<p>No problem. If you’re not familiar with their website they offering the following information on the selection of at large candidates:</p>
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<p><a href=“http://www.jeffersonscholars.org/undergraduate_program/selection-process/[/url]”>http://www.jeffersonscholars.org/undergraduate_program/selection-process/</a></p>
<p>Best of luck to all of the Jefferson Scholar hopefuls this year!!</p>
<p>My daughter didnt make it to the next round. A bummer!</p>
<p>@bestestmom Were you and your daughter notified after her interview, or did she not make it to the interview?</p>
<p>I had my interview today in Charlottesville at the Jefferson Scholars Foundation Office!! It went really well, and I could tell the interviewers had done their research on me as their questions were a nice mixture about me specifically and my world views. Overall, it was a wonderful experience. People from Central VA are supposed to hear in two weeks, I was told. Good luck to everyone, and congrats to all who are already regional finalists: that is a pretty big honor in and of itself! :)</p>
<p>@spacecoastmom & others: DeanJ posted in another thread about at-large candidacy. She informs that such candidates are selected by the admissions team, and skip the local interview step.</p>
<p>could you provide more specifics about what kind of questions they asked in the Jefferson Scholar interview?</p>
<p>To clarify my previous post–my son will interview on Feb. 1. We are in southern Arkansas and must drive to Little Rock for the interview.</p>
<p>she went to the interview and a couple of days later she was notified that she didnt make it to the next round i.e.regional final.
but yesterday she found out she got into the school (UVA) so she is really happy.</p>
<p>a bummer she didn’t make it to the next round, but CONGRATS that she got accepted! My daughter had her JS interview today but got deferred to RD. We’re OOS so i’m nervous about our chances of getting in and making it to the next round in the JS process.</p>
<p>Good luck and all the best!</p>
<p>I have to say that I was very disappointed with the JS interview process for the Long Island region. This is NOT only because my son did not get asked to the C’ville weekend but just reading everyone else’s experiences I feel he (and all the other 20 or so Long Island candidates) was short-changed. His interview was a 15 minute interview in front of a 9 member panel. There was no second round, no “get to know you” chat or any questions about his application. It did not seem that they knew anything about him before he entered. Many people on CC counted this interview process as a “wonderful experience” but unfortunately, my son did not feel that way. I just feel that to narrow a field of 20 down to 1 candidate with 1 alternate based on a 15 minute interview is very superficial. On the positive side, he was accepted EA and also was notified that he is a Rodman scholar so he is thrilled about that. I just feel that the JS process should be uniform across all regions.</p>
<p>Garetville, I’m sorry that your son didn’t progress to the next round. I’m happy that he did get into UVa early admission as a Rodman Scholar. That is quite an accomplishment! Congrats to him. </p>
<p>I didn’t participate in Long Island’s interviews, but for the most part, the overall process is pretty much the same all throughout the US. (BTW, many regions are still in the middle of the interview process for those who are wondering.) When we receive applicants’ files, they include their essays; final grades for their freshman, sophomore & junior years; SAT/ACT scores; high school activities & accomplishments; and teacher recommendations. We review each file quite thoroughly, so actually, we know a lot about each applicant by the time he/she sits down for the interview. I can’t speak to your son’s session, but I’m sure all the 20+ Long Island candidates went through the same process. (For me personally, I don’t ask questions already answered in the application. Instead, I like to ask challenging questions to see how each applicant thinks.) At the regional level, it’s quite a daunting task having to pick 1 candidate out of scores of other outstanding candidates – all of which are students that their schools have nominated as their strongest student. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, I congratulate your son for getting into UVa. The University of Virginia is truly an amazing place.</p>
<p>I’m sure that all of the Long Island candidates went through the same process. It’s just that in other regions there seem to be more time for the students to speak and for the panel to see who they truly are. In NJ, for example, one parent wrote: “I think they said they were interviewing 70 kids in northern NJ alone. Second or third interview would indicate you made it through, but we haven’t gotten that far”. Many areas had receptions for the families where you could just chat informally to the panel. Most other people who have posted on CC stated that they have, at least in a second round, 30-60 minutes to talk and feel more at ease. This way they can let their true personalities shine. I don’t think that in 15 minutes in front of 9 people you can get a true picture of any of these kids. They are extremely nervous and any misstep will essentially put them out of the running. That is my main objection - that LI candidates do not have the same opportunity to open up about themselves as other areas of the country.</p>
<p>@garetville - My DD interviewed in the Cincinnati region back in December and her experience might have been worse than yours. She had a single interviewer who was antagonistic and intentionally insulting. It was apparent from her questions that the interviewer had made her mind up before even meeting DD that any applicant from Kentucky was de facto substandard (probably 90% of the regional candidates come from Ohio). At one point, she actually compared people in Kentucky to “third world populations”. Three days after the interview, DD received a note that she would not be advancing. One biased, prejudiced opinion and DD was eliminated.</p>
<p>We recognize that the JS program is not affiliated formally with UVa, but the experience convinced DD that she is not interested in attending (she was accepted EA).</p>
<p>Based on these comments the Jefferson Scholars regional interview approach may actually do more harm to UVA’s reputation than the admission office understands. I am beginning to understand why top students in our region discouraged this years class of 2013 from even applying to the University let alone seek the scholarship. Maybe consideration should be given to removing non-Jeff scholar alumni from the regional processes. I can’t imagine a Jeff scholar treating someone so poorly.</p>
<p>I would not hold anything a group of alumni do against the University as a whole. My son is still considering his offer pending other acceptances and would consider it an honor to attend as a Rodman scholar. The JS committee should just consider a standard across the country.</p>
<p>I’m so glad your son is still considering UVA, garetville. D has really enjoyed her time at UVA and the Rodman program has offered her some fantastic opportunities. Best of luck to your S as he awaits other decisions.</p>
<p>My daughter went through the Jefferson Scholars interview process, but was not chosen. Though it was disappointing, she met some really qualified applicants, and ended up being honored to be in the process. She is a first year at UVa now, and absolutely loves it!</p>