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!
↧