New Jersey Scholars Program
Encyclopedia
The New Jersey Scholars Program (sometimes referred to as NJSP) is a highly selective, highly prestigious residential summer program for academically talented high school students residing in the state of New Jersey
. Held on the campus of The Lawrenceville School from June to July, the program is based on in-depth discussion of a seminar topic that changes biannually; the current topic is Human Rights
: Past. Present. Future. There is no tuition
for selected attendees; room, board, food and all other academic expenses for the five-week program are covered by private and corporate donations.
NJSP's stated mission is to "reach out to 39 able and enthusiastic residents of New Jersey who are rising seniors and who come from a broad socio-economic, ethnic and racial cross-section of the state's population. The Program creates an intense, interdisciplinary intellectual experience that will change their lives -- to awaken in them the awareness of their potential to achieve academic excellence."
NJSP has been identified as a major "feeder" program for the nation's top schools, with a majority of alumni attending Ivy League
and comparative institutions.
nominated to have their applications (consisting of an academic transcript, teacher recommendations and several essays) forwarded to the program for further consideration in early January. After a thorough vetting process, only about 50% of applicants are selected for semifinalist status in late March. In the next stage of the process, applicants are invited to The Lawrenceville School for a tour of the campus and an intensive group interview with the program administrators. Applicants are notified as to their acceptance or rejection by early April.
For the 2010 program, 39 Scholars were selected from an applicant pool of nearly 300 candidates nominated from their schools, garnering an acceptance rate of approximately 13%.
", which is meant to foster equal discussion among the Scholars. The remainder of the day is utilized for leisure activities, or to complete the considerable readings and work assigned by the faculty. Culminating the program for the Scholars is the creation of a lengthy research paper on a specific topic.
, six miles away. Athletics also form a major part of the NJSP experience; the Lawrenceville School's excellent facilities are open for use, including tennis
and basketball
courts, a fully outfitted weight room, multipurpose athletic fields, a golf course, an ice rink, and a pool. Other highlights of the program include weekend excursions to amusement parks, beaches and movies, and an Arts Festival. All such extracurricular expenses are covered by the program via corporate and individual donations.
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Held on the campus of The Lawrenceville School from June to July, the program is based on in-depth discussion of a seminar topic that changes biannually; the current topic is Human Rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
: Past. Present. Future. There is no tuition
Tuition
Tuition payments, known primarily as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in British English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Indian English, refers to a fee charged for educational instruction during higher education.Tuition payments are charged by...
for selected attendees; room, board, food and all other academic expenses for the five-week program are covered by private and corporate donations.
NJSP's stated mission is to "reach out to 39 able and enthusiastic residents of New Jersey who are rising seniors and who come from a broad socio-economic, ethnic and racial cross-section of the state's population. The Program creates an intense, interdisciplinary intellectual experience that will change their lives -- to awaken in them the awareness of their potential to achieve academic excellence."
NJSP has been identified as a major "feeder" program for the nation's top schools, with a majority of alumni attending Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
and comparative institutions.
Admissions
Admission to the NJ Scholars Program is selective, beginning as an in-school process in which up to three students can benominated to have their applications (consisting of an academic transcript, teacher recommendations and several essays) forwarded to the program for further consideration in early January. After a thorough vetting process, only about 50% of applicants are selected for semifinalist status in late March. In the next stage of the process, applicants are invited to The Lawrenceville School for a tour of the campus and an intensive group interview with the program administrators. Applicants are notified as to their acceptance or rejection by early April.
For the 2010 program, 39 Scholars were selected from an applicant pool of nearly 300 candidates nominated from their schools, garnering an acceptance rate of approximately 13%.
Instruction
Founded in 1977, the NJ Scholars Program was created as an attempt to provide a "dynamic learning environment" for intellectually gifted high school students in New Jersey. The interdisciplinary nature of the program allows for the Scholars to approach the seminar topic from a number of different angles, aided by professors enlisted from a wide variety of postsecondary institutions. The daily schedule starts with a morning lecture, followed by morning and afternoon seminar sessions around the "Harkness TableHarkness table
The Harkness table is a large, oval table used in a style of teaching, The Harkness Method, wherein students sit at the table with their teachers. This teaching method is in use at many American boarding schools and colleges. It encourages classes to be held in a discursive manner...
", which is meant to foster equal discussion among the Scholars. The remainder of the day is utilized for leisure activities, or to complete the considerable readings and work assigned by the faculty. Culminating the program for the Scholars is the creation of a lengthy research paper on a specific topic.
Student life
Scholars reside in Kirby House on the Lawrenceville campus (with opposite genders living on different floors), and are free to visit the nearby city of Princeton, New JerseyPrinceton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, six miles away. Athletics also form a major part of the NJSP experience; the Lawrenceville School's excellent facilities are open for use, including tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
courts, a fully outfitted weight room, multipurpose athletic fields, a golf course, an ice rink, and a pool. Other highlights of the program include weekend excursions to amusement parks, beaches and movies, and an Arts Festival. All such extracurricular expenses are covered by the program via corporate and individual donations.