TJ Personal Statements

Prepare for the Thomas Jefferson High School admissions process, with an emphasis on crafting strong personal statements.

The course is fully up to date for the revisions implemented by the FCPS School Board during the 2020-2021 school year, and guides students through the details of the new admissions process.

Students practice answering a variety of Student Portrait Sheet essay prompts and learn what the TJ Admissions Committee is looking for in their essays. They also learn a framework for responding to the Problem-Solving Essay question, which requires a written answer and explanation for a challenging mathematics or science-related problem.

Each class meeting includes instruction and feedback to support students in efficiently writing organized, informative, and grammatically correct essays under time constraints. In this course, instructor feedback emphasizes student progress on Student Portrait Sheet responses, developing strategies to highlight the strengths of each student across a wide variety of prompts.

The course also features information about the opportunities available to TJ students, and a chance to hear from TJ alumni about their experiences.