An applicant must be a current junior in any secondary school at the time of the application deadline. Home schoolers are eligible.

• An applicant must have at least one custodial parent or legal court appointed guardian whose primary residence of record is in Pennsylvania. Military dependents stationed in Pennsylvania are eligible.
• A student may not have previously attended any of the former Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence.
• A student who accepts an invitation to attend the Health Career Scholars Academy must commit to the full residential, four week long, seven days a week program.
• There are no exceptions to these rules.

The application itself also lists grounds for application disqualification, applicant responsibilities and procedures.

Application - Will be available on this site in Ocotober 2009

Financial Aid - Download this form and send with application

Chief Essay

Choose one of the following essay themes:

1. Select a current issue related to health care. Explain your interest in the issue; discuss the problems, and possible approaches or solutions you recommend. You may select one topic from the suggestions below or one of your own choosing (the topic must be health care related).

• Health Care Issues in My Local Community (identify one issue)
• Ethics and Health Care
• The Biggest Challenge Facing Health Care Professionals Today

2. Select and discuss a national health care concern that also affects your local community. Provide evidence that this is a legitimate concern and propose a solution to address the problem.

There are four (4) parts to the application that must be completed.

• Personal Data Sheet: includes Student Information (name address, etc) and three essays. These essays are a)introduce yourself to the selection committee b) provide a resume of your extracurricular activities including volunteer work and c) essay addressing a current health care topic.
• Science Teacher Reference Form: have a current, or past science teacher evaluate you
• Activity Adviser/Teacher Reference Form: have a current teacher, health science teacher, extracurricular adviser, or volunteer/service coordinator evaluate you
• Guidance Counselor Recommendation Form: counselor provides absence/tardy information, standardized test score information (if available), and a grade transcript.

For further information, please see the application.