<p>I'm currently a senior at a very competitive high school in NJ. The school I'm interested in is Rutgers, but only if I get a substantial scholarship. I know they're very into numbers, and I'm not sure I'll make the cut. So how do I look for a Presidential or Trustee Scholarship? </p>
<p>PSAT: 222 (close to National Merit, but I'll probably miss it by a point or two this year -_-)
SAT I:
single-sitting:
2270 (Math 760 CR 730 Writing 780 w/ 10 essay)
2280 (Math 740 CR 740 Writing 800 w/ 11 essay)
superscore: 2300 (Math 760 CR 740 Writing 800)
-taking it one more time in Oct, but I plan to apply before then.
SAT II: Math IIC - 760
US History - 800
GPA: uw: 3.82/4.0
weighted (my school is out of 6.05) 5.28/6.05
Class Rank: top 10%
ECs: (kinda lacking in this department)
Band (since 4th grade and all through high school)
-concert band (3rd chair flute grades 10 and 12, 2nd chair grade 11)
-CJMEA symphonic invitational honor band
-marching band (only grade 9)
Spanish Honor Society
-exec board
-many hours of community service (tutoring)
-grades 11 and 12
English Honor Society
-grades 11 and 12
National Honor Society
-grade 12
APs: National AP scholar
-soph year: US History - 5
-junior year: Lang Comp - 5
World History - 4
-senior year: taking AP Chem, AP Spanish Lang, AP Calc BC, AP Physics B (might take C), AP Lit, AP Stats, AP Human Geo</p>
<p>I don’t think you need to worry about being ‘super early’. As long as you get it in by the first early action date. You won’t hear about scholarships until December.</p>
<p>So I just submitted my app today. Is this early enough? I didn’t submit the SRAR yet, because my guidance counselor hasn’t finished her part of it yet.</p>
<p>It is way early. Very early. You. are early!</p>
<p>My son applied year before in mid October and got a Presidential. They don’t make scholarship final decisions until December. Even after that, some people will get scholarships.</p>
<p>We are only saying ‘apply early’ because some people wait until the very last minute of the deadline to apply and then they wonder why it takes weeks to get notified of a decision. Also, if you are borderline grade wise/test wise, applying early helps. But if you have strong grades/tests you can apply right before scholarship application deadline (not sure when it is) and still get a scholarship.</p>
<p>“Apply early”, imo, has the most benefit for borderline admittances and those who just want a decision back quickly.</p>
<p>btw my current high school senior is applying to Rutgers and has not finished his app yet. I am nowhere near worried.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your help! If you don’t mind me being so nosy, can I ask what your son’s stats were? I’m only applying to Rutgers, so I’m a bit nervous now…</p>
<p>My D got the Pres this past year with the same single sitting SAT score as you(better M but worse CR), and also submitted a 35 ACT. 4.0 uw GPA. </p>
<p>Did you apply to more than one school? It is awarded separately for each school.She got it for SEBS, but not for the arts/sciences school, can’t recall what it’s called at Rutgers. And I read at the time it’s also harder to get in pharmacy, more competitive.She is OOS so maybe it was harder to get in general for her, not sure if that helps you or not. Just thought to suggest you apply to 2 or 3 schools to have the best shot at it.</p>
<p>When it came down to it, there is no other school that I would consider. It’s taken me years to decide this, but I’m 95% sure I will go to Rutgers, regardless of the scholarship they give me.</p>
<p>I believe the stats used for presidential vary year to year. I got very specific numbers for the year i was interested in by talking directly to the admissions representatives at jps college fair. However, i think you can now see the exact numbers on rutgers web site.</p>
<p>Any chance you could raise your gpa and rank this semester? Focus on that rather than another go at the sat which (check on this) may already be high enough.</p>
<p>I go to JPS too I was going to ask the representatives around the table, but got pushed out by too many Indian dads. Anyway, do you know what stats they consider as the “minimum” for Presidential now?
Oh, and I just found out, JPS doesn’t use class rank.</p>
<p>Even if you get accepted right away and know Rutgers is your #1 choice, I would recommend NOT accepting immediately. D1 did and I believe it decreased the scholarship $ she was given. Her SATs were only 70 below the Presidential cutoff and she was offered the minimum $3500 Scarlett Scholarship at SEBS. Other people posted weaker stats, but higher scholarship $.</p>
<p>nj2011mom - when would you recommend accepting? I know scholarships come out in late Dec/early Jan, so would March or April be a good time? Or should I wait until May 1?</p>
<p>If you get the Presidential and you know you are going to attend, I would accept immediately! If you don’t get Presidential, many people wait until they see their full financial aid package if that is a consideration. </p>
<p>It’s not unusual for people to hold off until April. For many bright NJ kids, Rutgers is their safety (academic & financial) that becomes reality when everything is taken into consideration. </p>
<p>D1 was our oldest and we didn’t know how to play the waiting game.</p>
<p>thank you so much for being so thorough! I’m sorry your daughter didn’t get the scholarship she deserved. This is why I’m getting antsy now, because there is so much competition in NJ, even within my own school.</p>
<p>It used to work like this. IF you had a 4.0 and IF you had 2270+ or 35+, then you got presidential. Period. </p>
<p>Did you ask at the college fair if that’s still the sole criteria?</p>
<p>IF you were slightly below these numbers, then you got scarlett. Scarlett varies from $3500 to $7500 ( i think). Every person in my d’s honors dorm that wasn’t presidential got $3500. The head of admissions told me that even though scarlett is a merit scholarship, they are allowed to vary the amount based on financial need/fafsa. I therefore would guess that anyone who can afford to choose to live in a dorm is considered to not have extreme need and that they save higher allotments for kids who can’t even afford to live in a dorm.</p>
<p>Btw: like most schools, rutgers calculates your gpa using only courses they deem relevant. All that effort you put into your health poster? They don’t care.</p>
I was going to ask the representatives around the table, but got pushed out by too many Indian dads. Anyway, do you know what stats they consider as the “minimum” for Presidential now?