Sophomore Sense: Advantage perks worth the work
By Kaitlin Pendagast
With the cost of tuition already astronomical, it does not seem fair that as students continue their stay at Rider, tuition will continue to rise. With this in mind, Rider has provided an answer. The Rider Advantage scholarship prevents a freshman’s tuition from increasing year to year, based on maintenance of good grades.
However, some question whether or not students should even bother to apply. The application is entirely online and there is an essay. It’s due in the midst of final exam preparation. Is applying for the Rider Advantage worth it?
As a sophomore who went through the Rider Advantage scholarship process last year and did get it, I would say, yes, absolutely. I will be the first to admit that the Advantage was no convenient task to complete. However, the benefits that applicants can enjoy post-application far outweigh any of the inconveniences involved. In fact, I thoroughly encourage freshmen to take advantage of this great opportunity.
Like so many things we want in life, the Rider Advantage is something that has to be worked for. However, the hardest part should be taken care of pre-application — having a year’s worth of good marks and campus involvement under your belt. It can be difficult to balance everything that being a college student requires — grades, social lives, clubs, organizations and jobs. The Advantage rewards students’ hard work in academics and participation in campus organizations. What a relief it is to be exempt from tuition increase by merit of your own achievement and initiative to take the time to apply.
The best part of all is that once students earn the Rider Advantage, they do not have to reapply. They are able to retain it for their remaining years at Rider as long as they keep their GPA to a minimum of 3.0. By spending only a few hours to complete the application, students can save three years’ worth of tuition increases. That is what I would call a real deal.
The actual application process in and of itself is not overly complex. Though somewhat time-consuming and tedious, it is no unbearable task. I would recommend attending the Rider Advantage information session beforehand to clarify exactly what each step of the procedure involves and to save you some possible confusion along the way.
Sure, it would be nice to be automatically exempt from increases in tuition, but sometimes things are just not as easy as they should be.
So come second semester, set aside a few hours and start applying! The Rider Advantage will be worth your while.
