Rutgers has been getting really competitive lately. Last year, very few students from my high school received ANY merit aid, let alone HC.
I am a senior now and am applying this fall, so I want you guys to chance me and let me know if there is anything I can do to increase my chances of getting into the HC.
Stats :
Asian Male, Big public school from Central Jersey so am in-state.
SAT - 1540 (770/770/19), only taken once. Got a 740 on Bio-M. Taking Chem and Math II subject tests this October.
GPA - 3.7 Weighted. My school does not calculate UW GPA but I think it is around 3.4-3.5.
PSAT - 1500. I was just announced a National Merit Semifinalist.
I took 10 AP tests so far and am taking 4 more this year. I only took five of these APs in school; I self-studied for the rest. (five 5s, two 4s, and three 3s.). I will have around 50 college credits just from AP tests by the time I start college.
ECs - Summer Research Internship at a Medical School. Helped produce data about cell bio/ neuroscience. My prof. is working on publishing a paper.
Currently at a part-time internship in computer science for the next 3-6 months.
Also part of NJ Science League, Math Honor Society.
@krosp123 You should read the thread “Side discussion thread for top New Jersey engineering students looking for advice getting merit aid” under Financial Aid & Scholarships.
It is indeed becoming very difficult to get into the Rutgers Honors College but invitations are given by each school (e.g. SAS, SOE) rather than globally. Which school are you applying to / what do you want to major in?
If you want to study engineering at the SOE, I am afraid that your chance of getting in the Honors College is not very good. However if you want to study something like computer science at the SAS I think you have a decent chance. If undecided apply to both schools and see what you get.
If getting into a Honors College is a must for you I suggest you also apply to NJIT. NJIT’s Honors College is well rated, and with your stats I would expect you getting a top scholarship (e.g. full tuition + free room) there.
If you feel that NJIT is not the right choice for you, you should look at Arizona State University (ASU) which has a top rated Honors College and according to US News ranks higher than Rutgers for certain programs. ASU should offer you a full tuition scholarship due to your NMS status.
obviously your scores are good but I think your GPA will keep you out of Honors. Not seeing enough punch in your EC’s to overcome that. And I think that the better schools are not impressed by kids racking up AP credits online or at home. That’s not the same as taking a class in school (and, IMO, should be discouraged).
My D was offered HC at Rutgers 2 years ago applying to SAS. Her scores were lower than yours but her grades were higher. I think an imbalance between grades and scores is kind of a red flag for many schools. Sometimes students misunderstand how APs help/don’t help your application. The schools want to see you’ve pushed yourself by taking AP or Honors courses (academic rigor) and that you’ve done well in those courses. Getting "B"s in AP courses doesn’t tell them you’re a top student and the number of credits you hope will transfer from AP tests won’t matter for admissions. I wish you good luck, I wouldn’t count on the HC but you have excellent scores and I’m sure you’ll be admitted to many good schools.
As others were saying, your GPA is low for the honors college. The honors college really likes people in the top 10% of their class or a very high GPA to compensate.