Princeton University Summer Journalism Program

We Received this Message in the Dog Star Mailbox:
 

We are writing to inform you about an all-expenses-paid summer program for high school student journalists from low-income backgrounds that will take place for 10 days in August on the campus of Princeton University. The program is entering its 11th year; since 2002, more than 200 students from high schools across the country have been selected to participate in the program. They were taught by journalists from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Miami Herald, The New Republic and The New Yorker; they covered Yankees, Mets, Jets and Liberty games and held a press conference with New Jersey's secretary of state; they met with Princeton University's president and dean of admissions; they received counseling on their college applications from our staff, which consists of Princeton University alumni and undergraduates; and they published their own newspaper. We hope that you will consider nominating some of your students to participate in this exciting program for aspiring young journalists.  To learn more about the Princeton Summer Journalism Program and to read previous editions of our publication, The Princeton Summer Journal, and to read testimonies from our students, please visit our website: www.princeton.edu/sjp.  

 

To be eligible for the program, students must meet the following qualifications:
- They must currently be juniors in high school.
- They must live in the continental United States.
- They must have at least an unweighted 3.5 grade point average (out of 4.0).
- They must have an interest in journalism.
- The combined income of their custodial parent(s)/guardian(s) plus
child support payments, if any, must not exceed $45,000.
Note: This program is for students from low-income backgrounds. If the combined income of the custodial parent(s)/guardian(s) plus child support payments, if any, exceeds $45,000 and a student still wishes to apply, he or she may attach a letter explaining why his or her family qualifies as financially under-resourced.

We ask that you encourage students to apply to this all-expenses-paid program at Princeton University. If you are an administrator, we ask that you help us spread the word by publishing an announcement to teachers or other administrators who might know students who would be interested in applying. See below for more information.

Please feel free to nominate as many students as you have who are interested. We will happily accept several students from the same school, so there is no need to worry about your own students competing for slots in the program. We have not determined the exact dates, but the program will run for 10 days from a Friday to a Monday at the end of the July through the first week in August.

The application process will take place in two parts. For the first part, students should fill out the application, which can be found and submitted online here: https://fs4.formsite.com/pusjp/form1/secure_index.html.  We must receive the application by 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. No extensions will be given for any reason. Please do not mail a hard copy of the application to Princeton University.

In the second round of the application process, finalists will be interviewed by the program directors—either in person or over the phone—and they will be asked to provide printed copies of the following items via U.S. mail: an official transcript; the first page of the 2009 (or 2010, if available) income-tax return form (the 1040 or 1040EZ form) of their custodial parent(s)/guardian(s), or a signed statement by their parent(s)/guardian(s) saying that their income is below the level at which they would be required to file income tax returns; a recommendation letter from a teacher; and clips from their high school newspaper or other publication (optional).

A final word: We know that the process of applying to any selective program can be stressful, not to mention a lot of work—for students as well as their teachers. But, over the years, the students we have had come through our program have told us that, ultimately, the work they put into their application was worth it.

If you have questions, the best way to reach us is via email at sjp@princeton.edu.  All application materials—as well as additional information about the program—are available at www.princeton.edu/sjp.