What to Do This Summer to Maximize Your Chances of Getting Into TJHSST

Summer break represents a crucial opportunity for students preparing to apply to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST). While summer should include rest and relaxation, it's also a strategic window to strengthen your academic foundation, deepen your STEM engagement, practice for application components, and develop experiences that will make your TJHSST application stand out. Unlike the school year, summer provides flexible time to pursue activities that demonstrate your genuine passion for STEM and your readiness for TJHSST's rigorous academic environment.

This comprehensive guide outlines proven strategies for making the most of your summer months to maximize your chances of TJHSST admission. Whether you're entering 7th grade with several summers ahead of you or you're preparing to apply as an 8th grader, these strategies will help you use your summer intentionally to build a competitive application profile.

Why Summer Matters for TJHSST Admissions

Summer provides unique advantages for TJHSST preparation that the school year often doesn't offer. During the summer, you have extended time to pursue independent projects, engage in STEM camps and programs, accelerate your coursework, and practice for application components without the competing demands of regular school assignments.

Additionally, summer activities demonstrate genuine interest and initiative. Admissions committees recognize that students who choose to engage in learning during their free time—rather than only when required—show the kind of intrinsic motivation and passion for STEM that TJHSST values. Your summer activities can also provide compelling material for your Student Portrait Sheet (SPS) responses, giving you concrete examples of leadership, problem-solving, and engagement to draw from.

1. Strengthen Your Academic Foundation

A strong academic foundation is essential for TJHSST admission. Summer provides an opportunity to address any weaknesses, accelerate your coursework, or deepen your understanding of subjects that will be important for both your application and your success at TJHSST if admitted.

Take a Summer Math Course or Acceleration Class

Mathematics is fundamental to TJHSST's curriculum and the admissions assessment. Many successful applicants have completed Algebra I by 7th or 8th grade, and some have even completed Geometry or Algebra II before entering high school. Summer math acceleration can position you well for TJHSST admission and prepare you for the mathematical thinking required in the Problem-Solving Essay (PSE).

Options for Summer Math Acceleration:

• Online Courses: Consider accredited online programs such as Art of Problem Solving (AoPS), Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY), or your local school district's virtual learning programs. These courses often offer flexible pacing and rigorous content.
• Local Programs: Many community colleges, universities, or local educational organizations offer summer math courses for middle school students. These can provide structured learning with instructor support.
• Tutoring or Small Group Instruction: Working with a qualified tutor or in a small group setting can provide personalized instruction tailored to your learning style and pace.
• Self-Study: If you're self-motivated, you can use structured textbooks, online resources like Khan Academy, and practice problems from competitions like the AMC 8 to guide your independent study.

If you're planning to accelerate in math, make sure you have a solid understanding of prerequisite concepts before moving forward. Rushing through material without comprehension won't help you in the long run. Focus on understanding concepts deeply rather than simply covering material quickly.

Brush Up on Science Fundamentals

TJHSST isn't just looking for students who can earn good science grades—they're seeking students who are genuinely engaged with scientific thinking, experimentation, and discovery. Summer provides time to explore science beyond the classroom curriculum.

Ways to Deepen Your Science Engagement:

• Conduct Mini Science Projects: Design and carry out small-scale experiments at home. This could involve testing hypotheses, collecting data, analyzing results, and drawing conclusions. Document your process, as this demonstrates scientific thinking and can provide material for your SPS responses.
• Engage with Science Content: Watch educational science videos from sources like CrashCourse, Kurzgesagt, or Veritasium, but don't just watch passively. Summarize key concepts in a journal, connect ideas across videos, or create your own explanations to test your understanding.
• Create Science Communication: Start a blog, YouTube channel, or podcast where you explain scientific concepts to others. Teaching is one of the best ways to deepen your own understanding, and creating science content demonstrates communication skills and genuine interest.
• Read Science Books: Explore popular science books that interest you. Books that explain scientific concepts in accessible ways can broaden your understanding and expose you to new areas of STEM.

The key is to move beyond passive consumption of science content to active engagement—experimenting, questioning, creating, and applying scientific thinking in your own projects.

2. Deepen Your STEM Engagement Through Programs and Projects

TJHSST admissions committees want to see that you're genuinely interested in STEM and that you pursue learning beyond what's required in school. Summer programs and independent projects are excellent ways to demonstrate this engagement.

Join a Summer STEM Camp or Program

Summer STEM camps and programs provide structured opportunities to explore STEM fields, work with peers who share similar interests, and learn from experienced instructors. These experiences can be valuable for both skill development and your application.

Types of Summer STEM Programs to Consider:

• University-Based Programs: Many universities offer summer programs for middle school students in areas like robotics, coding, engineering, or science exploration. Examples include programs at MIT, Stanford, and other institutions.
• Specialized Camps: Look for camps focused on specific areas like coding bootcamps, robotics camps, engineering design challenges, or science research programs.
• Local Options: Don't overlook local opportunities through libraries, science museums, community centers, or school districts. These can be more accessible and affordable while still providing valuable experiences.
• Virtual Programs: Online STEM camps have become more common and can provide flexibility. Many offer interactive, project-based learning experiences.

When choosing a program, prioritize those that are project-based and allow you to create something tangible. Programs where you build, code, experiment, or solve real problems are more valuable than those that are primarily lecture-based.

Work on a Passion Project

Independent passion projects are among the most impressive activities you can pursue during the summer. They demonstrate initiative, self-direction, genuine interest, and the ability to follow through on long-term goals—all qualities TJHSST values highly.

Project Ideas to Consider:

• Build a Website or App: Learn web development or app programming and create something useful or interesting. Document your process, challenges you faced, and what you learned.
• Design Home Lab Experiments: Conduct scientific experiments at home. For example, test how different variables affect plant growth, investigate the properties of materials, or explore physics concepts through hands-on investigation.
• Create Science Content: Start a blog, YouTube channel, or podcast focused on a STEM topic that fascinates you. Create content that explains concepts, shares experiments, or discusses recent scientific discoveries.
• Build Something: Construct a robot, design and build a structure, create an electronic project, or engineer a solution to a problem you've identified. Document your design process, iterations, and what you learned.
• Conduct Independent Research: Choose a question you're curious about and design a research project to investigate it. This could involve surveys, experiments, data analysis, or literature review depending on your topic.
• Contribute to Open Source: If you're interested in programming, contribute to open-source projects. Start small with documentation, bug fixes, or small features, and work your way up.

The best projects are those that genuinely interest you and that you can see through to completion. A small project that you complete well is more impressive than a grand project that remains unfinished.

3. Practice the Application Components

Summer provides uninterrupted time to practice for the two main written components of the TJHSST application: the Student Portrait Sheet (SPS) and the Problem-Solving Essay (PSE). While you won't know the exact prompts until exam day, you can develop skills and gather experiences that will help you respond effectively.

Prepare for the Student Portrait Sheet (SPS)

The SPS consists of several short-answer prompts that ask you to reflect on your experiences and demonstrate qualities like collaboration, leadership, creativity, and ethical citizenship. While you can't write your exact responses in advance, you can prepare by reflecting on your experiences and practicing your writing.

Summer Preparation Strategies for the SPS:

• Reflect on Your Experiences: Take time to think about experiences that have shaped you—times when you showed leadership, worked collaboratively, solved problems creatively, or demonstrated resilience. Journal about these experiences, focusing on what you did, what challenges you faced, and what you learned.
• Practice Writing to Prompts: Find sample SPS-style prompts (you can search for past prompts if available) and practice writing responses. Focus on being specific, telling stories rather than making general claims, and connecting your experiences to qualities TJHSST values.
• Develop Your Voice: Practice writing in a clear, authentic voice that sounds like you. Avoid overly formal language or trying to sound like someone you're not. Admissions committees can detect inauthentic responses.
• Practice Under Time Pressure: Set a timer and practice writing responses within the time limits you'll face on exam day. This helps you learn to write clearly and concisely while still being substantive.
• Get Feedback: Share your practice responses with teachers, parents, or mentors and ask for honest feedback about clarity, specificity, and authenticity.

Use your summer activities as opportunities to create new experiences that you can draw from in your SPS responses. When you engage in projects, programs, or volunteer work, be mindful of how these experiences demonstrate the qualities TJHSST values.

Sharpen Your Problem-Solving Essay (PSE) Skills

The PSE evaluates your ability to work through challenging, multi-step problems and explain your thinking clearly. Summer provides time to develop your problem-solving abilities and practice explaining your reasoning in writing.

Summer Preparation Strategies for the PSE:

• Practice Problem-Solving Regularly: Work through logic puzzles, brain teasers, math competition problems, or challenging word problems regularly. The key is to practice thinking through problems systematically and explaining your process.
• Study Past PSE Problems: If past PSE problems are available, study them to understand the style and complexity level. While you won't see the same problems, familiarity with the format helps reduce anxiety.
• Practice Explaining Your Thinking: When solving problems, practice writing out your thought process clearly. Explain each step, why you're taking it, and how it connects to your overall approach. This is a skill that improves with practice.
• Work on Time Management: Practice solving problems and explaining your process within time limits similar to what you'll face on exam day. Learn to balance thoroughness with efficiency.
• Develop Mathematical Communication: Practice using appropriate mathematical notation, showing your work clearly, and explaining mathematical concepts in writing. Clear communication is essential for a strong PSE response.
• Learn to Show Progress Even When Stuck: Practice explaining what you've tried, where you're stuck, and what you might try next. Partial progress with clear reasoning can be valued even if you don't reach a complete solution.

Remember that the PSE is about demonstrating your problem-solving process, not just getting the right answer. Focus on developing your ability to think logically, work systematically, and communicate your reasoning clearly.

4. Demonstrate Leadership and Initiative

TJHSST values students who take initiative and demonstrate leadership abilities. Summer provides opportunities to develop and demonstrate these qualities through activities you organize or lead yourself.

Ideas for Demonstrating Leadership and Initiative:

• Start a Club or Group: Organize a neighborhood STEM club, coding group, science exploration team, or tutoring service. Leading a group demonstrates organizational skills, communication abilities, and initiative.
• Volunteer to Teach: Offer to teach younger children about a STEM topic you're passionate about. This could be through a library program, community center, summer camp, or informal tutoring. Teaching demonstrates communication skills, expertise, and a willingness to contribute to others.
• Organize Community Events: Host a "STEM Night" at your local library or community center where you and other students present projects, experiments, or demonstrations. Organizing events shows leadership and community engagement.
• Create Educational Resources: Develop tutorials, guides, or educational content that helps others learn about STEM topics. Sharing knowledge demonstrates expertise and a commitment to helping others learn.
• Take on Responsibilities: Volunteer for leadership roles in existing organizations, camps, or programs. Even in structured programs, there are often opportunities to take on additional responsibilities.

Leadership doesn't always mean being in charge of a large group. Leading a small project, organizing a single event, or taking initiative in any context demonstrates the qualities TJHSST values. What matters is that you identify needs or opportunities and take action to address them.

5. Build a Reflection Journal

One of the most valuable summer preparation activities is maintaining a reflection journal. Regular reflection helps you process your experiences, identify what you've learned, and develop material for your application responses. The practice of reflection also makes you more self-aware, which helps you write more authentic and compelling SPS responses.

What to Include in Your Reflection Journal:

• What You Learned: Each week, write about new concepts, skills, or insights you gained through your summer activities. Be specific about what you learned and how you learned it.
• Challenges and Growth: Reflect on difficulties you encountered, how you handled them, and what you learned from the experience. Challenges and how you respond to them often make the best material for application responses.
• Connections: Think about how your summer activities connect to your broader interests, goals, or previous experiences. Making connections shows deeper thinking.
• Questions and Curiosity: Record questions that arise from your summer activities. What do you want to explore further? What puzzles you? Showing curiosity and a willingness to ask questions demonstrates intellectual engagement.
• Experiences and Stories: Write detailed accounts of meaningful experiences from your summer. Include specifics about what happened, what you did, what you felt, and what you learned. These detailed accounts become valuable material for your SPS responses.

Your reflection journal doesn't need to be formal or polished—it's a tool for your own thinking and development. However, the practice of regular reflection will make you more prepared to write thoughtful, specific responses to SPS prompts when the time comes.

Creating a Balanced Summer Plan

While it's important to use your summer productively, it's also essential to create balance. Burnout won't help your application, and you need time for rest, relaxation, and activities you enjoy simply for fun.

Tips for a Balanced Approach:

• Set Clear Goals: Identify 2-3 main objectives for your summer (e.g., complete Geometry, finish a coding project, practice SPS writing). Focus on these rather than trying to do everything.
• Schedule Dedicated Time: Block out specific times for your TJHSST preparation activities, but also schedule time for rest, hobbies, social activities, and unstructured time.
• Combine Interests: Look for ways to combine your TJHSST preparation with activities you genuinely enjoy. If you love video games, consider learning game development. If you enjoy nature, conduct outdoor science experiments.
• Involve Others: Many summer activities are more enjoyable and sustainable when done with friends or family. Consider forming study groups, working on projects with peers, or involving family members in your activities.
• Stay Flexible: If a planned activity isn't working out or you discover a new interest, it's okay to adjust your plans. Authentic engagement matters more than sticking to a rigid schedule.

Conclusion: Making Your Summer Count

The students who stand out in the TJHSST admissions process aren't just those with perfect grades—they're students who are curious, creative, resilient, and deeply engaged in learning. Summer provides the time and flexibility to develop these qualities through intentional activities, projects, and preparation.

Focus on depth over breadth. A summer where you complete one meaningful project, develop one new skill significantly, or make real progress in one area is more valuable than a summer where you dabble in many activities without real engagement or progress. Quality and authenticity matter more than checking off every possible activity.

Remember that your summer activities should reflect your genuine interests and passions. Don't pursue activities just because you think they'll look good on your application. Admissions committees can tell when students are going through the motions rather than engaging authentically. Pursue activities that genuinely interest you, and your passion will show through in your application.

Finally, use your summer to have experiences that give you stories to tell. The best SPS responses come from students who can draw on specific, meaningful experiences. Your summer is an opportunity to create those experiences and to reflect on what they mean to you.