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Agricultural Sciences
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Web Site, Location, Dates, & Application Deadline |
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Web Site
http://governorschool.cas.psu.edu/
Location
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Dates
June 29 - August 2, 2008
Application Deadline
Postmark Deadline: Friday February 1, 2008
Received By: Thursday, February 7, 2008
Application
The Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Agricultural Sciences Application
 http://www.pde.state.pa.us/excellence/lib/excellence/PGSAS2008App.pdf
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Overview |
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The agricultural sciences address many challenges of life in the 21st century: renewable resources, environmental studies, genetic engineering, food development and management, water quality, veterinary medicine, plant science, geospatial technology, toxicology, forestry, wildlife management, and more. As a leading agricultural state, Pennsylvania stands ready to take advantage of expert scientists and technologists in these fields, and the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Agricultural Sciences - PGSAS provides a program of activities to stimulate interest, leadership, and creativity in talented high school students who have the potential to address local, national, and global concerns.
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Who May Apply |
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Academically talented high school students who are current sophomores and juniors at the time of the application deadline may apply to the Governor's School for the Agricultural Sciences. Applicants will be asked to demonstrate academic achievement, an interest in science experiences and a record of leadership and service activities.
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Costs and Commitment |
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The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides tuition, room, board, instructional materials and program activities for all participants. Families are responsible for transportation to and from the program, pocket money, a residential life deposit that is refunded if all conditions are met, and for damages not covered by the deposit. Students must remain in residence for the full 35-day program, including weekends. They are expected to arrive promptly for all classes and activities. There is some unscheduled time nearly every day for personal use, but the Governor's School cannot provide special facilities or alter schedules for formal athletic training, intensive music study or other commitments unrelated to the program.
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Selection Process |
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Applications are reviewed by a committee comprised of Penn State professors; state agricultural, educational and environmental officials; and the Governor's School administration.
Applications are broken down into geographic, Intermediate Unit region groups. Applications are only compared to others in the same group and not to the entire pool. If a region does not have applications that meet basic or competitive criteria, no one from that region will be taken; however, that is a rare occurrence.
A strong performance in the essays is critical to selection; a strong transcript and/or high test scores will not offset sloppy, indifferent writing.
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Criteria |
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Essays in General - Basic Criteria: Are competently written; are fully developed; avoid clichés; demonstrate an interest in and understanding of agricultural and/or environmental issues.
- Competitive Criteria: Demonstrate excellent, mature writing skills; the presence of a voice and personal writing style; critical thinking; ownership of the ideas presented; self-awareness; genuine interest in and connection to agricultural and/or environmental concerns.
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Read more...
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A Typical Schedule |
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| Weekdays | | 7:00 a.m. | Breakfast | | 8:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. | Core Courses or ISP* work time | | Noon | Lunch | | 1:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m. | Core Courses or ISP work time. Electives in weeks 4 and 5 | | 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | Dinner | | 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. | ISP meetings, leadership training, seminars, special workshops, committee meetings | | | | Saturdays | | Morning | Various curricular activities, ISP - Independent Study Project work, and field trips | | Afternoons & Evenings | Field trips, planned program activities and recreation | | | | Sundays | | Morning | Personal Time | | Afternoon | Cultural, service, or recreational activities scheduled for afternoons | | | |
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Curriculum, Faculty, & Facilities |
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All PGSAS students take core courses plus two to three electives. Core courses are often involve more than one type of class plus laboratory experiences. The Independent Study Project (ISP) is a central activity in the curriculum. Course offerings are revised each year, and ISP projects depend on current professional research being undertaken at the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. Recent core course themes have included:
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Read more...
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