<p>@atlantanerd, how do you know that?</p>
<p>Above responses can discount the experience my daughter had but her experience is indicative of the way in which the program misrepresents itself. It was not a prestigious honor for my daughter when in fact the program presented itself as such. There is no academic standard for some. I’m trying to warn you…it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. We were certainly prepared for the possibility that the prez wouldn’t make an appearance but we were expecting a bit more than medallions passed out on a bus. Should your son or daughter have the same luck in roommates they will spend three nights in their delightful presence.
Good luck.</p>
<p>And in answer to a question and comment above: this is not a scholarship program and there is no monetary award involved.</p>
<p>newtron - I hope you realize that those are arts scholars who are held to artistic standards which are just as rigorous, if not more so, than those of academic scholars. Those students have dedicated their lives to perfecting their craft and their style, and their work is worth noting, even if you might not agree with it.</p>
<p>Does anyone know whether tweaking or using parts of submitted college essays for some writing portions of the Presidential Scholars application would be looked down on?</p>
<p>@littlepenguin: Are you sure about that? The visual art presented in the Kennedy Center program was little more than doodles. There were maybe two performance pieces that were above the caliber of usual high school arts fare that we see in our greatly underfunded local and state high school arts programs. </p>
<p>In addition, I submit for your consideration the following direct quote from a letter I received from the executive director and the program manager of the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program:</p>
<pre><code>Lastly, regarding the Smithsonian exhibition and the Kennedy Center
performance, we agree with you about keeping the content appropriate
for all ages. We were surprised with the National Foundation for Advance-
ment in the Arts’ writing selection choices and have already discussed
with them our disapproval of the inappropriate language in both
settings, even before our receipt of your letter. We feel strongly about
keeping these public events family-friendly and have firmly communicated
that offensive language will not be tolerated.
</code></pre>
<p>Apparently, the selection process for the arts scholars is not as rigorous as you imagine and/or the Scholars program itself has little influence over it. </p>
<p>And, of course, your little snowflake can rework previously submitted application essays. Who’s going to know? Who’s going to care?</p>
<p>If you make the trip to D.C., read the travel sites’ reviews of the recommended hotel…all of them.</p>
<p>@several snarly responders above: If I were to use – on this site - the language my daughter was subjected to continually throughout the weekend and the language that was used in arts pieces and arts performance during the recognition weekend, I would be censored. Apparently, there is some general understanding of what constitutes offensive public language as the quote from the letter from the Presidential Scholars leadership staff suggests as well.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, newtron, you convinced me. I’m one of few in my state that excelled enough on the ACT to be nominated, and I’m going to write it off because ONE student had ONE bad experience because her roommate was “crude.” </p>
<ol>
<li>Oh no, she was subjected to swearing! It was one weekend. In the grand scheme of things, I promise you, it is NOT a big deal. (By the way, 99% of teenagers swear. It’s not like her roommate was shooting up heroin.)</li>
<li>Art is not “merely doodles.” It actually takes a LOT of talent and I’d like to see you have the creativity and courage to defy societal norms and create something truly beautiful. I’ve been in enough art classes to know that it’s not easy.</li>
<li>Oh no, typos on the list! I’m sure everything you’ve ever typed was just absolutely perfect.</li>
<li>A dirty hotel room in a city? That’s unheard of! Wow, I feel SO sorry for you.
#firstworldproblems</li>
</ol>
<p>To the other candidates: how do we know that our counselors have access to the online portion? PSP told me they could do it online and have login info…There was no place for me to enter my counselor’s email so I wanted to ask all of you before going to my counselor.</p>
<p>batfan - my counselor received a letter from PSA with instructions to access her portion of the application</p>
<p>From the guidelines, I’ve gotten the impression that only the transcript must be mailed. But other parts of the guidelines say that the entire application must be mailed. Does anyone know which it is?</p>
<p>what can the the student and school do online? What has to be mailed?</p>
<p>@newtron- your daughter must have finished her first semester of college by now. Where did she go, and how does she like it? (this is a genuine question, from another mom)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>From what I’ve gleaned from the directions, the only thing that MUST be mailed is the transcript. Everything else (student application and counselor/teacher recommendation) can be submitted online.</p>
<p>I’m not too sure about the test scores and school profile, though. I have a hard time imagining how the school official would be able to transmit those electronically.</p>
<p>I’m a nominated senior now working on the application. Does anyone know how we can invite teachers to submit their secondary report? I’ve looked on the site (which is difficult to navigate btw) but I can’t find it.</p>
<p>@OrangeDinosaur, I feel your pain! The website is like a black hole, haha. The counselor gets the login info and has to forward to the teacher. My teacher is just giving her recommendation to my counselor, who’s going to submit it online. (There is only one login, and that’s given to the counselor).</p>
<p>For the “Advanced or Special Program” section, would the IB Diploma Programme count?</p>
<p>@newtron: So sorry that people swear in real life. Don’t shelter your children.</p>
<p>Also, just because it doesn’t help with college admissions doesn’t mean it’s not a lasting resume item. It could help in getting jobs, which occurs in real life. (Fun fact: Real life includes swearing and people who we don’t always get along with. Deal with it.)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Definitely.</p>
<p>Do you guys know if we should be double spacing our responses?</p>
<p>@batfan - Please, tell me about it; I thought Common App was bad but it’s a work of art compared to the PS website. Thank you for response! I had no idea that only one log-in was given and that it was for the counselor… although it ended up working out since she’s doing my rec report. :)</p>
<p>I would think the IB Diploma Programme would definitely count.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I think so.</p>
<p>For the essay that requires a photograph, should the photograph be of a concrete person or thing? I want to write about an abstract concept that has had great significance to me, so would using a picture that symbolizes it be ok?</p>
<p>kuhristay - that sounds fine to me.</p>
<p>“The selection of award recipients will be influenced by the completeness of replies.”
So I should give my ACT score, even though it wasn’t stellar?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This would be a good route to go. Go with the topic you’re going to be able to write the best essay about, and make the photograph work. It adds an extra element of creativity that way, too.</p>