<p>Wow! After we had completely given up (son was interviewed ages ago), finalist notification arrived in today's mail.</p>
<p>A search of cc didn't turn up much information on the actual weekend activities or criteria for being awarded the actual scholarship.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any insight into the rest of the process?</p>
<p>I am a Jeff, hopefully I can clarify some of your questions. Selection weekend is an intense process that involves a lot of types of competition. When you get here for the first couple of days it is fairly laid back. We (the scholars) will be here to show you around, you'll have an assigned host and you will eat informal dinners with some of us and the other finalists. Starting Friday afternoon, there are competition events- a math and writing exam, a morning of seminar-style discussions, a formal dinner with selection committee members, and committee interviews on Sunday morning. The foundation, I think, looks for interesting, insightful people who are visionaries, leaders, scholars, and who have found their own ways of doing things. They don't have any rigid criteria; they're looking for potential for innovative things at UVA.
Good luck, feel free to PM me with questions.</p>
<p>Thanks! Could you elaborate on the nature of the math/writing tests? Particularly the math--</p>
<p>Yeah I'm really interested in the math exam. Is this like the AMC 12 here? Are the problems impossible?</p>
<p>Is the weekend a stressful one by design? Do people have like breakdowns and American Idol-esque freakouts? Does it feel like a competition? Are the kids nasty to each other?</p>
<p>I don't even know if I'm going yet, but this whole weekend shindig fascinates me.</p>
<p>The math test is kind of impossible but in a non-intimidating way, if that makes sense...you take one look at the test and laugh. At least I did and so did the people sitting next to me. Don't stress about it! Read the articles well and rock the essay.
You make what you want out of the weekend. Some people stayed in their rooms, others went out and partied or explored grounds. There was definitely a lot of tension but no all-out nastiness and I made some friends I am close with now. Don't try to impress fellow finalists with your leadership skills, though-- it's VERY obvious.
The Jeff Foundation staff is so welcoming and helpful. They don't make the decisions, so you can ask them questions. They were a great help. Overall I think even if I hadn't gotten the Jeff the weekend would have been a good experience for me</p>
<p>Thanks WillOw for sharing about your own experience. My son is wowed-- he did not expect to advance. Do you have any insight as to how various factors are weighted? Do you think everyone is one equal footing at the weekend and the final selection is based on performance there? Or is it a mix of performance there and previous transcript?</p>
<p>Also, you said the foundation staff doesn't make the selection decision-- Who does?</p>
<p>I think Willow means that the selection committee makes the decision, not the staff. There are lots of staff assistants there plus we (Jeff Scholars) will also be there to help out. I think at this point transcripts and numbers are pretty equal and that the performance at the weekend would be important. That means the testing, the seminars, and the interaction during the dinners and functions. It will be fun, I assure you. I found the other candidates to be great people and the seminars were fascinating. I even enjoyed the testing. Read the essays.( You can't study for the math. ) Then try to relax and enjoy the experience.</p>
<p>Thank you guys so much, Will0w and yeswecan.</p>
<p>I'm a finalist, and I have to say that I'm a little intimidated by NSW!</p>
<p>I was wondering if there is anything - the AMC 8/10/12, the SAT math section, the AIME - that is comparable with the math test? If not, how is it structured?</p>
<p>Also, how are the essay prompts structured? Are they broad, open statements, or are they very specific? That is to say, is it something along the lines of "discuss and support your reaction to the readings," or is it, "In reading 1, author 1 posits xxx. Author 2 objects in reading 2. Do you agree with author 1's assumption? Explain."</p>
<p>I don't want to answer. i didn't know any of this info and I think I was better prepared not knowing. Good luck.</p>
<p>hey!
i just wanted to say hello since i'm a finalist too! i look forward to meeting everyone at finalists weekend</p>