Let’s be honest. Being a senior in high school can be one of the most happiest times for a student, but it can also be the most stressful. To go off to college and continue an education to reach a dream goal should be exciting, but the tuition and process of getting into a college/university can be a huge discouraging agent to a potential college student.
When I was a New Jersey high school senior with a strong academic background, but a not so wealthy lifestyle, I found myself in a stressful position. The transition from high school to college was a difficult time, because my house was being foreclosed; therefore, my family was tight on money. However, the thought of going to a community college was still not even a thought in my head, even though it was the most financially reasonable move. I only ever wanted to go to a University, because I strongly believed that a community college couldn’t offer what most people would look for in a university. This all changed one day, when my guidance counselor asked me about my college plans. After explaining my story, she introduced me to a NJ scholarship program called NJSTARS I/II.
NJSTARS stands for New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship. Recipients of NJSTARS I get a full ride to their community college and NJSTARS II gets at most $1,250 per semester at a New Jersey university. The nice aspect of NJSTARS is that it even allows students to attend another New Jersey county college if their desired program of study is not offered at the county college where they reside. To be eligible for NJSTARS I, you need to submit your FASFA, complete a rigorous high school course of study, rank in the top 15.0% of their class at the end of either the junior or senior year of high school, and achieve the required score on a college placement test (There are more minor eligibility requirements, but the ones listed are the major ones). To continue to NJSTARS II, recipients must have graduated from a NJ county college with an associate degree and a GPA of 3.25 or higher (as well as some minor eligibility requirements).
To apply, you can easily go to your home NJ county college’s financial office to apply for admission, or ask about NJSTARS to your high school guidance counselor and they can help you apply as well. Links attached below are PDFs of brochures of both NJSTARS I/II. Within them, there are numbers to county colleges/universities that you can simply call to apply too.
For those struggling financially, I highly encourage you to look into this scholarship program given that it is so easy to apply if you are an academically determined student. With NJSTARS I and the additional funding I received, I was not only able to pay for my tuition, but I was able to buy my textbooks, lab equipment, and even a sweatshirt with my county college’s name. Nothing really came out of my wallet during my time at county college. Plus, with the ability to save money on living/food expenses, have my care, as well as work my two jobs, I was really able to build my bank account for when I attend a University. Also, one of my jobs contributed to healthcare experience hours, so I was able to build that too.
The county college I attended was the County College of Morris and I graduated with my Associate in Science. I had some of the best educational experiences during my 2 years there. I feel like I was unnecessarily phased by going to a county college because I thought I would be missing out on greater educational opportunities. However, my county college happened to offer all the courses that sparked my interest, and not only that, but they were well known for healthcare programs and sciences. As a student who wants to pursue a career in the medical field, this came to my fullest advantage. Also, from going to county college, I learned that I enjoy smaller campuses/classrooms, because I was really able to engage and connect with the professors and had greater opportunities to participate. (I really learned this fact after going to my University, Rutgers, and realizing how I took small classes for granted, haha).
Now, I am a senior at Rutgers University majoring in Biological Sciences in WAY less student debt than my other peers. Therefore, I am able to continue my journey to reaching my dream position as physician assistant with less stress/anxiety hanging over my shoulders.
I highly recommend that academically determined students with challenging financial situations consider this as one of your options, because it can really help you in the long run. You can easily save 2 years worth of University tuition costs and apply to future costs. Whether it goes to nursing/PA/healthcare programs, medical school, grad school, etc. Plus, this may be a medical blog, but it is open to those of any major! I wish you all the best of luck in your future studies, and remember to take advantage of any opportunity that will help you in the future!
- By Sheena Virdi
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