Appeal for Reconsideration for scholarship

[IslandsInTheStream]

Hi all,

I'm a lurker here for the most part but I have a couple questions.

I didn't get any money to my top choice school, and when I contacted the admissions office they said I could appeal for reconsideration for a merit scholarship. They said I should submit a budget, the amount of money I would need, and that if I hadn't already submitted my FAFSA the chances would be slim. I only applied to two schools and only got into this one, so I don't have any leverage in that sense. They said decisions would be made after the deposit deadline so I assume they want to see who turned down scholarship offers. So my questions are.

1)It's a "merit" scholarship, but since they emphasized my budget and my FAFSA, should the bulk of my letter be about need or merit?

2) How much do you think I should ask for. I have heard of people getting 15k and 20k annual scholarships. Obviously I want as much as they will give me. Is 15 or 20k too much to ask for in an appeal?

Thanks!

Edited April 6, 2012 by IslandsInTheStream