<p>@lb43823, my son was a Rensselaer Medalist. The letter will tell you that the award amount is a minimum of $15k.</p>
<p>As for visiting, I learned about that over in the RPI CC forum and confirmed it in their Common Data Set. They rank “Level of Applicant’s Interest” in the Important category along with recommendations and their essay. Only GPA, test scores, course work rigor and class rank are higher in the Very Important category.</p>
<p>This holds true for many schools. They don’t fling money randomly. They reserve it for those most likely to attend. If you’ve made an effort to visit, it shows you’re very interested in their institution.</p>
<p>BTW, don’t overlook some of these “less prestegous” schools as your first choice. This is a dark secret that many don’t understand, but even schools that meet "100%"of need count loans in those totals. It is not free. Be wary of owing lots of money at graduation. There are LOTS of very good engineering programs out there. One of them might be a better fit.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>