NJ Governor's School in the Sciences 2017

Pre-College Issues Summer Programs
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I am a junior this year and I have a very strong interest in NJ Governor’s School in the Sciences. Today, an alumni from my high school that is currently enrolled at Princeton came and spoke about her experiences in high school and college, and she mentioned how much the governor’s school played a part in her admission. I know 2 more people that were admitted to the governor’s school and I know how much it improved their college application. That’s not the only reason I have such an interest in the school though - I have a really strong interest in biology/psychology and I think this is an EXCELLENT opportunity to really explore and actually conduct research in this field. I am really, really interested in the Governor’s school and I would be so, so happy to get in.

I am in a bit of a hard position though. I think in terms of my class rank, I rank about 3rd in my class out of 260 or so((we don’t receive our class ranks until February, but my school does report it on the application and uses it in the selection process. I have heard rumors that I am either 2 or 3, but I think the kid I am competing for the #2 spot with probably has it). Of course this would be completely fine for applying in terms of the Governor’s school itself - but my school conducts an additional selection process because 4 people are interested and only 2 may be nominated (one for the sciences, one for engineering). Both the kids ranked 1 and 2 have decided to - even though both of them want to be engineers - to “split” up the applications because they want to make sure each of them will secure the nomination and be able to go.

I’m quite sure that both of their PSAT scores may be better than mine. I have a 1340, which isn’t TERRIBLE, and I’m pretty sure none of us will end up qualifying for national merit, but they probably at least scored a little bit higher than me. I don’t have incredible extra-curriculars. I may have more than both of them, but I don’t think that they totally outperform all of theirs. My GPA is a 104.7 weighted and a 96 unweighted. The kid ranked #2 probably has around that if not a little bit higher, and the kid in #1 may have close to a 106 (I’m almost positive that I have to compete with the kid ranked #1).

The issue is that I REALLY want to go, but I seriously need to secure this nomination from my school and to do this I have really tough competition. I don’t blame them of course for really wanting to attend the program. However, I have had my eyes set on attending Governor’s School for years and it would really be a dream of mine to go. I would feel so honored and I am in love with the idea of conducting biological research on a college campus. How do I make myself stand out among the other candidates from my school? I asked my guidance counselor what the selection committee from my school is looking for - she said that they are looking at our PSAT scores, GPA, and grades in science classes. I had a 96 in AP biology last marking period and a 97 this marking period - both my competition take AP physics. I know I have the advantage of actually having an interest in biology as opposed to both of them having an interest in engineering. How do I make more of this? How can I get my school to nominate me for the Governor’s School candidate?

TL;DR: I want to apply for NJ Governor’s school but I need to stand out among people in my school who may have a better GPA and PSAT scores than me.

Thank you!

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Hi! I’m a junior as well and was nominated for the Governor’s School of the Sciences for my school. I was in a similar position as you a few weeks, being that my school also conducts a selection process to decide which two students to nominate to each school.
A quick background on how I am as a student: I am one of the top in my class, but considering my junior year AP science grades (in AP Chem and AP Physics I), I felt as though I wasn’t qualified to be selected. I knew that there were several kids scoring better than me in class, but nonetheless I really felt as though I deserved the nomination. My extracurriculars aren’t stellar either, but they are solid (two science related clubs among various other writing clubs, volunteer activities, a musical instrument). My school doesn’t really look at extracurriculars to choose a nominee, at least not to my knowledge. I wasn’t entirely aware of my competitors, as other highly qualified students in my grade seemed to demonstrate more interest toward the engineering school than the sciences school.
I showed a continued interest to my guidance counselor that I think ultimately led to my nomination. I scheduled appointments to discuss my academic concerns and we usually converse as if we’re old friends, which seems kind of weird but will be helpful when she writes a recommendation for me in the future. Anyway, I think talking to your guidance counselor about your interests will help (you might be able to hint at this through colleges you’re interested in if you don’t want to blatantly say it). Granted, my sophomore year GPA and PSAT score were quite high, so I don’t entirely know if speaking to my guidance counselor pushed me over the precipice.
At this point in the year, there isn’t much you can do to change your standardized test scores or GPA. I think that talking with your guidance counselor about your interests and highlighting your excitement for the program is the most you can do.

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@kindablue Thanks for the response! Unfortunately the kid got the nomination lol. I have to admit I was and still am pretty annoyed about it - in the end I was told they really only based it off of the fact that the kid had slightly better PSAT scores and paid for some program that made him look like he had more science experience than me. I definitely talked to my guidance counselor a ton but in the end the decision was up to some science and math teachers that probably didn’t even know me or my ambitions. Really dumb decision. Though I did realize that I can’t give up. Immediately afterwards I submitted an application to a program at Penn and now I’m applying to 6 or so internships to make SURE I get one.

Congrats on your nomination though! Good luck, hope you get in!

1 Like
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I’m sorry you didn’t get the nomination, those teachers don’t know what they’re missing out on. And thank you!
I’m also looking for internships but because I want to do medicine it’s kind of hard for me to find ones nearby, which stinks. Hopefully I can find one or two to apply to :slight_smile:

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@kindablue Do you live in North Jersey or South Jersey? I’m in South Jersey and even though I’m not going into medicine, I have been looking at all kinds of STEM related internships in the Philadelphia/South Jersey area and I can maybe link you a few if you live around the same area!

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Unfortunately I live in North Jersey :frowning: But I really appreciate your willingness to help me out!!

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@kindablue Oh that sucks :frowning: Good luck with governors school though and finding other internships!