Jefferson Scholar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC is a Jefferson nominee too and they are flat out exhausted from writing 15 different essays and prompts just submitting applications. I don't even know how to begin to motivate them to keep writing essays at this point. Such a big honor to be nominated, but man the essays are just killers.

I haven’t seen the portal, but my kid seemed to indicate that he could probably just use the essays that he wrote for his UVA application or some other applications. Since the committee won’t have access to common app, they won’t know if it’s new or recycled.

He enjoys writing so the applications haven’t been too rough. And he’s done a good job picking up themes that he wants to share and repurposing essays from one school to another.

How many essays are required in the portal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is a nominee from an OOS high school. Does Jefferson Scholars have access to the common app data at all? Any thoughts on how to approach the essays?

No access to common app data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s crazy that it’s a separate process. The other schools I’m familiar with offer finalist status with acceptance. Maybe the Jefferson scholars pool is larger.

What other schools have a comparable scholarship?

Boston College has this scholarship:

https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/academics/sites/gabelli-presidential-scholars-program.html#:~:text=The%20Gabelli%20Presidential%20Scholars%20Program,to%2018%20incoming%20freshman%20students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh, and on the group call with all of the finalists, the director of admissions joined the call and told the students who had applied RD that they all had been admitted to UVA (the ED and EA students had already heard their results). So, while being nominated for a Jefferson scholarship doesn't matter for admission, my suspicion is that all finalists are admitted, probably to avoid the awkwardness of offering a scholarship to someone who ultimately doesn't get in.

There definitely have been students who were offered a Jefferson Scholarship who were not accepted to UVa. This has happened more than once.

If that has changed, it happened very very recently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s crazy that it’s a separate process. The other schools I’m familiar with offer finalist status with acceptance. Maybe the Jefferson scholars pool is larger.

What other schools have a comparable scholarship?

Boston College has this scholarship:

https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/academics/sites/gabelli-presidential-scholars-program.html#:~:text=The%20Gabelli%20Presidential%20Scholars%20Program,to%2018%20incoming%20freshman%20students.

Wow - great program! I hadn’t heard about this one.

[Anonymous]

If your kid was a Jeff nominee but didn’t get it, were they offered Echols?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know if it’s due by Dec 2 or do they have until the end of the day on the second? My DC has procrastinated but is trying to crank it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if it’s due by Dec 2 or do they have until the end of the day on the second? My DC has procrastinated but is trying to crank it out.

Pretty sure it's 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec 2. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous[b wrote:]The real craziness (which has happened) is when a Jefferson Scholar does not get admitted to UVA

This doesn't happen. As someone who part of this process, a Jeff Scholar will be admitted into UVa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous[b wrote:]That’s crazy that it’s a separate pr[/b]ocess. The other schools I’m familiar with offer finalist status with acceptance. Maybe the Jefferson scholars pool is larger.

It's not crazy if you understand how it came to be. It was started solely by alums who wanted to give these very generous scholarships in order to lure to UVA students that otherwise might go Ivy. My DS got his school nomination and made it to regionals but not to the finals, which are actually done at UVA. A friend of his (same church) did get it, though. By the way, your high school has to be a "nominating school" which requires paperwork to be filed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Scholarship

The real craziness (which has happened) is when a Jefferson Scholar does not get admitted to UVA

Previous post ended up without the quote. Weird.

Anyway, again doesn't happen. As someone who part of this process, a Jeff Scholar will be admitted into UVa.

[Anonymous]

There is a 2nd scholarship program -- The Walentas Scholarship -- for first generation college students.

https://www.jeffersonscholars.org/scholarships

[Anonymous]

So what about RD applicants? Or is the process over for everyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what about RD applicants? Or is the process over for everyone?

You have to be nominated by your school. All scholarship materials due by dec 2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what about RD applicants? Or is the process over for everyone?

You have to be nominated by your school. All scholarship materials due by dec 2

I thought UVA admissions could also nominate students.

[Anonymous]

They must have changed it, because back in the dark ages, I was nominated out of state and doing the regional competition and I was told that to go further I had to apply to be admitted. I swear I filled out some application in pencil (just fill-in-the-blank information) and was accepted right away. I'm pretty sure I was accepted even before the early action date, because I was admitted early to an Ivy and I was done at that point and I think I already knew I was in at UVA.