Hello everyone, I’m going to start junior year of high school in 3 weeks time and have started looking at potential colleges. One college that has caught my eye is my own state school- Rutgers. If I go to Rutgers and get 4s on all my AP exams (I’ll be taking 9), I could potentially have 37 credits. (I’ve already chosen my APs for senior year). So basically I start college as a sophomore and if I do well on the AP exams I test out of the school’s core curriculum.
Anyways, my question lol, what GPA and test scores would give me a solid chance to earn spot into the Honors College. They take the top 5% of the admitted class.
My current GPA is pretty poor at a 3.65 (freshman year was a 3.5) and I haven’t taken the ACT/SAT yet. If I grind in junior year my GPA could potentially be in the 3.7-3.75 range.
If I recall correctly AP scores are not used for Honors College admissions. They focus on SAT/ACT and GPA. Your gpa will put you at a disadvantage.
Acceptance criteria for the Honors College also varies by school. You could be offered a spot in the Honors College through Arts and Sciences but not for engineering, for example, so it depends on which schools you are applying to. Then you would need to decide if you wanted the Honors College spot in the school that offered it to you.
You will need scores approaching Ivy League level to be offered a spot. Figure ACT around 34, SATs over 1450 at least. 3.7 GPA probably won’t cut it.
Also verify that Rutgers doesn’t have a limit on the number of AP credits they will accept. Many schools cap it, or don’t accept all tests for credit. Just because you pass the test doesn’t mean the schools must accept the credits.
So with the honors college, invitations are based on your GPA and SAT, not your AP scores. Your GPA is excellent for admission into Rutgers, but I don’t really know if the same can be said for the honors college. I have seen mostly 4.0 UW or at the very least, 3.8-3.9 get into the honors college. This of course depends on the pool of accepted applicants within each school. I think it’s the top 1-5% of kids within each school (SAS, SEBS, SOE, etc.) That are invited to the honors program.
Your gpa is good and you’ve got an excellent head on your shoulders. If you really want to, you can apply for honors after 1-2 semesters. You can apply for departmental honors in your field, which will be way more useful depending on your field. You can still get a scholarship if you raise your GPA and your SAT is above the average at Rutgers. Just please check the numbers. I know that the HC is very appealing because of housing, scholarship money, and capstone projects. With that being said, Rutgers New Brunswick is HUGE and filled to the brim with opportunities for research. In many cases it takes an email or approaching a professor to get research. You are in the hub city and if you’re a bus ride away if you’re on any of the other 3 campuses. Just going to Rutgers simply gives you a plethora of opportunities that you do not need the honors college for.
To more directly answer your question, getting into the top 5% or so is easier if you’re in SAS or SEBS relative to SOE. Obviously devote your energy and time to doing well and brining the GPA up, and please look up the AP credit policies. You’ll want to place out of crazy classes like expository writing or calc 1 and 2, which are notorious for being GPA killers at Rutgers. Read about the departments you like within the school and educate yourself on the financial aspects of college just in case you don’t get into the HC. At the end of the day, it’s what YOU make of it. I know so many kids in the HC that are lackluster in comparison to non-HC students. You’ve got this. Don’t stress too much about it.
Sorry for my wording. I know AP scores are not considered. The reason I bring them up is because if I do well on them I’ll have enough credits to basically be a sophomore at Rutgers.
The main reason I want to go to Rutgers is because of the potential AP credits that I’ll use to skip an entire school year.
Ah I see what you mean. Essentially you have got to figure out which school within Rutgers you want to go to. Understand that 4’s or 5’s is what gets you credit and allows you to be exempt from a course. As far as I know, SAS is super generous. Here is a link to their page:
http://sasundergrad.rutgers.edu/degree-requirements/credits/pre-college-credits/advanced-placement-ap#psychology
Another KEY thing that will help you is familiarizing yourself with the SAS core and your desired major. This will really demonstrate to you, based on which AP’s you’re taking, whether or not you will actually have like 37 credits transfer in via AP credits and have sophomore standing.