Abigail Kosch '24
6 December 2021

On December 1, 2021 Passaic Valley held its annual On-Site Admissions Day for seniors. An all day event, 52 seniors sat down for brief ten to fifteen minute interviews with 14 New Jersey colleges. With over 134 acceptances, over $590,000 in scholarship money was awarded to students.

On-Site Admissions Day slideshow

On-Site Admissions Day is held in the Guidance Department each year. Students completed the interview process with the colleges they applied for, then representatives from the colleges decided on the spot if the student was accepted or waitlisted.

This event was momentous for participating PV seniors. It allowed for students to potentially receive their first college acceptance before winter break. “It alleviates the stress of the students in that at least they’ve been accepted to one school, even if they may not be going to a New Jersey school,” said Guidance Counselor Ms. Jennifer Shue. “For a lot of these kids, it will be their first acceptance in their college application process, so to have that one to put in your back pocket is huge.”

Students began putting together applications, transcripts, and letters of recommendation in October, when the date of the event was announced. Students had to have their applications submitted by November 15th. Guidance counselors then put together student packets with all of their materials and submitted them through Naviance.

PV guidance counselors work hard to make sure the day runs smoothly and to ensure that students are prepared for the big day. “For us it’s nerve-wracking putting it together and making sure all the students have applied," said Ms. Shue. "We give them a month to get everything together. Then the admissions representatives have to put together their list and make sure they have all the supplemental materials."

Part of preparing for On-Site Admissions Day was making sure students knew how they had to prepare for the event. “That’s one of the things we really talk to the students about when they sign up for the event," said Ms. Shue. "It's fun. It’s not supposed to be stressful, the representatives are really nice, and they are really excited to be here."

While preparing all the physical materials needed for the day was important, mentally preparing was equally crucial. "It was all about getting in the zone and making every interview worth it," said Hatem Haddouche '22.

Participating Passaic Valley seniors were accepted into local colleges consisting of Berkeley College, Bloomfield College, Caldwell University, Drew University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Felician University, Kean University, Montclair State University, New Jersey City University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Seton Hall University, and Stevens Institute of Technology.