Bridgewater-Raynham High junior Cole Bridges receives the Rensselaer Medal

BRIDGEWATER – Scholarships can help ease the burden of college costs and can sometimes influence a person’s decision about which school to attend. Bridgewater-Raynham High School junior Cole Bridges has some tough decisions to make after receiving a great scholarship opportunity.

Earlier this year, Bridges was offered the Rensselaer Medal, a scholarship worth $160,000 over 4 years from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York. He was the only BR student to receive this medal this year.

He didn’t even apply for the scholarship and hadn’t even heard of RPI. BR High School teachers and administrators nominated him for this award. “It was a surprise. I wasn’t even looking to do it,” said Bridges, a Bridgewater native.

While it’s by no means free, $40,000 per year goes a long way toward covering all expenses associated with graduate school. He has not yet accepted it and has not yet made a choice regarding his higher education path. “I’m seriously considering it,” said Bridges, 17, who has just started his college search.

What is the Rensselaer Medal?

Founded in 1824, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is one of the nation’s oldest technological research universities.

The Rensselaer Medal is focused on STEM because its goal is to encourage careers in science, engineering and technology, according to its website.

Only math and science students can be nominated for the medal. Nomination criteria do not include prior knowledge or interaction with the Institute. According to the RPI admissions department, the Institute relies on schools to tell them who are the best students in STEM.

Participating high schools can only nominate one junior student for the medal each year.

Around 5,000 schools around the world partner with RPI to nominate a student. On average, only about 2,000 of these schools submit applications each year, based on RPI’s strict criteria.

Admissions representatives could not say how many students nominated each year accept the medal and scholarship each year. However, about 10 percent of the Institute’s undergraduate students are Rensselaer Medal recipients, according to the admissions department.

The resident undergraduate student population for the 2022-2023 academic year at RPI was 5,823.

“It seems very exclusive,” said Cole’s father, John Bridges, who speaks with great enthusiasm about his son being offered this opportunity.

According to the admissions department, the student is nominated in their first year, which gives them enough time to decide.

A medal is awarded, but this is only if you accept registration with the RPI. It is awarded during the fall semester of the student’s junior year at a special graduation ceremony.

Exceptional student

Bridges’ academic focus is computer science. He explained that he “always loved technology” and that a freshman class on computer coding “opened up my view of the field.”

He explained that his high school career has consistently yielded good grades, with his grade point average currently being 4.867 (4.0 unweighted GPA), and many of his classes being STEM and AP focused.

He is currently class president and a member of the National Honor Society. He said he is currently tied for the highest GPA in his class.

Bridges is also captain of the varsity football team, a member of the school’s varsity track and field team, and the school’s swimming and diving team.

Plans

Bridges has yet to determine his future career path. Currently, he is very interested in computer coding, application creation, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. He said he was excited to take a cybersecurity course during his senior year. After that, “college will help me explore.”

According to the RPI website, the cost of tuition for undergraduate students living on campus for the 2023-2024 academic year averages about $82,000, including $60,000 in tuition.