New Jersey Scholars Program 2018

Pre-College Issues Summer Programs
121

hey guys. congrats to all that got in. thankfully I was accepted too. Also, to all those waitlisted/rejected, there’s a kid from my school exponentially more impressive than I am on paper who didn’t end up getting into even the interview round. Be proud of yourselves nonetheless. these processes are so weird that you can’t take it too personally. I’m sure you’ll all do something wonderful this summer regardless. :slight_smile:

I was just wondering if anyone would have insight into this mini dilemma I’m having. I now have what I call a happy problem (yes I can stress out about it but I gotta remind myself I’m luck to even be in this situation). I now have to choose between NJSP and the Iowa young writers studio. Iowa is only 2 weeks, and plus tuition based, but I’d be getting a scholarship to attend. At first I was automatically gonna go for NJSP (because 5 weeks exploring what it means to be human just sounds like literal intellectual PARADISE), but then I started thinking of it in terms of college apps (I know, I know, it sounds bad but it nevertheless is a factor).

I know NJSP is prestigious and all, but through all of high school I’ve built myself up as a writer. (most of my ECs are all based around creativity/storytelling through film and creative writing). Would it look better to have Iowa on my transcript since it fits my “story” on my college apps more (this is what my guidance counselor told me)? My guidance counselor thinks that NJSP won’t really help fuel my college app “spike” of being a writer/storyteller. My guidance counselor also said the program isn’t as prestigious as I had thought. I had gotten the impression that it’s on par w/ gov school, but my guidance counselor thinks it’s not nearly as valued (is this true? my guidance counselor has a tendency to have no idea what he is talking about which is why I am here now).

Personally I’d rather go to NJSP. I think I’d learn a lot about myself through the program. And plus, I honestly think the things we’re gonna be discussing would be more of a source of inspiration for my writing than Iowa would even be (I can already imagine all the story ideas/themes running through my head from our seminar discussions at NJSP). I’m also worried that Iowa would be sorta same old same old since I did a similar (but slightly less prestigious) writing program through the Kenyon Review last summer.

I APOLOGIZE! I’ll stop blabbering. I know I should just do what I think I’d enjoy most but I wanna know if what my guidance counselor is saying is actually valid. I guess my question really is: does NJSP truly help as much as people say in terms of annoying college stuff? Is it as prestigious as the program tour guides during interviews made it out to be? Or would Iowa young writers help out my chances more?

What do you guys think I should do? If I did Iowa for only 2 weeks, I’d also probably do an internship at NBC for a month (which I’m sure I wouldn’t enjoy nearly as much as NJSP-- filing papers and making coffee runs doesn’t necessarily sound intellectually stimulating LOL). Plus, it seems every single 17 year old has an internship nowadays. They seem to be of minimal personal value (outside of networking) and only for college app show. Don’t colleges realize most people who get these merely just KNOW someone who got the internship for them???

ALSO: sorry if someone else already asked this question. I haven’t been following this thread at all and haven’t ever used college confidential before. If I’m just reiterating what some else may have already asked, I apologize. I also realized that I asked like a million questions and my post is sorta all over the place and probably has a bunch of typos, but bear with me. Its 5 am and I haven’t slept bc I decided to push all of my spring break HW to tonight.

122

@hihelloheyhi you should totally go to the Iowa Writers program to free some NJSP waitlisted bois \s

Jk though congratulations on your acceptances! My guidance counselor and I would strongly disagree with yours, NJSP is most definitely a prestigious program similar to gov school and is a feeder program into T20s. However, I don’t think it would distract from your application as a writer at all, NJSP is supposed to be a synthesis of humanities including creative writing and other things you like. It won’t distract to your app, in fact it will add a lot to it! NJSP is the better program IMO.

That’s not to say Iowa isn’t a good option, it definitely is and I would l argue that internships are very valuable. But if I were you, I’d go NJSP.

123

@hihelloheyhi what a dilemma! Honestly, in terms of college applications, I really don’t think the NJ Scholars Program gives a huge boost. Yes, it says online many places that it does, but I talked to my guidance counselor as well about it and she said that the Scholars Program, though it admits fewer students, isn’t as prestigious as the Governor’s Schools or selective summer programs offered by many universities and colleges for high school students. In fact, she tells me that some schools actually view the program as a bit flaky and that many high schools and colleges don’t even really know about this program (I certainly didn’t before my counselor emailed me about it.)

That being said, I believe that demonstrated interest is one of the biggest things colleges and universities look for, not just prestige. Say you were selected for a prestigious science program but wanted to major in literature. That program would really do no good on your application and wouldn’t really show demonstrated interest. In your case, the Iowa young writers’ studio seems to be a much better fit for what you are truly passionate about, and the experience of being an actual intern at NBC is extremely valuable. Plus, many kids would kill for the scholarship you’d be receiving!

You can always put that you got into the NJSP on college applications–colleges will be thrilled knowing that you got into a wonderful program like the NJSP! However, honestly, the NJSP really isn’t as beneficial college as it’s cracked out to be, and the experience of the Iowa program will definitely benefit you and your interests more than the experience of NJSP will. Someone else who got in from my school told me she actually regretted going to NJSP and not doing a different science program because the other program fitted her interests more and NJSP really didn’t help her show demonstrated interest in the sciences for college applications. The Iowa program would be much more beneficial–trust me.

No matter what, go with your heart. Don’t attend the NJSP just because you think it’d boost college applications, though. It really won’t help you as much as you might think it will. That boost will also only come from doing a program you really care and are passionate about, which you will find with the actual experience of the Iowa program. As someone interested in writing myself, I looked up your Iowa program and would much rather attend that than NJSP–it looks incredible! Still, do what you feel is right and do what you’re passionate about. Good luck to you and congratulations on your wonderful accomplishments!

124

@simeonss thanks so much for the insight. I also agree that there is definitely value to internships (I was just trying to convince myself otherwise because I wanted to make this decision easier and just choose NJSP easily LOL). thanks again!! :slight_smile:

125

@xbox678 Thank you for taking the time to give me such a thorough answer-- I really do appreciate it. After sleeping on it, I see a bunch of positives for both options (in terms of colleges acceptances) that it’s just too hard to try and quantify which would help me out more.

Which is why I definitely agree that I’ll just go with my heart. I think it was stupid of me to think about it in terms of prestige at all. It’s my summer for gods sake. I wanna enjoy what I’m doing. Thanks for everything!

126

Did anyone get their letter today? Nothing came for me.

127

@hihelloheyhi No problem! I was actually accepted and will probably not go just because the program is so long and I got into the Governor’s School for science which goes at the same time. Plus I’m really interested in science more than humanities lol.

128

@hihelloheyhi Do the Iowa program so I have a chance to get off the waitlist! Jk, go with your heart (but how thankful I’d be if I did end up going off the waitlist lol)

129

If accepted, when are we going to hear from them again?

130

Congratulations on all the acceptances! @hihelloheyhi @xbox678 If you are very interested in writing or science, then Iowa or Governors School is probably the right choice for you both! Can’t go wrong!

131

@hihelloheyhi @xbox678 @Fastball1 I totally agree, and I’ve heard that this program isn’t really all it’s cracked out to be! My guidance counselor told me it’s much better to do programs like the Governors School and the Iowa program because those programs are much more focused, credible, and, again, most importantly, more of what you each want to do.

132

@hihelloheyhi i went to IYWS last year and i’ll be attending NJSP this year, but i loved iowa so much. it was an amazing experience for me as someone who loves writing and reading and talking about writing. i made really good friends there and iowa city really is amazing. i don’t know what NJSP will be like (yet), but if your main interest in writing, i would definitely say go to iowa.

133

@hihelloheyhi

First off, congratulations on your acceptance to NJSP! It is truly an amazing accomplishment.

I am a scholar from last year, also with a sharp creative writing spike. I had taken a New York Times creative writing class, was published in multiple magazines, and had won a few national awards at the time. While I didn’t necessarily have an alternative summer plan at the time, I obviously chose NJSP. I stand by my decision, as it was the single most formative experience in my high school career. Even if I could have done something else that would’ve gotten me into Harvard or Brown (my two top schools), I would not trade my experience last summer for those acceptances.

Your guidance counselor is wrong. New Jersey Scholars, if explained properly on a college application, is more prestigious than Governor’s School. Gov School only has a written application process; there is no interview, so you wind up with many more book-smart kids than intelligent, interesting ones, if you recognize the distinction. In addition, many states have programs that are called Governor’s School, but admit hundreds of kids across many disciplines. These programs are not as rigorous and do not have the selective application process of NJ Gov School, and colleges will assume that New Jersey’s program is no different from these. There is no equivalent to NJSP in any state, nothing to compare it to, and nothing to bring down its reputation. When we spoke to a Princeton admissions officer last year, he said that the office considers NJSP to be the highest academic achievement for juniors in the state of New Jersey. The only summer programs that would trump it would be the free, national academic intensives like TASP or a couple of math camps.

NJSP will not be the magic thing on your resume that gets you into every college, including all eight Ivy Leagues. There are many, many other factors: public v. private school, intended major, race, quality of your essays, grades, recommendation letters. And, before you start the college process, I want you to know that even if everything is perfect on your application, if you have the huge creative writing spike and the awards, you still may not get into these elite institutions. To put it bluntly, it is a crapshoot. Choose your summer activity on the experience that you want to have, not for its merit on an application. I know it’s hard to ignore college when you’re a junior. To ease your mind, here are some of the colleges that NJSP scholars got into this year (that I personally know of, there are many more that I can’t remember):
Duke University (2)
Columbia University (4)
Stanford University (2)
Princeton University (4)
MIT (2)
Vanderbilt (2)
University of Chicago (1)
Yale University (3)
UC Berkeley (1+)
Smith College (1)
Georgetown University (3)
All of us received large merit packages from state schools like UNC, Rutgers, University of South Carolina Honors College, University of Maryland, UCLA, University of Michigan and admission to their extremely competitive honors colleges and programs. There’s also quite a few who got into Boston University, Boston College, Tufts, College of William and Mary, etc. Some, myself included, advanced to finalist rounds of nationally prestigious scholarships like the Jefferson Scholarship, the Robertson Scholarship,and the Stamps Scholarship. The year before us, there was a girl who got into all eight Ivies and another who got into Harvard EA. Again, do not worry about college.

That being said, I got into every single college that I applied to where I featured NJSP and the research that I did there in supplement essays. It is wildly rare to have a high school student who has participated in high-level seminars and research; on many scholarship and college interviews, professors and alumni always lean forward in their seats, incredibly interested when I talk about the discussions that we had: arguing if time is real, debating whether the Armenian genocide was really a genocide, comparing the emperors of Japan to the fascist leaders of Western Europe, discussing the scientific ethics of chemical weapons. It’s interesting to be the interviewee who excitedly talks about political theory instead of the sports they did or that award they won. In addition, as corny as it sounds, NJSP completely changed my way of thinking and processing information. It gave me lifelong friends that could only be gained over five weeks. Is that something Iowa can give you? An internship at NBC? No. In addition, they bring in former admissions counselors and alumni (like me!) who will give you valuable college advice and guide you through the admissions process, which is something that your other summer plans will not help you with.

Sorry for the long post-- there is quite a lot to say about the program. I recommend it wholly and completely. If you have any questions, you can just @ me in this thread or personal message me; I don’t mind either.

134

Again: for all of those who have guidance counselors telling them that NJSP is not as prestigious as other summer programs, you and they are wrong. Any summer program that you pay tuition for (including those at Harvard, Brown, Iowa, etc.) are usually ignored by colleges; all you need is a relatively good GPA and the $13,000 to get into them. Gov School and NJSP are equals, and I would even argue that NJSP is superior for the above reasons.
You’re right that NJSP will not automatically get you into top colleges. The way I look at it, getting into the program is a stamp of approval that signifies to colleges that you are a strong applicant who has done amazing things. NJSP also gives you the opportunity to do unique research and have intellectual conversations in both a formal and informal setting, so you usually have more things to add to an application. If you want to go to Princeton, the program is 100% a feeder.

If you’re curious about me personally, here are my acceptances. Obviously, I did not magically get into all of my colleges. No one did. No one will, not really. But I did do very well with getting scholarships, which was a HUGE concern for me and what I focused on.

Accepted: Duke University, McGill University (largest scholarship), University of Toronto (half tuition), UNC Chapel Hill Honors Program (Robertson finalist), University of South Carolina Honors College (Stamps finalist, McNair Scholar, full ride), Miami University Honors and Scholars programs (full ride), Rutgerts Honors College (full ride).

Waitlisted (Didn’t even know that waitlisting was a thing until I got waitlisted at five places lol): Brown, University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt, Lehigh, and American.

Rejected: Harvard and Yale.

135

I’m not saying the NJSP isnt amazing but it is no guarantee you’ll get in somewhere great, and so many people have told me demonstarted interest is much more important that prestige. That’s why Gov School if you’re interested science or engineering is better and I personally believe the Iowa program to be better. College admissions officers will love you’ve been accepted into a program that focuses on your interests and you’re not just doing something for college. Still, I’m definitely putting that I got into njsp on college applications, but I want to do something focused more in an area that I enjoy, and I think colleges will appreciate that.

136

@xbox678 Oh, you got into Gov School? I didn’t realize that was another dilemma on this thread. Yeah, if you’re more interested in STEM do that.
Also, just as you enter the admissions process, that’s not quite what demonstrated interest is. Demonstrated interest is something measured by schools–they basically track your interest in them by seeing how many times you’ve visited campus, emailed admissions officers, taken online tours, etc. Not all schools do this, but many second-tier schools do to weed out Ivy-sighted kids who are using them as safeties. What you’re talking about is a “spike,” or deep involvement in one subject/activity. However, your activities have to be varied. For example, if you’re a writer, colleges want to see that you’ve taken a class, maybe gone to a summer program, won awards, have been published, maybe tutor students in English, are involved in the school literary magazine, interned at an actual magazine, took AP English classes, etc. What they don’t want to see is repeated activities, like two summer programs that are the exact same thing. Iowa is very similar to a program that person did last summer, so it would not benefit his/her application as much as you seem to think it would, as it is a repeated activity. Ultimately, summer programs do not matter that much in college admissions, and you’re better off doing whatever will give you more personal and academic growth.

137

@lesjubilants Thank you so much for taking your time to answer my question thoroughly and with care. You not only have assured me of the prestige of the program, but more importantly helped me see the personal value of the program.

I am beyond excited to attend, and plan on confirming my spot at the program.

Congratulations to all of your great acceptances, and good luck going forth into college!

Again, THANK YOU! :slight_smile:

138

Does anyone want to make some sort of group for accepted students? I think in past years they’ve done that. Has anyone tried to make one?

139

There is a facebook group for accepted students, the link should’ve been in the email that Mr. Fig sent individually.

140

@tigerlily43 I was accepted! But didn’t receive an email with a link? I emailed them and they said they’d set up a group in the near future?