<p>Anyone know the usefulness of RCAS? Is it worth turning down other schools such as Rice, Cornell, or UChicago? My question: Is RCSA just a name or does it actually help with stuff?</p>
<p>do regents scholars get free parking permits?! or at least, are they eligible for first year parking?</p>
<p>bump! anyone?</p>
<p>I am in the same situation too...I am deciding between Cal with regent and Cornell but at this point I might choose Cal just because it gives me full ride and the prestige seems to be very similar to Cornell</p>
<p>Posted on another thread, but still relevant: </p>
<p>Six benefits of the Regents' Scholarship:</p>
<p>Prestige: Highest honor awarded to entering undergraduates. Include a special reception in the fall at the Chancellor's.</p>
<p>Money: As you know, covers demonstrated need. Additionally, there's a decent discount students get at the Student Store on campus, but I don't recall the exact percentage. (20%?)</p>
<p>Housing: You are guaranteed housing for 4 years (instead of 2). Doubt this is guarantee of the room you want, but knowing you always have the option to live on campus is a nice perq for some.</p>
<p>Faculty Sponsor: Each scholarship recipient is assigned to a Faculty Sponsor, which is basically a free ticket to work with a faculty member. At a school that is as isolated as Cal is (in that the university will NOT hold your hand, you need to be very proactive about what you want from your education), this can be extremely beneficial, particularly if you are too shy to initiate conversations with professors that normal lead later on to such a relationship.</p>
<p>The RCSA: There's a whole student association devoted to helping you acclimate, make the most of your time at Cal, and make the most of the degree you receive once you've graduated.</p>
<p>Financial Aid Advising: You have a personal (well, they do it for all the R&C scholars) mediator for all financial aid issues. Why this is relevant when your financial need is met with scholarship is unknown to me!</p>
<p>So... Regents is not something to sneeze at. It's not just money.</p>
<p>you get discount at student store??
does it mean that discount on books, food, and everything else?</p>
<p>It's not that great of an award, especially when you consider that financial need is usually skimpier than it should be. The student store is a ripoff anyway and Cal apparel should be bought off-campus for $20 less, prestige is nice, but the fact that about 6% of Berkeley is composed of Regents Scholars takes away from part of the fun, no one wants to live on campus for four years, a faculty sponsor sounds nice but you might get a less-than-enthusiastic one (admittedly, I don't know much about it), RCSA is basically a club with R&C kids, and financial aid advising is nothing that you can't do on your own (in other words, don't waste your money, pay off parent loans first, get an internship, etc...), and there are no parking privileges but that's ok because Berkeley is not a car-friendly town anyway.</p>
<p>I've probably made it look worse than it is, but with no preferential enrollment and other priorities, it also shows that Berkeley doesn't care too much, which I suppose is justified considering the fact that they don't need to try to attract people.</p>
<p>the rcsa club itself is loosely run. to be honest, i haven't seen my faculty sponsor since the beginning of the year at the chancellor's reception. it isn't as grand as it seems to be apart of the club. other clubs offer the same events such as faculty dinners and alumni receptions. i guess the biggest deal about the whole thing is that you'll stand out from the rest of your classmates when it comes time to writing resumes for internships and grad schools. the whole four year garanteed housing is worth nothing because most second years and above move out of the dorms because of its costs.</p>
<p>I guess it's valuable that it meets all your need? (and assume that you are poor)
I got a full ride and I think that's the best scholarship ever : )</p>