Hi,
My name is John and I am currently a 15 year old NJ resident, an upcoming sophomore. My family is quite poor, as my dad is the only one that works and makes around 50k on a yearly basis. My dream is getting into a good college, but I do not think it is possible with such a low income. The only way I can get into a good college is with scholarships and such. A college I really want to go to is Stevens Institute of Technology, but it’s an unrealistic option. The main college I want to go to is Rutgers on a full-ride scholarship (crazy, I know).
As of freshman year, I took all CP classes (pretty bad), but I have a weighted GPA of 97.4%. The bad thing is that I have not many extracurriculars - Math Club member, Chess Club member, and Debate Club member (quitting Debate club as it is a lot of work). I am planning to do Track & Field next year, along with getting a minor position in Chess Club.
The courses that I am taking next year (10th grade) are
Algebra 2 Honors
Geometry CP
U.S. 1 History Honors
Biology Honors
English 2 CP
and if I do well in those classes, I’ll take these classes junior and senior year
11th Grade:
Math Analysis Honors
AP U.S. History
Chemistry Honors
English 3 CP
AP Art History
12th Grade:
AP Calculus AB
AP World History
AP Chem or Physics
English 4 CP
Business Presentations (elective)
Keyboarding (elective)
My question is - is it possible for me to get into Stevens and Rutgers on a full-ride?
I know this is crazy asking as I only have completed my freshman year, but I feel as if I am putting all this hard work into school for nothing, as I might end up in community college, or Rutgers on no type of scholarship.
Thank you!
I mean Stevens on a scholarship, and/or Rutgers on a full ride
I am extremely confused about your interests in correlation to your EC’s and classes (no offense, of course, but that is what I see). Your classes for next year are pretty standard (not a lot of students take Algebra II and Geometry concurrently but it’s sensible if you excel in math and/or want to hasten you math progression) but in 11th grade you take AP Art History seemingly out of the blue - no art-related EC’s and no prior art classes. An emphasis on ‘no prior art classes’ - you plan to take honors/reg biology/chem before taking their AP equivalent, but you take 0 art classes and take an AP art class. You also plan to take keyboard and a business classes in your last year - those are very clashing subjects. If you are genuinely interested in these subjects and you really want to take the classes then please do, but if I were an admissioner I would be extremely confused - keyboard, business, debate, chess, and art all in one transcript just seems like you are just trying to make yourself look well-rounded (which, in any case, does make you look so) but, in reality, it is perceived that your classes and EC’s are all over the place. Unless you are actually going into that field of study, then taking these classes are useless.
What do you plan to major in in college (if you have idea at all)? I’d say take EC’s in areas related to your interests and what you want to study and try to excel in them. Urge your math club to participate in competitions if they don’t already. Join competitions yourself and see if you can make it to any county/state level - that would look very attractive.
Self-study some AP’s if you can. It will make you app a lot more competitive.
My response was advice - you might get more traction for your question as to if you can make it into your dream college(s) in the [CC Chances Forum](Chance Me / Match Me! - College Confidential Forums).
Most big scholarships are given out for high SAT/ACT scores. Look in the scholarships section on this site. Do not waste your time self studying AP tests. Colleges don’t care about that and they won’t give you any money for it (though it’s possible you might get some college credits for it). Look on the websites of the colleges which interest you and see what they say about scholarships. Also try asking your GC for information.
Also you should expand your horizons and be aware that $50K per year is not “very poor”. It is actually about the median: "The U.S. Census Bureau reported in September 2014 that: U.S. real (inflation adjusted) median household income was $51,939 in 2013 versus $51,759 in 2012, "
NJ is a high cost of living state so 50K in NJ doesn’t get you as much as it does in Arkansas.
Being poor but smart should not be a barrier to getting into a good school.
I also agree with self-studying APs having nothing to do with your application…that might be good to get credit in college, but will not do much for your app. Schools want you to take classes in HS and do well in them…just like they want you to do in college.
Spend time studying for the P/SAT. GPA/SAT is what gets you scholarships, not AP.
Go to some of the colleges of interest and find the Net Price Calculator and have your parents help you enter information to see what the college would cost for you.
Also NJ has the NJ Stars program which is a scholarship program exclusively for New Jersey residents that covers the cost of tuition at New Jersey’s 19 community colleges. Students who rank in the top 15 percent of their high school class at the end of either junior or senior year may be eligible.
Also check out Rowan as well as they give great scholarships too.
Talk to your GC abotu scholarships as well.
I agree, however, a family income of $50k/year isn’t “poor.” And colleges can’t be depended upon to take cost of living into account.
OP, you need to do well on the SAT and/or ACT and look for schools that offer aid (merit and need-based). There’s nothing wrong with cc. If you work hard and end up at a cc, your hard work won’t have been “for nothing.” You’ll have learned a lot and grown as a person.
My kids’ high school recently added AP art history and apparently a lot of kids use it to fill the art requirement with a weighted class (it’s the only weighted art class besides AP studio art, which only actual artistic students can take).
Thank you a lot for your help. I am planning in majoring into something involving math and science, most likely something involving engineering. The reason I think I should take Art History is because it fills out my art requirement for high school. Keyboarding is something that I am also interested in, as I have a quite fast wpm (120) and the class teaches you how to format letters, documents, and such, which I find fun. Like you listed, my EC’s do sound all over the place. I am going to follow your advice of taking EC’s in areas related to my interests. I am thinking Math Club, Chess Club, and Academic Club, along with track. I am also doing volunteering, and with the amount of hours I am gaining per year around 30, I think I am on the path into getting into National Honors Society, along with German Honors Society.
Can you recommend me more ways to make my application more appealing for Colleges? I really want to get into Rutgers on a full ride, or Stevens on a scholarship because it will save my parents a lot of money.
On the path that I am going, is it possible for me to even get accepted into Stevens? I know that I still have a long way to go, but is it even possible?
Thank you so much for your help.
I would check out QuestBridge, but I am honestly not sure if they have Rutgers and Stevens as their partners. Regardless, good luck!
You’ll need three years of a foreign language. If you haven’t already, start next year.
Try to take English honors. It’ll be expected for the scholarships you’re going for and will help you in all subjects.
Keyboarding and business presentations weaken the strength of your curriculum.
You’ll need to have all three of bio, chemistry, and physics and one AP among those (or biology honors, chemistry honors, AP physics 1, another AP science.)
You’ll also need 4 years of English and social science / history, math up to pre-calculus honors or calculus, and a foreign language up to level 3,4, or AP.
The key element in getting the scholarships you need will be test scores. Start now - log into Khan Academy and start. Work diligently until every mistake is fixed and you can take a similar question10 times and have it right 10 times in a row.
Improving your reading will help, too - plan on 2-3 books per month. Use your school’s recommended reading list.
I agree that Rowan is a good alternative.
If your test scored are up to participate, UCincinnati and Trinity CT may be possibilities.
maintain a high GPA while taking a challenging HS curriculum, and crush your SAT/ACT. that puts you in the best position for college options.
compete your hardest for the big Rutgers and Stevens scholarships but don’t count on them, as I am sure the competition will be fierce. here are their links:
http://admissions.rutgers.edu/Costs/Scholarships.aspx
https://www.stevens.edu/admissions/tuition-financial-aid/undergraduate-scholarships-aid/stevens-scholarships
a great PSAT score may lead to National Merit Scholarships form these schools:
http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/
excelling on SAT/ACT can open the door for automatic merit scholarships, up to full tuition or even full ride. :
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
in particular, the big automatic scholarships from University of Alabama, University of Mississippi, and Alabama-Huntsville have attracted a lot of good out-of-state students in recent years. i think the freshman classes of both Alabama and Mississippi are now over 50% out-of-state students:
http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out-of-state.html
http://finaid.olemiss.edu/scholarships/#8
http://www.uah.edu/admissions/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/merit-tuition-scholarships
and lastly here are some big competitive scholarships:
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/
good luck John, we wish you the best.
There are a number of lists on college confidential that will help you find merit scholarships once you have a junior year GPA and test scores. You might also want to bookmark this site:
https://projects.propublica.org/colleges/
It helps lower income students find schools that are generous with need-based financial aid.
Agree with most posters. AP classes and a good score (i.e. a 4) will enable you to get college credit for those subjects, which might allow you to graduate faster, or take more interesting/challenging electives.
Let’s get this straight right now: You are not getting a “free ride” in any case. Someone is investing in you. What you are looking for is investors. But you and your parents will be expected to share in that investment. Even at colleges offering tuition and housing, you and your parents will be expected to contribute some (such as for meals, since you won’t be eating at home). The awards are generally fixed when you start, but remember that tuition and housing costs generally go up as you progress. A condition of keeping the awards is good behavior (lay off the drinking and, for goodness sakes, don’t dare get caught with drugs near you) and a 3.0+ GPA, which isn’t easy in tough majors.
And here’s a major overlooked factor: There’s no guarantee that you’ll complete your degree in four years! I have found that especially true at Rutgers NB. There’s a variety of factors in that, but class availability is one.
How to get maximum investors: Finish in the Top 5% of your class. I know GPA and class rank is being downplayed, but it still matters when it comes to grants and scholarships. SATs are vital. Your goal is 2000+ (or 1400+ in math and critical reading. Writing is of lesser importance).
When it’s time, have your parents complete a FAFSA. That will help with needs-based aid. Sometimes, you might get awarded more than your actual expenses - but remember, it’s not your money, it’s someone else’s.
Talk to your guidance counselor and check-out online scholarship and grant opportunities. Keep plugging. And, when you succeed, give back to the folks who invested in you.