<p>She is currently a junior and interested in pre-vet (Animal Sciences), with an equine studies minor. She is ranked in the top 5-10 of 450+ in a competitive public high school (in PA), and her GPA is approximately 98 out of 100 (uw). She has already taken the ACT this past spring as a sophomore and got a 35. She has taken one AP course so far, and received an A in the course and a 4 on the world history exam, and 2 SAT2s, Math 2 (750), and Literature (740). She has a loaded junior year schedule this year with 4 AP courses and other honors level courses. She is heavily involved in equestrian, spending 20+ hours every week with training and competing in regional and national eventing competitions. She has some other ECs as well, including Key Club and other community service involvement, but nothing remotely involved as this. Her recs and essays should be very good.</p>
<p>She is intersted in visiting Rutgers and has done extensive research, but also would like to have a significant portion of undergrad covered through scholarship, and save her college money for vet school. How would she look for the Presidential Scholarship?</p>
<p>She needs to have an SAT above 2250 to be considered. (While ACT OK for admission, only SAT used for the big scholarships). Also, have a killer essay. Rutgers doesn’t use the Common Ap and hasn’t changed the essay in years. Essentially (not the exact wording): “Rutgers is a diverse community, how will you add to and/or benefit from this”. I’m not sure how much ECs are taken into account for the Presidential Scholarship and recommendations are not part of the application process. </p>
<p>Rutgers has is an excellent Animal Science program with 3 tenured professors in Equine Studies. For the past 10 years, their admission rate to Vet Schools is 90+%, which is unheard of, as Vet School is tougher to get into that med school since there are ~3000 seats/year and many are reserved for in-state residents.</p>
<p>Also, the Equestrian Team finished the fall season in 1st place in their zone.</p>
<p>Nj2011mom…are you sure about the SAT/ACT thing? My daughter is not going to take the SAT unless she qualifies on her October PSAT for NMSF. </p>
<p>This is directly from the current Rutgers web site…which makes it sound like either qualification is fine:</p>
<p>Scholarship Awards
Presidential Scholarship
The Presidential Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship award Rutgers offers undergraduates. Awards are $24,000 per year, and include a $11,500 credit for on-campus housing and dining. For those who choose not to live on campus, the award will be $12,500. Students are guaranteed on-campus housing for four years and admission to the Honors Program. To be considered, students must have at least 2250 combined SAT or an ACT score of 35 and an A grade point average. </p>
<p>Anyone else have any first-hand knowledge, or comments about her possible chances?</p>
<p>I will defer to what you are posting, however I was told it was just the SAT. </p>
<p>Keep in mind, that each college awards their scholarships separately and SEBS (School of Biological & Environmental Studies - where Animal Science is) awards under 10 each year to the 700-750 freshman that enroll. It is possible to be awarded the Presidential from another school within Rutgers, such as Arts & Science, and it does not transfer to SEBS. My daughter is a SEBS freshman and was just shy of the SAT level for Presidential and she received a very small merit award. That said, she is a happy Animal Science/PreVet, with Equine minor and member of the Equestrian Team. </p>
<p>Is your daughter taking any science APs? Scoring out of them is key to getting hands on with animals either spring semester Freshman year or fall of Sophomore year.</p>
<p>Yes…she will have 3 AP exams done (I think) before graduation in 2013…</p>
<p>We are in Pennsylvania, so she is paying close attention to out of state vs. in state. I think she will end up visiting Rutgers and maybe asking that specific question about ACT/SAT from someone there. It would be interesting to hear more about the prior recipients…</p>
<p>If on the website it clearly states that you need a 2250 SAT OR 35 ACT, then why should you be worried? She probably has a good chance of getting it.</p>
<p>Some merit scholarships are guaranteed if you meet certain criteria (Alabama is an excellent example). Some are not guaranteed. From what I can tell and from what I’ve heard, Rutgers is NOT guaranteed. These criteria are a starting point, and the actual winners are selected from this pool. It’s my job to worry…</p>
<p>In my understanding, Rutgers wait until they collect all the applications submitted by Dec 1. Each school would have different requirements based on the applications they received. In 2009, the Pharmacies and Business schools had to raise the scholarship requirement to top 3% (from 5%) and SAT 1500/1600. Last year, I was told the Pharmacies raise the SAT score to 2250 and must have one 800 in the score. Not sure how would it work for ACT score.</p>
<p>When did I say scholarships were guaranteed? I just said “She probably has a good chance.”</p>
<p>I am aware that you are worried that simply meeting the credentials might not be enough, but then what else can I tell you? Speaking from experience, I asked an admissions counselor this year (I’m a possible Presidential Scholar with a 2270 SAT, #1 in class, various leadership positions in school teams/clubs) if meeting the requirements would guarantee one, to which she replied, “I’m not sure with the enrollment yield and all, but overall, you would have a really, really good chance.”</p>
<p>If she already met the requirements, (and rest assured that a 35 ACT is sufficient; a 35 equates to over a 2300 on the SAT) there’s nothing to do but to either rest on her laurels or improve other parts of her application. Focus on improving her chances by allowing her to tone her transcript, ec’s, and her Rutgers essay for when the summer comes. Not only will her chances for the scholarship go up, but also her overall appeal to other prestigious colleges and scholarships.</p>
<p>Once again, from all her stats, though not guaranteed, she already has a great chance. (Percentage-wise, I’d say 80-90%)</p>