I feel a bit nervous and I'd like some much needed advice.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I'm currently a Junior in high school and I have a couple of questions. [I am really sorry about this huge wall of text.] </p>

<p>1) What are my chances or chance of getting into Rutgers University - New Brunswick Campus?</p>

<p>-- My mother is pushing me take either early decision or early action when I'm applying in September of my Senior year, and I've set myself on this as well. I have looked at College Board and the University's site for the statistics and related percentages but I'm not sure, or rather, I don't have any confidence that I'm a good enough student to be accepted.
A few basic things about my school and myself:</p>

<p>oooo- My school has approximately 800 students in all, with about 200 students per class.
oooo- My school offers 10 AP classes for upperclassmen, and I am taking 3 this year. I will be taking 3 next year.
oooo- I currently rank 24/198. I am in very small extracurriculars, not even worth mentioning, mainly because I have family and home obligations.
oooo- I do have some volunteer hours: 33 from my local library and about 60 - 100 from a Chinese School (I do not speak or understand the language fluently - does this affect me at all?).
oooo- I will be taking AP tests, SAT, etc. The usual stuff, so I know I'm on track with that.</p>

<p>I won't mention my GPA or my SAT/PSAT scores because I assume that many of you have probably already seen enough of that and are quite tired of it. - I've looked it over and I can somewhat safely assume where I'm at with my scores and grades.</p>

<p>2) How much are my recommendation letters and my essay weighted and how should I go about writing them?</p>

<p>-- I have a general understanding that my essay is going to describe the person behind all of the statistics and numbers. I do plan on practicing and working on an essay during the summer to have it prepared for my application letter.
However, I can't say that I'm spectacular at writing, much less describing myself - I have extremely low self esteem and I do not regard myself as a good or outgoing student. </p>

<p>I can say that I've watched some videos and read some articles on tips on writing and have had some advice from teachers, but I need a more solid understanding of how I'm supposed to approach it. How do I describe myself in the best way possible? Do I mention my personal life, or do I keep that sort of stuff out? </p>

<p>And my recommendation letters - how many people should I ask? I will most likely be asking teachers and the heads of the volunteer programs, but are there any other people I should confer with?</p>

<p>3) How much would I get from financial aid, grants, etc.?...</p>

<p>-- I live in New Jersey and I come from a low income family [my parents' total income is $40,000/year and we are a household of 5 people]. I am a dependent, I do not have a job, and I will be a full time college student in the future. I am also a minority, Asian, but I don't know if that means anything anymore.
I won't be applying for financial aid or grants till after I receive acceptance letters, if any.
Generally how much would a person of my background and situation be granted?
And are there other sources for aid/grants? My guidance counselor hasn't told me very much about these kinds of things and I'm worried because I don't want to be a huge financial burden on my family.</p>

2

<p>It’s a bit hard to judge without GPA and SAT/ACT/PSAT scores. So humor us and say it? :D</p>

3

<p>Look into Questbridge and Millennium scholarships.</p>

<p>Asians are not considered minority while applying for college.</p>

4

<p>cardman001: Personally, I’d rather not post them because I think I can assess those numbers myself and that they are pretty bad.</p>

<p>texaspg: I’ll definitely check those out. And really?
That’s rather disappointing news.</p>

5

<p>Asians, while comprising of about 5% of the population, attend colleges in large numbers and there is no shortage of qualified applicants to choose from in colleges. If you read other threads in CC, you may notice colleges have been trying to put an artificial cap in percentage of Asians being admitted. It may not be the issue with Rutgers which is a State school but I am not certain about the rules that guide Rutgers in their admissions. If you lived in Texas and are in top 10% of your school, you are automatically admitted to a state school. I dont know what the current rules in NJ are for admissions.</p>

6

<p>You need to read the website and take careful notes about deadlines. You don’t wait for an acceptance to file for financial aid; you apply by the specified deadline. In fact, you try to apply even earlier, because late applicants may not get full consideration if money is tight (and your governor seems intent on making it tight).</p>

<p>And don’t try to do this alone. You need someone who can work with you, like those expensive college counselors but free, available, and encouraging. Is there a teacher or counselor at school who likes you and can be a mentor during the process? Does Rutgers have a student organization that recruits low-income candidates? (Read the Rutgers website, or just call the admissions office.) Do you know anyone from school who has gone to college and can be a guide? How about your community? Do you have a family doctor, for example, or maybe a clergyperson who has been educated in this country? Even your public librarian might be able to help, at least with research. If all else fails, why not try your state legislator or congressperson’s district office? Each has a staff to help constituents, and I think getting into a state school might fall in that category (not that anybody has ever asked them to do this, but it’s worth a try).</p>

<p>And, obviously, study as much as possible and keep your grades as high as you can. They’ll affect some of the money you’ll get for college. Good luck.</p>

7

<p>Your home and family obligations really can be considered to be extracurricular activities. You may want to write about them in your essays, because they’ve shaped your life and your school record. If you also worked to help support yourself and your family, Rutgers wouldn’t expect to see a long list of clubs and sports, either.</p>

<p>And please don’t be hard on yourself about test scores. We know they have a positive correlation with family income. And we know of schools that welcome students with low test scores and turn them into excellent graduates. (Check “colleges that change lives” threads.) You’re close to the top tenth of the class and need to consider that to be an achievement.</p>

8

<p>Oh, wow. I hadn’t even considered or thought about half the things you’ve mentioned.</p>

<p>I do have a few teachers that I can consult for help and I’ll be meeting with my guidance counselor for more information. </p>

<p>I’m not too sure if my home obligations would be considered that much, or even relatively close to an extracurricular. All I do is cook meals, take care of my younger brother and clean the house. To me these are simply daily chores that I’m responsible for. </p>

<p>And does being a 1st generation US citizen mean anything? Do college recruiters consider children of divorced parents as well, or is that just another side note that I should keep to myself?</p>

<p>I know I shouldn’t be too critical about my grades and test scores, but I’m reminded everyday by my step-mum that I’m not great or don’t work as hard as I could compared to my friends and classmates.</p>

9

<p>You may think of cooking and cleaning as daily chores, but they’re responsibilities and they show that you’re responsible. (That’s much of the value of having a burger-flipping job. It’s not that the school plans to torture you to get the recipe for special sauce.) Maybe you also help your brother with homework (tutoring), fill out mom’s tax returns, or fix leaky plumbing?</p>

<p>First generation American can be important, because your mom doesn’t have a roadmap for American culture. Maybe you’ve had to interpret for her or go shopping with her. Maybe you call repairpeople when things break. Again this could be great material for an essay. And child of divorce could translate as responsibility to help a single parent, as I just suggested. Maybe even tie into traditional Chinese value of respect for family.</p>

<p>Depending on the essay question, you could get some terrific answers from your daily life. Be personal. You’ll be impressive.</p>

10

<p><a href="http://college./college-1093-Rutgers-University—Rutgers-College_admissions-statistics.html%5B/url%5D">http://college./college-1093-Rutgers-University—Rutgers-College_admissions-statistics.html</a></p>

<p>[Rutgers</a> | Rutgers Admissions](<a href=“http://admissions.rutgers.edu/HSJuniors/HSJuniorsMain.aspx]Rutgers”>http://admissions.rutgers.edu/HSJuniors/HSJuniorsMain.aspx)</p>

<p>[Rutgers</a> | Rutgers Admissions](<a href=“http://admissions.rutgers.edu/Academics/AdmissionsProfile.aspx]Rutgers”>http://admissions.rutgers.edu/Academics/AdmissionsProfile.aspx)</p>

<p>[Rutgers</a> | Rutgers Admissions](<a href=“http://admissions.rutgers.edu/ApplyNow/MoreForFirstYearApplicants/EntranceRequirements.aspx]Rutgers”>http://admissions.rutgers.edu/ApplyNow/MoreForFirstYearApplicants/EntranceRequirements.aspx)</p>

11

<p>Do the best you can to improve your standardized test scores. If you spend a consistent amount of time each day working on problems or techniques, you should have acceptable scores by the fall. As far as I’m aware, Rutgers is the safety school for the majority of high-achieving applicants at my school because they weigh the numbers more than the extra-curriculars. Please correct me if I’m wrong…</p>