New Jersey Scholars Program 2017

Was it good news moncomom?

Only 40% get interviews, so 96 students

Lawlover0520 - good news! Very excited to get through first round!

Got my finalist letter!! Does anyone know the dress code for the interview? I don’t know if it’s a nice jeans, blouse, and blazer interview or a business suit and heels sort of event.
Also, does anyone have insights about the interview itself? I read previous threads but am wondering if there’s any new information.

It seems to be semi-formal so I would wear dress pants and a blazer for boys and for girls maybe dress pants and a blouse? Not totally sure but that’s what I’ve been reading. As for the interview, it seems like it’s a 5 person open discussion about a random topic. Some advice is don’t debate the people around you, just voice your own opinion

But it’s okay to respond to someone, right? Like saying “I see your point of view, but I personally think…” and then saying your differing opinion. Just not talking about the specifics of their argument is wrong and starting a whole conversation based on that isn’t encouraged.

The program wants people with a point of view. At the same time, I wouldn’t dominate the conversation. We did go on the tour with our daughter. My daughter very much enjoyed the program even though it was a lot of work. It really helped her decide about her major and her college application.

So when it comes to the actual interview, are there questions to prepare for or is it just a random topic to discuss?

It’s random

Who had their interview today? What was the demographic? (Mostly men, women, white, Hispanic, etc.)

Has anyone heard back? Do we hear back if we didn’t get in?

During the parents’ tour, we were told results would be sent by mail and would arrive in 1-2 weeks. The tour guides also said everyone would receive a letter. Good luck to all!

In the actual interview we were told results would be sent out and we would be notified on friday

what were your interview topics?

We started off by answering the question, “if you could ask former-president Barack Obama any question, what would it be?” From there, we discussed the supreme court, whether or not the country needs unity, nationalism, representation, and a few other sub topics that are honestly a blur to me…

Ours started off with one of the essay topics, “what is the biggest problem facing today’s youth” and kind of went into entitlement to then a full on education reform debate which was really interesting and 30 minutes went by very quickly.

Interesting! Was it really competitive or are you pretty sure who’s going to make it?

How did everyone do? I was very nervous so I think I did poorly. My group was generally quiet and not competitive at all.

My group was extremely competitive, but I’m not sure how I did personally. What questions did they ask you ajjk97?

At first the interviewer dropped a sheet of paper and ask us if we would pick up the sheet of paper if the date of our deaths was printed on the back. Then we continued on to discuss success and how society defines success.