<p>My son is trying to decide whether to stay here and go to Rutgers for Engineering, or to the University of Illinois which is ranked 5th in Engineering in the country. The downside is that Illinois is very expensive for an out of state resident (although they tell you that as long as you do well, after your freshman year you can qualify for lots of scholarship aid as a continuing student). He has an A average, top 10% of his class and a very high single sitting SAT score, well over the score needed for a Presidential Scholarship. Yet, not only did Rutgers Engineering not offer him the Presidential Scholarship, they only offered him $3500! Any thoughts?</p>
<p>I’m surprised at $3500. Did he have good ECs? </p>
<p>I think the decision is really up to you and your son. A good GPA in an Engineering major pretty much assures you of job offers after graduation.</p>
<p>He has loads of ECs, including leadership positions, long term commitments to same and in addition to being a standout student scholar, he is a talented musician, a veteran of the various NJ Honors ensembles. So, I am just clueless. And to be sure, just a little bit upset after reading the other posts here where out-of-state students have said they were given those new Henry Rutgers Scholarships which President Barchi announced as one of his top “Initiatives for the First 100 Days of the Strategic Plan” saying that “my office will fund 100 net new undergraduate merit scholarships targeted for New Jersey residents.” That was on February 15 of this year, and here we are not even 100 days later and the rules have apparently changed.</p>
<p>I don’t usually advise this, but maybe call and talk to a dean at the SOE. Explain what you have said here. I am really surprised he was not offered more money. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.soe.rutgers.edu/dirall”>http://www.soe.rutgers.edu/dirall</a></p>