The annual Project Accepted event, held on Sunday, September 17, 2017, attracted the most student interest in Bronx Science history. The event was free and assisted senior students applying to college with their personal statement essay and with their college interview processes. Interested students were given the opportunity to attend two writing workshops and two interview sessions each.

Both essay workshops focused on identifying general positive qualities of college essays and on ways in which to implement them into students’ personal essays. A representative from the University of Chicago led the first essay workshop, guiding students on the do’s and don’ts of writing a college essay. He also showcased actual essays students that wrote during previous years and explained each of these essays’ positive and negative qualities.

“The essay workshops were especially helpful because they gave real examples of what admissions officers expect and want from students like me.”

The second essay workshop was led by representatives from ‘Story 2,’ a college essay service for seniors which is funded by the school’s Alumni Foundation. The representatives from the service advised students to give their essays a genuine voice and provided students with a platform in which they could send their essays to professionals for proofreading and guidance.

“I learned about the different aspects of the college application process that I would not have learned on my own. The essay workshops were especially helpful because they gave real examples of what admissions officers expect and want from students like me,” said Kilala Vincent ’18.

Interview sessions were led primarily by Bronx Science alumni from diverse backgrounds and careers. Several alumni were directly from companies that provide guidance to students during the college process, ranging from SAT preparation courses to interview practice and application advising. They set up mock interviews for students and asked questions that would probably occur during seniors’ upcoming college interviews.

“I was very impressed with the students and by their diverse experiences. Most students did a good job talking about their experiences at Bronx Science, but they needed to work on their knowledge of the colleges that they might apply to and why they’d be a good fit,” said Sherre Levene, an alumnus who attended the event.

In terms of the number of seniors who participated, Project Accepted 2017 was the most successful one yet.