@joedoe From what I’ve read and understand about the [selection of the Medalist](https://admissions.rpi.edu/aid/scholarships-and-grants/rensselaer-medal), the high school selects who the Medalist will be among the high school’s highest achievers and among their most potential goers. My issue is that at my high school we’ve only started a year ago recognizing this award. The first winner of this award (which won it when he was a junior last year) is a senior this year and may very well be going to RPI next year. I’m a junior this year and would really like the Medal. My problem is that I am not first in my class, I’m probably about 3rd or 4th. The first in my class is not planning to go to RPI and at best might have RPI as his safety. The other 2 or 3 people are not STEM at all. My concern is that my high school administrator may not realize that the Medal does NOT HAVE TO go to the highest grader. According to the outline of the Medal, the high school should give it to a person that not only academically qualifies but that WILL actually use it.
My question is, how to a write a respectful note to my hs admin explaining this issue of which she is most likely unware? I’ve sat pondering a nice way to write it and can’t see a proper way to say it without questioning her knowledge of the procedure. I’d like her to know that if I get the Medal I will be applying and that even if I don’t get the Medal I will be applying anyway. The Medal will ensure that I have atleast 25k secured but any less than that and I’d have to question my chances to afford this school. If I got the Medal I would definitely early decision RPI just to ensure that I’d get in. As far as the “academically qualified” point, yes I have higher than the average rpi profile gpa and sat score for the entering freshman class of [this past year](http://info.rpi.edu/quick-facts).
I’d contact your college adviser and ask for them to start offering it at your high school and state that you are specifically interested in RPI and would be for the opportunity to pursue the scholarship opportunity. As far as how your counselor handles it, that’s up to them, but I think they’d be generally receptive. It’s completely at your adviser’s discretion whether you get the medal or not. If they choose you, it’s just up to whether you get into RPI for you to get the scholarship.
As far as applying, even if you don’t get it you should apply. I got the Rensselaer Leadership Award and Rensselaer Grant, it covered more than the Medal even did. The worst that’ll happen is you won’t get in or you won’t enroll if it’s too expensive.
I just want to add that it might be an opportunity to have a conversation with the counselor, more than write a note, so that you can relay your enthusiasm about having an opportunity to attend RPI.
This is a very smart move. As an alum I recommended to my older daughter that she should tell her counselor that she wanted the medal and they complied (although, to my chagrin, she ended up attending another well known engineering school). My younger daughter wasn’t as interested in RPI so I told one of her friends to approach their day school counselor about it. After some prompting from me (they were reluctant to get involved but I pointed out that the rules at that time permitted the award to be made by faculty and college counseling) she received it and subsequently enrolled. I’m sure the scholarship came in very handy and I recently learned that her sister enrolled this year as well. The Medal is intended to recognize achievement and encourage enrollment. If there are multiple close candidates it is in RPI’s best interests if it is given to a student who is interested and could benefit from the scholarship.