Merit Scholarships at TCNJ

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One of the most popular questions that we are asked in the Office of Admissions is about merit scholarship programs. Each year, The College of New Jersey offers an exceptionally large number of merit-based scholarships. Approximately 55% of the students who enrolled in the TCNJ Class of 2014 received some type of merit award. At TCNJ, we have two different merit scholarship programs: one for our in-state applicants and another for our out-of-state applicants. Please direct your attention to the category that you fall in!

In-State Merit Scholarship Program:

At The College of New Jersey, all New Jersey residents that are accepted are automatically considered for a merit-based scholarship. We don’t need you to send us any additional information whatsoever! Our decisions for merit-based scholarships are going to be based primarily on SAT or ACT scores and class rank. However, a number of other factors are also considered – including co-curricular involvement and leadership. The average accepted student last year fell within the top 10% of their class and have a Critical Reading and Math combined SAT score of 1300 (ACT composite score of 30). We are looking for our merit scholars to achieve or excel those averages. Last year, we awarded from $1,000 per year to $6,500 per year for eight consecutive semesters of study at TCNJ. More often than not, you will hear if you’ve received a merit scholarship in your acceptance letter. There is a chance, however, that your merit scholarship decision will come two to three weeks after your acceptance. The College of New Jersey also gives its in-state merit scholars the opportunity for additional need-based aid. We need students who want to be considered for need-based aid to submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) no later than February 15th. More information can be found at http://www.tcnj.edu/~admiss/freshmen/merit-in.html or by contacting Jay Jacobs (jjacobs@tcnj.edu) or Katherine Miklosz (miklosz@tcnj.edu) or by calling our Scholarship Hotline at (609) 771-3239.

Out-of-State Merit Scholarship Program:

Out-of-State students have a slightly different process when it comes to merit scholarships. First, we do ask out-of-state students to apply for merit-based scholarships after they have been accepted by the institution. The application will be mailed shortly after your acceptance packet. The application consists of three short-answer questions. We also ask for the students’ most updated extra-curricular resume, and we encourage students to send their most up-to-date transcript as well. While academic performance is the primary consideration--typically, out-of-state scholarship recipients have been in the top 10% of their high school class with an average SAT score of 1250 (ACT of 28) or higher--TCNJ is also looking for students who show talents beyond those criteria... students who intend to actively contribute to both the academic and social community on campus. We are very pleased to be one of the few public institutions to offer merit scholarships to high academic achievers from outside our home state. More information can be found at http://www.tcnj.edu/~admiss/freshmen/merit-out.html or by contacting Matt Middleton at middle2@tcnj.edu or over IM at TCNJLI.

All merit scholarship decisions are final on May 1 and do include some stipulations while attending TCNJ including:

• Awards to students named New Jersey Bloustein Scholars are INCLUDED in TCNJ scholarship award amounts
• Students who receive a merit award are strongly encouraged to complete and file the FAFSA no later than March 15th
  
• High School class rank is required for all students wishing to be considered for merit scholarships. If your high school does not publish class rank, the Office of Admissions will contact your guidance counselor for your percentile
• The writing section of the SAT will not be considered for scholarship purposes
• Scholarships are awarded for eight consecutive semesters of study at TCNJ, and students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of a 3.0 to continue receiving their award

TCNJ does offer other scholarships that include other factors as well as merit. Some of these include ROTC, Community Service, and specific departments. To see descriptions of these and to see if you qualify, please visit http://www.tcnj.edu/~admiss/freshmen/merit-other.html

Applying Early Decision at TCNJ

Early Decision Video... by Rob Buonocore

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The Early Decision Deadline is Approaching… by Christine Kucha

There are two ways a prospective student can apply to The College of New Jersey: through General Admissions and Early Decision. Today we are going to talk about Early Decision.

Early Decision is the only early admission program offered at TCNJ (we do not have Early Action). By applying Early Decision, the student is entering into a binding agreement with TCNJ meaning that if the student is accepted through the Early Decision program they MUST attend The College of New Jersey. The Early Decision Deadline is November 15 (music majors November 1).

When trying to decide if Early Decision is right for you, there are two main deciding factors to consider. First, Is TCNJ 100% your top choice? Because Early Decision is a binding agreement you are expected to withdraw all other college applications you submitted if accepted to TCNJ. Only apply Early Decision if you know TCNJ is the “right fit” for you. Second, Is your financial aid package and the scholarship amount received going to play a role in your final decision on where to attend college? Early Decision students will be given the same consideration for merit scholarships and need-based financial aid as those applying General Admission, but understand that your financial aid package to TCNJ will not be available to you until March. So, if where you attend college will be partially based on who gives you more scholarships and financial aid then General Admission will be the better option for you.

With that being said, Early Decision is a great option for many applicants. By applying Early Decision, you will have an admissions decision by December 15, so if accepted the stress of college applications will be over and you can enjoy the rest of the year. I hope this has helped!

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Christine Kucha graduated from Hartwick College in 2006 with a degree in Business Administration and Psychology. While at Hartwick she worked at a Blue Key Ambassador. Christine joined the Admissions Office at The College of New Jersey in 2007 as the Out-of-sate Counselor for Connecticut and Massachusetts. She is also currently enrolled in TCNJ’s master program for Counseling.

Rob Buonocore - graduated from TCNJ in 1996 with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Interpersonal Communications. Rob is currently the Director of Admissions - Operations and Technology.

Transfering to Another College

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So, you thought you had enrolled in the “perfect” school… But then you realized that some aspects of it may not have been so perfect after all… Well, what are your options? Have you ever thought about transferring to a different college?
Many students transfer from one college to another for many different types of reasons. The most common reason why students choose to transfer to another college is because they are unhappy with their current college. Sometimes students’ experiences at their original college are not consistent with the expectations that they had of that college. Perhaps the college campus was too big, or the class sizes were too large. Or perhaps the college was just too expensive. There are a multitude of reasons that a student may be unhappy about their college.

Another very common reason that students transfer is because an academic major or interest may not be available, or perhaps not as strong. Often times, undergraduate students begin college pursuing one academic major, only to decide to pursue a different academic major after a few semesters. What happens if this new major or interest is not available at the college? Or worse yet, perhaps you just discovered that there are no faculty on your campus who have a particular expertise in that new field you have just chosen. Students then may considering transferring to an institution that has that program of study and faculty that are experts in that field.

Students who attend 2-year colleges offer a whole new explanation for transferring. Most two-year colleges award the Associates in Arts and the Associates in Science degrees upon completion of academic requirements. If a student is interested in continuing their studies toward the Bachelors degree, then they have no choice but to transfer to a 4-year school that offers the Bachelors degree.
There are some things to keep in mind when transferring however. First, you should definitely find out as much about the college of interest as possible, particularly if you are transferring to the new college because you are unhappy or dissatisfied with your current college. You would want to avoid leaving one unfavorable situation and landing into another situation that’s even more adverse. Also, you need to make sure that the new college has your academic program of interest, as well as faculty that can prepare you for success in that discipline. Ultimately, you should visit that institution to make sure that: 1) you are comfortable with the campus, 2) you are comfortable with the faculty and staff, and 3) that the campus community feels right to you.

As a prospective transfer student, it is also important to find out if that institution accepts transfer students. Institutions that have transfer departments and transfer services typically do a better job ensuring smooth transitions for transfer students. This typically means that there is more support for transfer students and creates better opportunities for students to be successful at the new institution. As a public, state institution, The College of New Jersey does accept transfer students from New Jersey community colleges, as well as transfer students from other 2- and 4-year colleges.

In addition to ensuring that the new college accepts transfer students, it is equally important to determine if the new college accepts the transfer credits. Some states, like New Jersey, have simplified the transfer credit equivalence process, via New Jersey Articulation Services (www. Njtransfer.org). Particularly useful for students transferring from New Jersey Community colleges, NJ Transfer allows students the opportunity to learn which of the courses will transfer to The College of New Jersey even before they apply. Moreover, unlike some of our competitor institutions, if a student applies to TCNJ as a transfer student, and is admitted, included in his or her admission materials will be a review of all the credits that will be successfully transferred to The College. The more informed a student is about the transfer of credits, the better the opportunity for them to make a more informed decision about whether transferring to The College of New Jersey is the right choice for them… We certainly hope it is!

And since we are speaking about transfer credits, it is important that we mention the official college transcript. Most, if not all, colleges will require students to submit official college transcripts if the student wishes to be consider for transferring to that college. Some admissions offices will even request the high school transcript as well. The college transcript reports to the prospective college, the courses that you have taken, the credits you have earned, and your performance – by grade and GPA – in those courses. Naturally, it is extremely important that if you intend to transfer, that you work hard to demonstrate a strong academic record to increase your chances of being admitted. In many cases, the college transcript will weigh most heavily in the decision to accept a student as a transfer student into that college. Although The College of New Jersey requires both the official high school transcript and the official college transcript(s), we will typically give more consideration to your college transcript if you have completed several semesters of coursework.

In closing, the last point I will make is the suggestion to students to be mindful of transfer application deadlines. Often, institutions that admit transfer students will have a Fall admissions cycle and a Spring admissions cycle – unlike the traditional fall-only freshmen admissions cycle. Because of these two cycles, you may want to familiarize yourself with the various deadlines, not just for the application itself, but for any other necessary and supporting documentation that you wish to have reviewed by the Admissions committee. Keep in mind, the most important part of being reviewed for admission to any college as a transfer student, is to make sure that your application has been submitted for the committee to review it!!!

Kevin Ewell

Kevin Ewell has worked at The College of New Jersey for 4 years. Currently, Kevin serves as Assistant Dean of Admissions and Transfer Counselor. In addition to directing transfer admissions, Kevin also coordinates non-matriculated applications and re-admission applications. Kevin has over 10 years of experience in Higher Education having worked professionally in Student Life, Residence Life, Academic Affairs, and now, Admissions. Kevin graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Psychology and a Masters in Educational Theory.

Writing the College Essay

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I know from both personal experience and from speaking with high school students that one of the most stressful portions of the college application is writing the essay. Two of the most often asked questions concerning the essay are 1) What is the purpose of the essay? and 2) Do you even read it anyway? To answer the first question I must first answer the second… YES! We very much read each essay that is submitted and take it into consideration when making an admissions decision.

Purpose…

The purpose of the essay is not as obscure as you might think. Because we are unable to personally meet even a small percentage of students who apply, your essay acts as an introduction of yourself to us. Remember that Admissions Counselors read thousands of essays each winter (at TCNJ we read upwards of 10,000!) Each one of those essays gives us a glimpse into who you are as an individual. Each one is unique to you. A secondary reason that institutions request an essay is so that we might be able to get a taste of your writing abilities. Keep this in mind as you budget the necessary time to work on your essay!

Choosing a topic…

Think about what you want us to know about you that is not demonstrated on any other portion of your application – that is a great jumping off point when choosing a possible topic. Often times students feel that their topic should be something earth shattering and monumental, but this really is not the case. Your topic should be (and could be) anything that is important to you and makes you unique. Please do not choose a specific topic simply because you think we want to read about it. Write about something that is special to you. Take a close look at each component of your application. What do we need to know about you that we won’t be able to learn in any other vein?

When submitting the Common Application look closely at the six topic choices. Evaluate their merit and yourself, then choose one carefully. For institutions that require supplemental essays, understand that they do so for a reason. They are using each of those essays as a way of evaluating your application. Be sure to take those writing samples just as seriously as you did your original essay. Often times, the institution might weigh their essay more heavily than that associated with the Common Application. Here at TCNJ, we do not require an essay beyond the one on the Common App.

Proofreading…

Now I know that this might sound like common sense, but you would be surprised by what is submitted to us in essay form. Each essay that you submit should be your best piece of writing. Remember that they are being used as an evaluative portion of your application. It is very distracting to read an essay filled with grammatical and punctuation errors or incomplete thoughts. There is nothing wrong with having a parent, your Guidance Counselor, a friend, your English teacher, or any fresh pair of eyes look over your writing. Remember often times this is our first impression of you, make it count!

When writing a “school-specific” essay, remember to change the name of the institution prior to hitting submit. While we are not naïve enough to think that TCNJ is the only school you are applying to (unless you have chosen to apply Early Decision), telling us why you are the perfect fit at a rival institution does not make for a favorable first impression. Spend the appropriate amount of time working on each portion of your application, especially your essay.

Remember, every portion of your application that is submitted is important in its own right. Be sure to give your essay the time and attention that it deserves. Take it seriously!

And lastly, enjoy it! If you are having an enjoyable time writing it, then we will enjoy reading it.

Rebecca Breese

Rebecca Breese attended Lafayette College and graduated with degrees in Psychology and Government/Law and a minor in Economics. As an undergraduate student, Rebecca worked as a tour guide and served on the Tour Guide Committee. Following a year in Admissions at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, she has began working at The College of New Jersey in 2005. She currently recruits students from New York and oversees the College Ambassador Program.