Getting Started:

•    Make sure that you understand the goals and activities of this program and that they align with your personal interests and curiosity.  Read the program information on this website and the program’s website, http://www-pgss.mcs.cmu.edu.

•    Make sure you are using the current (2009) application.

•    Familiarize yourself with the 4 parts of the application and what is required in each.  Pay attention to the deadline and notification information on page 1 and the procedures on page 2 of the application. 

•    Give your guidance counselor advance notice of your intent to apply to the Governor’s School.  Review the procedures on pages 2 and 9.  Agree on a "pre" deadline by which you and the teacher references must submit your parts to the counselor.

•    Do not be shy about checking with the teacher references and the counselor to make sure their parts are completed on time.

•    Do not wait until the last minute to complete your part of the application.  Set a goal of having all parts of the application completed by the December holidays.  Deadlines cannot be waived for individuals no matter what the reason. 

•    The selection process is highly competitive and depends on excellence. Do not slapdash your work together. Ask a teacher, parent, counselor or someone with experienced communication skills to critically review your work and point out errors or areas that require improvement.

•    Give your work—the Personal Data Form, the narrative statement, the chief essay and the extracurricular activities resume—to the counselor at one time.  Submitting work piecemeal increases the chance of critical parts getting lost.

•    KEEP BACK UP COPIES OF EVERYTHING YOU SUBMIT!!!!

Teacher References:

•    Select teacher references who can best answer all of the questions on the form.  These questions probe your analytical and critical thinking skills, attitude, creative problem solving, initiative, willingness to accept and learn from criticism, communication skills, responsibility and interaction with others in a community of learners.

•    Alert your guidance counselor to the identity of the references you have chosen.  The teacher references submit their forms directly to the counselor to protect confidentiality.

•    Submit only one of each kind of reference: one science teacher reference and one mathematics teacher reference.  A statistics or computer science teacher can be substituted for the mathematics teacher.

•    Be assertive about reminding the references to get the forms to the counselor on time.

Counselor Recommendation Form:

•    Always keep the counselor advised as to your progress with the application.

•    Provide the counselor with a self-addressed, stamped postcard to include as a business reply with the application.  This will be sent back to you by the Department of Education as a receipt.

•    The PGSS strongly encourages counselors to attach a letter of recommendation for the student.

•    Be assertive about reminding the counselor to follow the checklist on page 9 of the application and to send the application out by the postmark deadline.

Personal Data Form:

•    Either type or neatly hand print in dark ink the information requested on the Personal Data Form.  Do not make a computerized version of the page that is not identical to the original.  

•    Do not forget to identify the school district in which your family resides on a full-time basis.  This assists the Governor's School office in confirming the Intermediate Unit by which you are tracked geographically.

Resume:

•    Your school, community library, English department or counseling office should have a reference guide to resume formats if you are unfamiliar with them.  You can also find formats on the internet.

•    The resume of extracurricular activities should be concise and organized. The PGSS requires that you separate your science, math and/or computer science activities (Part I) from your non science and math activities (Part II).
In each part, include school and community experiences, and, if you have them, church group activities, employment and personal pursuits (what you do on your own time outside of organized activities). 

•    Indicate leadership roles you have held in these activities.

•    List awards and special recognition you have received during your high school career.

Narrative Statement:

•    This is your introduction to the selection panel.  It is an opportunity to convey your personality, where you have been, where you hope to go, your interests and goals.  This is NOT a restatement of the resume.  This should not be a “campaign speech.”

•    This statement should demonstrate a connection between your goals and interests and the content area of the Agricultural Sciences.  It should give an indication of why you would want to spend your summer engaged in the Governor’s School experience.

•    This is an essay: an essay consists of several paragraphs developed around a theme, in this case, you.  Employ your best written skills.

Chief Essay:

•   You are given a choice of two essay themes.  Select just one of them.

•    Both theme choices appear to be very similar to the resume and your narrative statement, but in fact they are asking you to focus on single aspects in your personal experience and to critically explore their effects. 

•    The essay asking about the most influential person or experience that sparked your path in science, math and/or computer science is not asking you to introduce yourself all over again.  It is asking you to describe this person or experience and to reflect on how it resonates on you and your desire to attend the Governor's School and pursue the sciences beyond the regular classroom.

•    The essay prompt asking you to discuss a science, math or computer science achievement should describe a single accomplishment or project of which you are proud.  It should reflect your understanding of its import, not just for you but in the educational or scientific community.  Explain what about it made it satisfying for you.  If you select this prompt, you may include an extra letter of recommendation from a teacher or advisor who supervised the project.

•    Bring your best writing skills to bear on this essay.  Remember that an essay is a series of developed paragraphs that flow logically from an introduction to a conclusion.