Anyone else annoyed by nomination requirements for NJ Gov School?

Pre-College Issues Summer Programs
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<p>I sent in my application for the School in the Sciences to guidance a few days ago, although I can't help but feel cheated... I go to a school with a fairly high concentration of excellent students (one of whom went to IMO), and there is just huge competition for nominations to the NJ Governor's school: at least 8 people whom I know have applied, probably more. What's worse, they've been advertising "NJ Gov School applications are now available in guidance, please see <name> to pick up your copy" on the announcements every day for weeks now, ensuring that there would be a microscopic chance that you would get nominated, considering my school can only send 2 people. </name></p>

<p>Why this nomination process? Why discriminate against students who just happen to live in a highly competitive school? It's the same horrid flaw that's present in single-elimination tournaments: if the best few people get matched up in the earlier stages, then only one can make it to the final rounds and be recognized while someone who might as well be the second best goes home unrecognized, having been eliminated in the first round. It's the same thing with the NJ Governor's school: If twenty people of top caliber compete for two slots, only two actually get them, and the rest don't even get a chance to be considered for governor's school, despite their skills that might have secured a 100% acceptance had they been nominated. </p>

<p>Blog</a> rant here.</p>

<p>Thoughts?</p>

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<p>My school could only select 2 per school as well. I was told that the science teachers had a meeting and ranked the top 15 science kids in the grade. The top six were nominated for governor’s school. Then they called us down by ranking to pick our selection and when someone dropped out because they couldn’t attend the school, the administrators imply just picked number 7 or 8 or whatever on the list of 15. I have nothing to complain about as I was number 2 so I got my choice. I guess it may be because they don’t want to wade through swamps of bad applications so they require schools to pick.</p>