www.ru-screwd.com – We Have Moved

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migration, site

Scarlet Knights,

For those of you who have been following our blog, thank you for your support; without you we’d have nothing. Furthermore, we apologize for the lack of content as of late. We’ve been working very hard to move the blog onto a self-hosted site so we can have more flexibility when it comes to content, and trust us we have a lot of content planned. So, for the meantime, bear with us. Once our site is up and running, we’ll post articles daily again. If there are any topics that you would like us to cover, please let us know in the comments section below and we will get something up as soon as possible.

We have moved to www.ru-screwd.com!

Thanks for the support,

R U Screw’d Team 

Financial Aid’s “Secret” Email Address – Tip of the Day

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aid, email, financial, secret

So, we’ve been pursuing your questions about accounting and financial aid and have been shut out twice with “we’ll email you back.” Originally, we had intended to email them first, but we found, like most, that they provided no email address on their contact us page. This seemed odd. Both Newark and Camden had financial aid email addresses so why wouldn’t New Brunswick?

So we did some digging through our email archives and found that they did indeed have an email address. Regardless of whatever speculative reason they might have taken it down, we feel that it would best benefit the students to let you all know it again!

Without further ado, knights and knightettes I present to you, your new contact point for financial aid:

sfsadmin@rci.rutgers.edu

A further contact point you can use is here.

Hope this helps,

James

Your Questions Answered – 8-12-2011

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answered, questions, your

Kate asked: How does the Add/Drop Week Work?

During certain hours in the Add/Drop Week, students can log into webreg.rutgers.edu and change their schedules around.

anon asked: I have yet to take my photo for my ID. Where and when can I do that?

Records Hall Room 102
College Avenue Campus
620 George Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1175
(732) 932-8041
Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
(Summers: M-F 8:00 am – 6:00 pm)

Grace asked: Hi, I have a question about textbooks. I really don’t want to get ripped off by the Rutgers bookstore online. Online when you see, CALCULUS VOL I PACKAGE >CUSTOMCUSTOM<, does this mean you are buying more than just the textbook? Also, if I can find an older, cheaper edition online would it be ok for the class and exam preparation? Thanks, Grace

It means that there is something else packaged with the book. In past Calculus classes, the textbook was packaged with a solutions manual, but check to be sure. I suggest emailing your professor and asking him/her if an older version is fine. Usually, publishers only change one or two things and release a new edition.

Theresa asked: I applied for a Byrne seminar but now I changed my mind. If I end up dropping it, I have to wait til the first Friday of classes to. If my seminar meets Thursday, do I have to attend if I’m just going to drop it?

They have yet to release the dates of add/drop, but it’s within the first two weeks of classes. I suggest you go to the first class to check it out, but if you are certain you’re going to drop it, then there is no point in going. You can’t lose by attending the first class though.

Mark asked: I am an incoming freshman for the School of Engineering, and was just wondering when I would receive my official schedule. Thanks!

Schedules are due to be released August 20th, give or take a day for RUScrew’d timing.

Anthony asked: How do I view my work study job? I received an email that stated that the job that I received was available to be viewed. I followed the email’s directions but it did not correctly show me how to view the job.

Keep trying, Rutgers sometimes fixes these types of glitches. If the problem persists, either call or go in and get it settled.
http://studentwork.rutgers.edu/new/Contact.htm

Dee asked: I signed up for a Federal Work Study job, but I haven’t received any info on if I got a job or anything. Suggestions?

Try calling the department or visiting the office, they should have answers to whether or not you are a part of work study. http://studentwork.rutgers.edu/new/Contact.htm

Anonymous asked: How long do you think it takes for Rutgers to get the payment of the term bill if you mail it in? I paid the rest of it a few days ago.

Rutgers should receive payments as fast as the postal service can get it to them, usually within a week. However, processing the payment is a whole new ballgame. As any student can attest, the financial services and accounting at Rutgers is unreliable. The best you can do is check to see if your account is paid or call in or visit if you feel they’ve missed it.

Have questions? Ask us!

Don’t Succumb to Peer Pressure – Tip of the Day

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peer, pressure

Although this is something that you’ve heard plenty of times in college, it still rings true in your college days. By now, I’m sure you’ve heard that college determines the type of person you will be. In just four years many factors will go into molding you into the person you will eventually become, from where you live to the people you hang out with. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen amazingly talented students who came to Rutgers with such high hopes of success only to find themselves dropping out, fighting addictions through rehab, and getting arrested for the first time in their lives. Although these may be some more of extreme repercussions of your decisions, it’s important to know that these circumstances can be easily avoided.

Many of these decisions may be the consequence of seeking acceptance from those you call friends. I posted a tip about asking yourself “Why am I going to college?”. Make sure that you are aligning your goals with people that can help you attain those goals. Surround yourself with people that share the same ambition, diligence, and interests. There are too many students that make up the student body for you to hang out with those that can’t accept you for who you are.

You will be changing as a person every single day, influenced by factors you may not even pick up on. The people you hang out with will ultimately be your decision to make and can really make a difference in the direction of your life. If you’re having trouble meeting new people, the easiest places are your classes, clubs that interest you, or even the dining hall. 

Hope this helps,

Zion

Financial Aid Questions *Updated 8/10

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aid, almost, answered, financial, questions

*We will update this post as soon as we hear back*

We sent down Jake West of our team to Records Hall today to find answers to the many questions we received this weekend from our readers. This being the final days Rutgers is accepting term bill payments, the office was near frenzied. In fact the line was so long it wrapped outside the Academic Office and into the hallway. But our representative waited it out for you guys and spoke with a supervisor named Gene. Gene told our team member that the Academic Office was far too busy to answer the many questions we brought with us. Instead she offered to E-Mail the answers back to us. Currently we are hoping Gene from the Academic Office keeps her promise and gets those answers back to us by this afternoon.

UPDATE AS OF 8/10/2011 – We have not received any answer back from the Financial Aid Office for any of your questions, we will be going back tomorrow morning to follow up with them.

If you need an extension on your term bill please contact the Student Accounting Office. 

Meal Plans 101

We eat. As living beings, there is no denying that one of the most important factors in deciding where to live, where to play, where to vacation, and where to study is the amount of nourishment available, and boy does Rutgers have its nourishment!

A majority of students get their food on campus with meal plans which vary in price and amount of swipes. Meal swipes are put onto your RUID card, and can be used in all dining halls across campus and for concessions at athletic events. Certain campus centers also allow you to use meal swipes for cafe food, such as in the Cook Campus Center and in the Douglass Campus Center, and meal swipes are also used for takeout.

There are several meal plans, which are all listed on the Meal Plans page on the New Brunswick Dining Services website. In order, they are (by number of meal swipes):

• 285 ($2,270 per semester), 255 ($2,205 per semester), 210 ($2,110 per semester), 150 ($2,035 per semester), 105 ($1,770 per semester), 75 ($950 per semester), 50 ($735 per semester)

As a first-year student living in a residence hall, you are required to have a 210 meal plan at the minimum. If are a light eater (as most students are), the 210 and 255 are the best plans… I would not recommend the 285 unless you are an athlete who eats every day or cannot afford to miss a single of your three meals every day. (Even as a freshman, with the 255 plan I had over 100 swipes by the end of the year). You can request a meal plan change here.

Upperclassmen living in a residence call are required to have a 105 meal plan at the minimum. By their second year of college, most students know what plan suits them best, and will change their meal plan accordingly.

Apart from meal swipes, students can also use their RU Express (also programmed into the RUID card) to purchase food from restaurants in student centers, vendors, any establishment off-campus which supports RU Express, and most importantly – the (in)famous Grease Trucks, home of the Fat Sandwich. Many students divide the food they eat between the dining halls and places off-campus, but for the price you pay for a meal plan each semester, it behooves oneself to eat at the dining halls if hunger awaits.

Each student is also granted 10 guest swipes for a non-Rutgers individual, such as a parent or friend, who wants to eat at the dining halls. Students are not allowed to buy more guest swipes. Also, each student is allowed 10 key-ins: if you somehow lose or forget your RUID, you are allowed 10 key-ins until you get a new one/find your old one.

Another thing – meal swipes do NOT carry over to next semester. By the end of the semester, many students (mostly “unseasoned” first-years) make mad dashes to the dining halls just to pick up a banana for a snack because they are left with so many leftover meal swipes. Some people even take large groups to dinner and offer to use their own swipes to cover them in a desperate attempt to get their money’s worth. Do not let this be you: go to the dining halls as much as possible, and leave off-campus dining to special occasions or dire situations.

Financial Aid Questions Answered

Some of you simply cannot reach Rutgers and financial aid just won’t pick up, so we’re doing our best to answer your financial aid questions. If we can’t answer your question, we’ll take it directly to the financial aid office and answer you as soon as we can.

Nicole asked: I got a scholarship from my high school and it said it will be sent to Rutgers. How does that money get taken off of my tuition?
There are two ways, either they will mail you a check or send it right to Rutgers. Check https://www.acs.rutgers.edu/faaward, sign in and check to see if it has been applied. If it has not, contact your high school and find out what the situation is.

Amelia asked: I just paid my term bill 2 days ago, wondering if that’s settled? how do i know what else i need to do with that? Also, i applied for a loan but its still pending, should i call for an extension? if so, which number?
Go to https://finservices.rutgers.edu/otb/ sign in and check if you have a balance remaining. If you do, we suggest calling and finding out what the problem is. It matters on what type of loan.

Lisa asked: Hello, I received the first term bill via my son’s email. I how do I apply any of the grant money/financial aid toward this and future invoices. Also, I have received correspondence from “Higher Education Student Assistant Authority” in Trenton. They are requesting the amount of earned income tax credit in the year 2010 plus copies of the tax return. Is this a third party operation or are they legitimately tied in to Rutgers Financial Aid? They have Rutgers University mentioned on the letter. I don’t want to fill out unnecessary paperwork. It seems this would be redundant since we’ve already been approved. Thank you. Lisa
Go onto http://studentaid.rutgers.edu/ and check if you have any required documents left and how much grant money your son has received. Then go on to https://finservices.rutgers.edu/otb/ and log in to check to see if the grants have applied onto the accounts. If not, call and find out what went wrong.

YES, we can not stress the importance of sending your information to HESSA ASAP. They apply all loans and state grants. The amount they give you on the financial aid site is just an estimate. They have to review your information just to be sure. It very important that you do this ASAP or else they will take away the grants.

James asked: Hey. I received a letter in the mail that said I was eligible for a NJ tuition aid grant, and it gave me an estimate of how much I would get. That was over a month ago. However, when I check my award status for financial aid and my term bill, it doesn’t show any type of financial aid. I have no idea if I received any type of financial aid. Will I get any financial aid, or will I just not receive anything? Please let me know because I must pay my term bill by this tuesday. Thank you.
Log in to https://www.acs.rutgers.edu/fastatus and check to see if you have any paperwork to hand in. Also check to see if you got anything by HESSA in the mail. They take care of your grant and if they asked for any paperwork send it to them ASAP.

been asked: If I already filled out the Master Promisory Note thing online, do I still have to fill out the papers mailed to me and send those in too?
Yes and be sure to send in your papers ASAP.

steven asked: Can financial aid be applied to off-campus housing? If so, how? I thank you ahead of time; I’ve called the financial office at least 10 times and failed to contact a representative each time.
Good news and bad news, It does apply to off-campus housing, but you have to go in and talk to them. They will need your name on the lease and a couple of other things.

mkim asked: Does financial aid cover housing, food and study abroad programs or if you wanna take summer classes?
Financial aid covers housing, meal plans, and summer classes (partially, only if you take 6 or more credits). Financial aid covers Study abroad as well, but that is something you will have to go over with your study abroad council and the financial aid department.

askash asked: hey thanks for doing this I’ve been bugging out the whole day haha. Okay my question is….I was a complete idiot and did not understand that the letter I got in the mail like a month ago for financial aid was just an estimate and not the legit amount. I sent them the required documents they were asking for in the e-mail I got several times. So I continued to not see any financial aid in my term bill and started doing some research and realized that I was a complete idiot and never sent them my parents 2010 income tax return. Now this is basically only a few days before the term bill is due and I have no idea what to do. I called the office but no one picked up of course. I was just going to go Monday morning and drop off the tax return in New Brunswick. So basically is there anything I can do to get the financial aid before the term bill is due. And I don’t mind paying the late fee if I have to wait for it still. Sorry for the long question but please help me! Thanks!!
Make sure it is Rutgers asking for the documents and not HESSA. If it’s Rutgers go hand it in monday, if it is HESSA, overnight mail it to them. It looks slim and if you do take the $50 late fee, it’s up to you, but it is better then paying in full now.

mandy asked: I received a non-Rutgers scholarship and completed all the necessary paperwork, but it hasn’t been deducted from my term bill. Should I just pay the bill now before the deadline, or should I try to call the Office of Financial Aid? Thanks!
Call whoever got you the scholarship from and make sure they gave the necessary information to Rutgers. Calling Financial Aid can’t hurt, just have something to do while you’re on hold.

kimberly asked: If you received more financial aid after you paid for your term bill, will you receive a refund for the extra money that you paid?
Yes, you have to go to the Student accounting office and pick up a check. You will receive a notice in your e-mail stating that you have a refund waiting for you. Be sure to bring your RUID with you or you’ll waste a lot of time in line.

kevin asked: Will my financial aid be out before the term bill due date?
Go to http://studentaid.rutgers.edu/ and make sure you have all the paperwork handed in and you can see the aid. If you can and it still isn’t applied on https://finservices.rutgers.edu/otb/ you have to go to new brunswick.

Additional questions? Visit the Rutgers financial aid FAQ or leave it for us here. Meanwhile, keep calling, maybe you’ll get lucky and land a representative on the line.

Explore Byrne Seminars and FIGS – Tip of the Day

As many of you may know, Rutgers is an ENORMOUS school. With almost 39,000 undergraduates alone, you may feel like a small fish in a big ocean, especially in your first-year classes. Your general classes such as Biology, Calculus, and Psychology will typically take place in large lecture halls with hundreds of students, and you rarely get the chance to feel like an individual…just a number.

To combat this factory-esque feeling, Rutgers created special single-credit courses that allow students to learn in a smaller setting. These courses are split up into two categories: the FIGS (First-year Interest Group Seminars) and the Byrne Seminars.

The FIGS are available exclusively for first-year students, and are graded on a Pass/Fail basis. The FIGS offer students a small-sized class with a specific area of study, which range in several subjects such as Health & Medicine, Theater Arts, Journalism, and many others. You can find a sampling of the FIGS courses here. The FIGS are generally 10 weeks long, and are taught by upperclassmen who find passion in the subjects they teach, and give students a hands-on learning experience, culminating in trips around campus, interactive lectures, and group projects. If you want to get a head-start in something you enjoy, or want to try something new, the FIGS are sure to pique your interests.

The Byrne Seminars are like the FIGS, but are not taught by upperclassmen, but by distinguished Rutgers professors. Byrne Seminars offer single-semester seminars in three major areas of study: Humanities, Sciences, and Social Sciences. The seminars explore extremely unique, specific, and often bizarre topics, which vary from seminars such as “The Doctor is In: Malevolent and Magnificent Microbes”, “The Meaning of Video-Gaming”, and “Faust and his Transformations: from Page to Stage to Big Screen”. The wide variety, small class size (about 20 or so students per class) and specific interest of the class attract many first-years to these unique seminars.

Even if your schedules are finalized, if you are interested in either of these seminar series, contact your academic adviser or the individual(s) in charge of the seminar and see if you can find something that interests you. Byrne Seminars can be done during the Spring semester, so if you find something in their catalog that interests you, don’t be afraid to try: a small, one-credit, pass-or-fail course is both relaxing and enjoyable when the stresses of real classes burden your schedule.

~Dave

Use Sakai Often – Tip of the Day

Throughout your Rutgers career, you will probably have to deal with one of the most vital (some would say irritating) pieces of online academic life: our favorite community education-based software, Sakai.

To access Sakai, you can type this address into your search bar, or you can find it by adding it into your Academics tab on your myRutgers account. To log into Sakai, simply type in your NetID and password that you use for myRutgers.

Depending on the course, professors will add all students in a certain class into a Sakai tab (Biology, Organic Chemistry, etc) that can be accessed by all students taking that course. Each Sakai tab will contain different, useful links in a toolbar on the left-hand side of the screen which are pertinent to class material.

Such links include:

• Schedule – A helpful schedule which can display due dates and exam dates.
• Resources – Professors may put syllabi, review material, old exams, and homework questions in this tab.
• Announcements – All announcements that the professors feel that the class should be aware of.
• Chatroom – A chatroom where students can pose questions, which professors and T.A’s may answer online or in class.
• Discussion and Private Messages – A forum where students and professors can interact via a thread-based community.
• Drop Box – Some professors may require homework assignments or essays to be submitted via the Drop Box.

Whenever a professor updates Sakai with an announcement, an e-mail is sent to your myRutgers e-mail account. Be sure to check this daily, and be sure to check Sakai often, as there may be important information crucial to your passing of the course.

~Dave

Answer the Question, “Why am I going to college?” – Tip of the Day

As many college students are awaiting their days to enter school, it seems that many don’t actually have a clear reason for wanting to be there. Many of your goals may not actually be your own as you try and carry out expectations of others, or for many of you just take the path your parent’s have set. This is exactly how I started out my college experience, does this sound familiar to anyone?

Life in college is a great social experience, but you need to know your limits and really think about what you want out of your entire time at your university. There are some important questions to ask yourself such as, “Do I care if I blow off my first semester?”. Are you focusing purely on academics or do you want to explore your interests by joining various clubs and trying to exercise your leadership abilities.

These are questions I didn’t consider my Freshman year, and I’m still recovering from the damages. My tuition dollars went to building my tolerance as I drank every weekend. I didn’t bother going to class, instead I spent all my time hanging around my new friends. I thought I’d be fine not keeping up with readings or homework assignments, but soon found this was an easy route to a lot of failed classes.

When you set your goals, you have a straight path for how to judge achievements, and to check your progress along the way to see if you’ve deviated. You and I are going to have different goals for college. What are they? Why are you there? If you really don’t know then you have nothing to gauge your experience. You might as well not even be there. What do you want to get out of your experiences, perhaps some personal development as you mature during your college years? What are you there to learn?

Leave some of your goals for the next year in the comments below, we’d love to hear them. Also, when you state your goals in a public forum, you’re more likely to be held accountable for them.

Hope this helps,

Scott Hall