Jeremy Shughart is the director of Admissions for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST). On July 14 you will find him at The Zone for an informal discussion on the importance of STEM education as well as his take on the admission process for TJ. TJ is considered to be one of nation’s leaders in STEM education and such houses some of the most gifted and talented students in the field. Mr. Shughart will also answer any questions that attendees may have regarding STEM education or the TJ admissions process.
To follow the school’s commitment to finding the best possible students, the admission staff must maintain the most up-to-date selection processes. Recently, TJ has switched over to a more wholelistic process in which every reader, no matter discipline or area of expertise, must read the entirety of a student’s application before the student can receive a score. This allows for a more complete representation of the student and helps keep them from becoming just another number in a list of thousands. The previous process had readers only looking at one singular aspect of the application and then provide an individual score with feedback. Although the process offered a quicker turn around in applications, too many exceptional students were getting lost in the shuffle. TJ’s current admissions process focuses not just on the statistics, but rather all five application components at once: the GPA, standardized test scores, teacher recommendations, student information sheet, and an essay.
As stated on the school’s website, “The mission of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is to provide students with a challenging learning environment focused on math, science, and technology, to inspire joy at the prospect of discovery, and to foster a culture of innovation based on ethical behavior and the shared interests of humanity.”
There is no cost for attending the discussion on July 14th and will last from 5:30-8PM. Registration can be found here. This event is hosted by the WashingtonExec STEM Council. Learn more about the WashingtonExec STEM Council’s most recent achievement, the K-12 STEM Symposium by watching a brief video here.
