<p>applying for fall 2008 at College of Arts and Sciences - New Brunswick
Pre-Med</p>
<p>female in NJ from a semi prestigious public high school (recognized nationally for high AP scoring, blue ribbon school, high placement in academic competitions etc..)</p>
<p>3.48 cumulative GPA freshman - junior year
2040 SAT (retaking in Oct)
8 years of science
4 years of language
4 years of math
4 years of english
3 years of history</p>
<p>never taken a standard class except for my history classes. all honors and APs. i'm not sure rutgers really cares about this but i got a 720 on my Biology SAT II, a 760 on Math II C SAT II, and a 5 on my AP Chemistry exam. my senior year schedule is packed with 4 AP's and one honors course - which i hope will bring up my cumulative gpa quite a bit. not to mention, my gpa trend has been steeply incling since freshman year.</p>
<p>Also, i have had hands-on authentic research experience at a biology lab in the university of pennsylvania where i completed a research project under a world-renowned professor on gene therapy and cell biology. iwill be writing a paper and submitting it to Intel this fall.</p>
<p>i'll also have a pretty great recommendation from a teacher of mine who has had me for 3 consecutive years of my high school career, so there's a lot he can say about me.</p>
<p>extra curriculars include a sunday religion/philosophy school and indian classical dancing, both since the age of 4. i am part of the red cross club in my high school but unable to partake in other volunteer services due to an obligation to family ... that has been explained on the application</p>
<p>i've also been employed by a learning center as a tutor since freshman year, and the research at upenn was also an employment.</p>
<p>chances?</p>
<p>you're in. hands down. How do you rank compared to your peers? Might try for the honors program</p>
<p>ah thanks for the vote of confidence. coming from a competitive environment, my peers' specs can be a big discouraging, even while applying to a non-ivy.</p>
<p>my hs is extremely competitive and doesn't provide class rank or percentage but i'd say top quarter more than likely</p>
<p>also.. i understand that rutgers doesn't have a form for recommendations? you just have the teacher mail it in? and do you think i'm fine with that one science teacher's or should i get another from a math or english teacher?</p>
<p>another thing - i plan on submitting my application early october but i won't get my october SAT scores back and sent to RU til the end of oct, will that be alright?</p>
<p>You will get in no problem, I am considering the same college too</p>
<p>1) if your hs doesn't rank, Rutgers will ask your guidance counselor to fill out a form saying where you rank/ fall. Honors program is min of 650 critical reading and you need above a 1350 I believe and top 10% in class rank.</p>
<p>2) Letters of Recommendation</p>
<pre><code>* Letters of recommendation may be sent to the Office of University Undergraduate Admissions and should include the applicant’s full name and, if known, the Rutgers University Identification (RUID) number.
</code></pre>
<p>I would send in 2 recs just to be safe. Make sure both are up to par though. Have your teacher mail it in. If you want to be picky, you can use official high school letterhead. </p>
<p>3) You can send in your application first and then send the SAT scores when ever you get them. Once they receive the official scores, then your application will be complete and available for consideration. </p>
<p>4) I came from a VERY competitive school in New Jersey so I fully understand you being discouraged. If you do not think you fall in the range of top 10%, then consider self-nominating yourself for the honors program. </p>
<p>First-year applicants may be nominated for consideration for admission to the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program by a guidance counselor, high school teacher, or a member of the Rutgers faculty or staff. Self-nominations are also accepted. All such nominations, including self-nominations, must be accompanied by two letters of recommendation from teachers, guidance counselors, or others who can provide evidence of the applicant's scholarly accomplishments and promise. Admission to the program will be determined on the basis of the materials submitted and an evaluation of the potential contributions the student will make toward the development of a community of scholars with diverse talents, interests, and backgrounds</p>
<p>thanks so much for the feedback, it's really very helpful.</p>
<p>are you a part of the honors program? how is it? i heard it's killer and it totally isolates you from the rest of rutgers social life</p>
<p>lol, you're welcome. </p>
<p>Yes, I am part of the honors program. I don't know what you've heard, but it definitely doesn't isolate you from the rest of Rutgers social life. This is just my opinion/ observation:</p>
<p>The honors kids get treated like royalty at Rutgers compared to normal students. As an honors kid, you are allowed to stay in honors housing where you are surrounded by some of the best students on campus. These students work hard and in turn, make you work hard. The honors kids move in a few days earlier than everyone else and I consider this special treatment. You get to avoid the rush of everyone moving in at the same time which is really handy. The honors kids get individual faculty mentors who they can go to for individual help and advice. Honors advising is also superb compared to regular student advising. Honors kids can take their very own classes which are reserved just for honors kids. Also, many of the professors who are well-known and advise regular students are on the honors program faculty list. They make sure that honors students are going down the right path and invite them for special research projects, internships, and opportunities. </p>
<p>All of these perks are very helpful- especially in college where no one will hold your hand. In a way, theres people to hold your hand if you are honors. With that said, you can still party and go out when ever you want. I have a ton of non-honors friends and I always find time to party Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights.</p>
<p>p.s. I am pre-med too (going to be a sophomore) and I think out of all the different students, the pre-meds need the best advising. Medical school is really hard to get into and course selection is very important. If you are honors, the previously mentioned perks will really really really help you... I can't stress that enough. I always see fellow pre-meds, who lack the proper advising, taking the wrong classes and not really understanding what to do or what is expected out of a pre-med. Needless to say, I feel bad because I know that these kids won't even make it to the MCATs.</p>
<p>It is for these reasons that when I see a hardworking student with good numbers, I suggest the honors program.</p>
<p>no one answered my orgo chem question.. grrrrrrrrrr</p>
<p>Oo thx for the heads up</p>