@CollDad802 I thought I’d start a new discussion here instead of answering on the accepted students discussion.
Stevens doesn’t have an honors college. The Pinnacle Scholars program is their equivalent to an honors college. As such, it and has many of the characteristics of other honors colleges we looked at (gpa requirements, extra classes on top of your regular classes, etc.) except it doesn’t have designated housing for honors students.
There are lots of perks with being a Pinnacle Scholar. DD gets $5K stipend for summer study or summer research. She gets priority registration for classes and housing. There are invitations to special lectures, receptions and field trips (they’re going to the Lion King this month.) Overall, she’s found the seminars interesting. She declined the 4+1 Masters. Please remember we are from fly-over country (Texas) and NYC is like Disneyland to us! She used her discounts to visit NYC attractions with friends on the weekends.
Pinnacle Scholars works for our DD - she’s an over-achiever, but an introvert, and would probably not voluntarily go to these extra lectures and receptions on her own. It’s forcing her out of her comfort zone and provides opportunities for networking she’d probably miss because she’s not a people person. Now that she’s a sophomore, I can tell she’s starting to appreciate the advantages she’s earned being part of the Pinnacle Scholars program. She is very happy at Stevens and plans to eventually settle in the area, if all works out as planned.
Thank you! That is very helpful. My son (also sort of introverted other than the people he will meet joining music groups) will be double majoring engineering and Music so won’t need (be able to fit!) the extra work. And yes, I can see how NYC is like Disneyland! I do like the priority registration and housing, I had not heard that. Thank you!
@CollDad802 Pinnacle Scholars is new as of last year, so I don’t know a lot about it.
Early registration is included, which allows you first choice of classes and times the first few years (otherwise registration is done by class year). This is a very nice benefit.
As for the research opportunities: this is also a nice benefit. There should be a good selection of projects to choose from and Stevens makes this research option easy for you. The other two options are new to me as part of a scholars program so I can’t comment.
As stated on their website, if the 3 selections are unavailable, you can use your stipend towards classes. This is great for someone who may be doing coop but wants to take summer classes so that they do not fall behind or they just want to spread out or accelerate their coursework. I wonder if they would let you voluntarily opt in for paid summer classes regardless. Students like this option; part time credits are expensive.
I agree about the 4+1 masters. They give you 20% tuition but that is not a huge incentive. Other scholarships include the masters as part of the program (for ex Neupauer).
In any case, it is nice to be invited to a special program. It is not offered to everyone, and includes some nice perks if you plan on attending Stevens anyway.
@rualum@milwaukeegirl Thanks! You know what I’m wondering - they mention the 4+1 Masters but can’t anyone at Steven’s do that if they choose? yes, 20% is not much. Also, do you HAVE to take the $5k stipend and do research or whatever those options are? What if he joins the program and finds that he has no time (double major Eng + Music)? I don’t think he’ll want summer classes. We will go to the brunch and see if we get more info - NOwhere did I see priority registration which I agree is huge, or priority housing but will find out for sure if that’s still part of it. Yes - it’s an honor just to be nominated
@CollDad802 I am not sure about the 4+1. I think the “4+1” entitles you to some amount of scholarship and would not be offered to everyone. The amount probably varies. Stevens offers several scholarships and they are all a bit different. Pinnacle is a newer program; I think it’s good that they keep coming up with new offers.
I know what you mean about having to do the research: this was a question we asked when my son was admitted to scholars. It turned out that he didn’t have to do ‘certain’ things but as Pinnacle is new, I have not heard much about it and cannot say how strict they are. I do know that Stevens will work with the students, provided the students make the effort to ask for help. Definitely ask a dean privately at the brunch, explaining that your son is feeling cautious about his potential workload.
He may feel differently once he begins school and it would be a shame to turn down Pinnacle because he might not want to take advantage of what is available. He can always leave the program later. Students change majors, add courses, drop courses; I have seen several leave after a year or two. Everyone has to find their way; it is a process.
Also, definitely talk to as many students as you can. There should be several at your brunch, or on any admitted students day. I have found the students to be very well spoken and happy to offer their experience and advice. They will also be able to give you a better idea of the actual workload involved.
@milwaukeegirl Has you D done the research stipend part of Pinnacle yet? Just curious as to how it works. Is it a tuition credit or is it more like work-study where you get paid for assisting with research work in a lab, and it takes a certain number of work hours to get up to the 5K?
Don’t know about the Pinnacle Scholars, but in another ‘scholars’ program, you pick a research project that you want to work on. You do the work on your own and your advisor is there for guidance. There is no hourly schedule. It is for a 10 week period, and they pay you by check or direct deposit weekly.
@rualum thanks a lot - you’re right, we will ask around - and it’s better he give it a shot than not try at all. Nothing is permanent lol. And you’re right, even on the tours the students were really helpful (and bright. And articulate. All good signs!) My other son attended Manhattan College for 4+1 Engs masters - he worked as an asst his 5th year and so paid very little, if anything (and yes, today he’s a successful, employed engineer lol).
@CollDad802 In addition, Stevens sets a minimum that the coop locations can pay the students (I think it used to be $12/hour? but many pay more). TAs are paid fairly imo.
In regards to the research pay, the advisor will give the student a schedule of what needs to be done and there are meetings to check progress. So it’s not totally up to the student, but the student is not punching a clock, either.
I’ve been lurking on the forum but this is my first post. My son received notice of a Pinnacle Scholarship to Stevens. While he is excited about the prospect he is nervous about the required GPA of 3.2 to keep the scholarship. We need to ask a lot of questions about this when we visit, but does anyone know how this works? He would hate to take that scholarship and then not be able to stay in school if he loses the funding. He’s a good student obviously but is worried about the pressure in an engineering major. And does he have to develop his own research project or can he pick from different options made available? Other than attending seminars is there actual additional work (papers, etc) attached?
Sorry for the silence - busy day at work. A couple of notes about the Pinnacle Scholar…
-Along with the financial aid package, you’ll receive a detailed letter about what is covered under the Pinnacle Scholars program and its requirements. I think DD had to sign that form. I’d look at it carefully - it used to be that any upperclassman with a 3.8 or higher could join the Pinnacle Scholars, but now I I read that only first-time, incoming freshmen are eligible, so it has changed already.
-My DD used her Pinnacle Scholar stipend to take some classes last summer after freshman year. I am not sure why she didn’t choose the other options. She filled out a form and the stipend was credited towards her account about 2 weeks after the semester started
-I do think there was some extra work involved with the scholars seminars (writing papers, I believe)
-We will encourage DD to use the stipend towards research in summer 2018, unless she’s on co-op again. I will ask her to ask other Pinnacle Scholar friends who used their stipend for research what that was like.
-The GPA of 3.2 is doable (so far.) A scholarship based on keeping a certain GPA is a risk you take. (At Texas A&M the requirement in engineering is a 3.5!) She learned to form study groups, see the TA for extra help, etc. to keep her grades up.
-Misc. observations from other threads: Pay range at my DD’s co-op runs between $18.50-$23/hour, depending on number of credits accumulated by co-op student.
@milwaukeegirl Ask your daughter about writing papers. The old scholars program had seminars on research and different subjects but you didn’t have to write actual papers, they were just informational. Having to write extra papers would be a negative for many students.
The required gpa is very doable. Scholars are selected by demonstrated academic ability and should do fine.
People can post what they got but (in my experience) amounts are not going to correlate reliably with grades/test scores. If Stevens is your first choice and the financial aid package is not feasible, I would talk to someone in admissions.
For past amounts, for reference, you can search this forum. btw no merit awards include room and board so that (high figure) may be throwing you off. Also, Stevens may have asked you where else you applied (maybe during the interview?). I think they try to gauge whether or not Stevens is a true first choice or a safety school, when determining awards. This is purely a guess, but something to consider.
@MomEof3 Didn’t know that interviews were by invitation now. They used to be ‘highly recommended’. Maybe it has changed because of the increasing enrollment.
@rualum I asked my DD about outside work for Pinnacle Scholars, and she wrote that only the research seminars required papers. Edited to add that the Scholars section PEP 112 (Electricity and Magnetism) also had a paper.
My question still stands - as a pinnacle pinnacle scholar what types of scholarships did you receive? I have read what is available but I’m interested in other class of 2021 students - what has been offered?
@MomEof3 I posted her financial aid award on a thread in the Stevens section of College Confidential in 2014 or early 2015. We did receive more merit aid than our EFC indicated, but we were betting we would since we’re from Texas (an area schools on the coasts target since it’s so hard for locals to get into our flagships, UT-Austin and to a lesser extent, Texas A&M) and DD was a female athlete with strong stats.
