students is that if we are high on your list, if you are wanting to apply to Suwanee, apply early.

You know the earlier the better in terms of a lot of things and so when it comes to.

How we review applications when it comes to the competitiveness, things are going to get more competitive the the more you go down these deadlines, OK. So obviously early decision one, early decision two, these pools are a lot smaller because they are binding contract options. OK. Now early action is where the majority of our students apply and so we're getting the majority of our applicants here. And so we are making decisions on them. We are then awarding scholarships on them and so by the time we get to regular.

Decision. We have admitted a lot of students. We have awarded a lot of scholarships, and so it can get a little bit competitive in this round just because we've already admitted and awarded scholarships in three other rounds before. And so when it comes to space funding, you know it definitely can get a little bit more competitive in this round. However, no matter what round you choose, all of our students are still considered for aid, and if you qualify for aid, you will still be granted that aid if you're admitted to university.

You know, it's not a situation where funding runs out, you know, but it definitely things can can get more competitive at this stage for sure.

Umm.

Let's see, OK, do you need to submit the FAFSA and CSS profile to be considered for merit aid? The question. The answer to that is no, no, you do not so merit aid, you just have to apply.

That's it. O whether or not you want to apply for financial aid. And that has no bearing on whether or not we review you from merit aid. OK. So they are two separate things and you can, you know, apply for for financial aid and that's not going to affect your merit aid and vice versa, OK.

Um.

OK. Next question, is the acceptance rate higher for EA than Rd.

No, I would not say the acceptance rate really. We have a pretty steady acceptance rate overall. Again, no matter what round you apply, we are just looking for students who are going to be great here at Suwanee, you know. And so again, the acceptance rate might fluctuate in terms of the size of the pool, OK. When you're talking about percentages, they vary differently based on how many people there are. So early action, again is our biggest application round that we have. So it has the most applications and so yes.

Really acceptance rate might fluctuate between that and an early decision one for example, but it's just because early action is so much bigger in terms of how we're looking at students, the type of student we're looking for that never changes. We are looking for good fit students for the university and you know that's that's the lens that we are looking at in all four of these options.

Right.

So does Suwannee offer CSS or common app fee waivers? Great questions. So we actually do not offer any CSS fee waivers. And our common app is free. So you don't need a fee waiver for the common app because it is free. So yes, that is the answer to those.

And um.

OK. I'm just going to approve a couple here. So is the chance of scholarship better for early decision applicants than early action applicants? Again, not necessarily. We are just looking for great fit students and evaluating them throughout the process of applying based on you know all the factors of your application. So it's there are necessarily no better options in terms of scholarship or things like that. Again, we just want you to find the best fit.

Deadline for you, whether that is a binding or nonbinding agreement or option. And again, we are reviewing students and trying to find the best fit students for Suwanee no matter which option you apply. And again, we are still we are reviewing students all the same for scholarship and funding as well.

Are you considering the number of siblings attending college at the same time for need? That's a that's a really great question. I do believe there are some changes coming in that realm, but I.

Um, don't work in the financial aid side, so I can't speak to that as much. However, we will have a financial aid session later in the summer. So that is another Tiger tip which is going to be financial aid one-on-one. And we will have one of our experts from the financial aid office who can talk a lot about that in more detail. But what I can do at the end is put some emails in the chat and put some links in the chat for all of our admission counselors. I can also put some info in there for our financial aid office.

And that way you can reach out to them specifically. If you do have any questions in more specific questions about the financial aid process, I can do that at the end.

OK, says can I work on campus and pay for studying? That's a great question. So I'm thinking you're probably referring to work study. And so one thing that we do have within financial aid packages is work study for students who do qualify for it. And so work study or just kind of holding an on campus job, those are options for students. However, it's it's up to you and how you want to apply those funds. So work study.

Is you holding your job on campus and you're getting paid from that job just like any other job, but you qualifying for it based on your financial aid application? So you know, it's a little bit different in that sense, but the funds are going to be coming to you like a regular paycheck. So then if you then choose to apply those paychecks that you're receiving to your tuition, you can totally do that. Some students just keep them for themselves. It's kind of like pocket money when you receive your financial aid package.

It might have work study on there, but it's usually not actually being factored into your totals because again, it's something that you can choose to apply to your tuition bill or you can choose not to. And so that's really up to each student in that sense.

Right. OK. What it says, what are the percentages of students admitted by each application type? That's a really great question. I do know this past year about almost 1/2 or or a little less than half of our students were admitted in the early action round. But like I said, that's our biggest application round. So we're getting the most applications in that round and then you know the rest are are kind of trickling from there. So I do not have the exact percentages.

For each round, but usually we end up getting um about.

30 percent, 20 to 30% of students from the early decision rounds and then the rest of the students are coming from early action and regular decision. So again, it's really about just finding best fit round and deadline for you and and just putting forth your best application. It's not I don't want you to think about this as a super strategic thing and in which you have to choose which one to have your best shot. Really just figure out which one is going to be best for you and then.

Just put forth your best application and apply.

All right. So let's see what other questions we have. OK. So it says our international students considered for the full ride scholarship. Yes, absolutely. So all of our students are considered for scholarship. And so we do have a number of full ride scholarships that are available to international students every year. So that is kind of a a separate piece in addition to what I mentioned earlier. And so we do have funding, some funding available for international students in addition.

And so I know I've been talking about the fascia and the CSS profile, but as an international student, you would fill out a separate form that is an international student application for financial aid and then we also have the CSS profile as well. So for our international students on there is a separate form, but you would be able to fill these out and apply for financial aid as well. And we do have some full funding options available for our international students, yes.

All right. Um.

OK, so let's it says I've heard some schools focus more on academics specifically rather than a holistic approach in Early Action and Ed than regular. Is this true for Suwanee?

OK, so.

It's saying that basically schools might focus more on the academics as opposed to having a holistic approach for certain application realms. If, if I'm understanding your question correctly, and the answer at Suwanee is that we truly do a holistic review for every single applicant, no matter what round. Our way of reviewing applications is the same, it doesn't change. We don't have a different process for different rounds and so we really are looking at students.

Holistically. Um. And so of course this is a college environment. This is an academic environment. So of course we want to see students that are doing well academically. But if you're not the top at your school, if you're not the top in your class, it doesn't mean that you are not still a strong student, you know? And so we're looking at all those other pieces as well.

But you know, you could write an amazing essay, but if you have all D's and F's, it is hard to overcome that. OK, so I'm not going to say that those other pieces don't matter or that the, you know, academics don't matter, because they do. But it's not all that matters. OK, So I want you to keep that in mind. It's not all that matters. And it's not all that we look at. And no matter which option you're choosing, we are doing a holistic review for everyone. For all of our applicants, for sure.

OK, great question. So it says how much of what I've said about what we look for an application here at Suwanee applies to other similar smaller arts colleges and how much, if any, is Suwannee specific? That's a really good question. So really a lot of what I have told you today is Suwanee specific, OK. And so that's why we wanted to title this house Suwanee reads your application because it is really specific to us and so.

A lot of schools are probably going to be similar, but it's always good practice to get to know all of the schools that you're interested in applying to. Reach out to your mission counselor there, do your research. Sit in on any sessions that they have like this also, and learn about their process and learn what they're looking for and how they do things, because it can definitely be different from school to school. And so I really can't speak to how other small liberal arts colleges are going to do things. Again, a lot of them have a holistic review process.

But holistic review can mean different things for different universities. And so really what I've shared with you all today, especially in the second-half of this is how we do things here at Suwanee. And so I definitely want you to keep that in mind that this is Suwannee specific and it's important to kind of see and do your research and see what other schools are doing as well. OK.

Umm.

Great. Great question. OK, so it says what are the academic requirements for keeping the same awarded merit scholarship for 8 semesters? Great question. So when you receive a scholarship here at Suwanee, it is renewable for four years, OK. But you you do need to keep your grades up. And so some scholarships might have different deadlines or, I'm sorry, different requirements. But basically you need to stay in good academic standing, OK? And so being in good academic standing is going to ensure that you are able to keep your scholarship.

For the four years, if you are not in good academic standing here at the university, you are at risk for losing that scholarship. OK, so it's not just it is guaranteed to you as long as you are in good academic standing. OK, so that is definitely important. But the resources, the support, the help and and just the access that you have here is amazing. We haven't integrated advising system. We have the support that is going to help you on your journey.

And we have things in place to identify and recognize when students might be struggling and to kind of help and intervene and get you back on track. OK. So we don't ever want to see a student lose their scholarship. And there's going to be a lot of things in place and a lot of folks to help if it seems that you might be going on that path. OK. And so again, it's something that we never want to see happen, but it is at the caveat 2 year scholarships that you do have to be in good academic standing.

OK.

OK.

Let's see, OK? Um.

Do you all have any other questions? OK, here's another one. It says now that the FASFA isn't opening until December, how will that affect applying for early action, finding out about financial aid? Yeah, so if there's going to be these changes with the the FASFA, we will just kind of change accordingly. OK. So we are in talks with that. We are figuring up what our plan will look like, but you know, we will still allow, you will still be able to apply as normal. You will still submit your financial aid.

Documents as normal. The timeline just could possibly be a little bit different or you know things might be a little bit different. But we will definitely communicate to you all what that process will be once we have more information. But don't worry, it'll still, you will still be awarded financial aid, you will still be awarded scholarships. Again, the timeline could just be a little bit different based on you know any changes that come through the pipeline there.

OK, umm, let's see.

Alright, says I am an international student, will I have to reapply for need based scholarship every year? So yes, every single one of our students has to reapply for need based aid every year. So the faster the CSS profile, those are yearly documents and those need to be submitted, submitted each year. And so you know depending on different things like your family's financial situation or government funding or you know just a number of things those.

Are required for you to submit each and every year. So yes, all students do need to submit their financial aid documents each year.

OK. It says is merit aid purely based off of our application or is there an additional interview process? Good question. So the initial review for merit based aid is just based on your application again and based on the holistic review of your application. OK, now the full tuition scholarships that I have mentioned and the full ride option that I've mentioned, these do involve another step in the process and so.

When we are reviewing students applications to the university, we nominate students who we think will be good fits for those top scholarships and then we will reach out to those students and communicate to them kind of the next steps in the process. There is a more steps that are involved with applying for those, but we will communicate to students who have been nominated for those when we're kind of going through the process. But our scholarships that range from 5000 to 30,000, those are awarded automatically.

And there's nothing more you need to do. There's no interview process. There's no extra steps. Um, But again, those full tuition and full ride options do have some extra steps, and we'll be in touch with those students who have been nominated for those.

All right. OK. So I do see on my end, I do see a couple financial aid questions. Again, I really would encourage you all to hop in on the financial aid session that we're going to be doing. It will be in the first week of August actually. So I know it's a little bit ways away, but you'll get emails, you'll get, you know, plenty of notice for that. And then if you happen to miss it, it'll be recorded. So all of these sessions.

Are recorded and they're put up on our Tiger Tips website. So you can access that at a later date if you're not able to make the recording in the live version in August. But we will have a financial aid session and I definitely encourage all of you to come and join in on that session because you'll be able to ask these more specific financial aid questions and really kind of take a deep dive into the financial aid process. I don't want to lead you all astray. I don't want to give any misinformation. So we're going to have one of our financial aid counselors.

Actually join us for that session who's really an expert in that field and in the area and who can really kind of deep dive with you all in the financial aid process. OK. So don't think that I am just kind of ignoring, skipping out on your financial aid questions. I just want to make sure we have someone here that can talk to that and speak to that. So we will be doing that session on August 2nd, I believe it's a Wednesday. And so just be on the lookout for that info. OK. So I'm going to go to this slide here just so you all can see some some other things.

That you can check out if you're interested. Please if you have any other questions, put them in the chat. We are here to help. We look forward to chatting with you, talking with you. I am also going to put in the chat I am going to put.

The link to our admissions staff. And so let me just grab that really quickly. And so, so I didn't even tell you guys where are you know, the, the students that I work with. So sorry about that. So again, my name is Leticia. I'm an associate director in the office. So if you are from Maryland, DC, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Delaware, I am your mission counselor here at Suwanee and I am excited to meet you all work with you in the process.

Umm, I'm here to answer any questions that you have. You can e-mail me, you can schedule an appointment with me. Umm, we don't have any appointments currently, but we will be getting those back up on live and running closer to the fall where you can sign up for a virtual counselor appointment with me.

And so you you have all those options. OK. But right now I'm going to put a link in the chat to our so you can find our admission staff. There we go. So you can follow that link and you will see all of the admission counselors here in the office. You will be able to find the link to e-mail your specific admission counselor if that is not me. And you know, we're happy to help you connect with you and answer any questions that you all have. OK.

Um, one more question did come in about having two majors. Yes, that's totally possible. About 15% of our students do double major here at Suwanee. So it's definitely doable. It's definitely possible. But, you know, I think our students tend to really just dive deeply into the major that they choose. So having two majors is not something that's wildly popular at Sewanee, but it's definitely something that you're able to do and it is doable. And you will have an advisor who you'll be able to kind of work with, make sure you're.

On path to graduate and you know, just knocking out those requirements and getting everything done that you need to get done OK for those two majors. But yeah, it's it's totally possible.

Any other questions that you all have? Anything else I can give you info on as it relates to the holistic review process?

Like I said, we will have, we're only on Tiger Tip #4. We do have 10 tiger tips happening this summer and so feel free to check out that link, that list you know, for you to see all the tiger tips. I'm going to actually put that in the chat as well so you can see all of the tiger tips that are upcoming. You can register for anyone that you're interested in currently and then that's also the website where you will be able to go and see the recordings.

OK, so if you miss any of the sessions that you're interested in, you'll be able to go and view those recordings. We usually get them up within a couple of days of when the session happens. OK, so like this recording should be up by the end of the week, early next week at the latest. So you can always check that site back frequently if you've missed any sessions or you want to register for some upcoming sessions, so.

All right.

Cool. Well, hopefully this was super informative for you guys. I enjoyed being here with you all in this virtual space. I really appreciate you guys jumping in, joining on. I know that the time difference is definitely, you know, big in some of the places that you guys are coming from. So I really appreciate you all taking time out of your summer, taking time out of your day to join on and learn more about Suwanee, and I hope you've taken away a lot from this. Yeah, and please reach out to us, please.

Get in touch with us if you have any questions. That's what we are here for. I know the college process can be daunting. It can be scary. There's tons of unknowns. But you have folks at all the schools that you're applying to that are here to help. And you know, really we just that that's what we're here for. So reach out to us, OK? And I hope you all have an amazing summer and hopefully we will see you on campus soon.

OK. I do see another question. I'm I'm happy to keep answering questions if you have them. It says the two majors, will there be an addition in the tuition fees? Not necessarily. And so usually you're only still taking a certain amount of classes each semester and so your fees are assessed by how many credits you have in a semester. And so 12 credits is full time. Most students will take between like 12 to 16 credits. Usually you don't get additional.

These until you get over a certain threshold, and so even if you have two majors, you probably still only have a certain amount of credits each semester, so you won't necessarily get additional fees. The only way you'll get additional fees is if you're taking any classes you know outside of Fall or Spring semester, if you are spending more than five years there, or if you are taking over the allotted. Usually it's over 20 credits. If you were taking over that allotted credit limit within the semester, you definitely would have.

An additional fee for those extra credits. So usually you're not necessarily paying more for your tuition just because you have two majors, you know?

Alright. Any other questions?

No problem guys, I really enjoyed being here with you all today so thanks so much.