Hey SPF Seniors! Where are you Going to College?

Justin Scholar wore a path from the front door to the mailbox, eagerly rushing to find out if he'd gotten into any of the colleges he'd applied to. Like so many other high-school seniors, the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School student finally breathed a sigh of relief when he found out that his first choice, New York University, deemed him worthy for their Class of 2016.

You can read his story below, but we want to hear everyone's acceptance stories, so let us know where you'll be matriculating (how's that for an SAT word?). How many schools did you apply to, what will you be studying, what sealed the deal for the place you will be attending? How do you feel about leaving your home town behind and starting a new life at a new school?

Send your story (no matter how brief or extensive) to your Patch Editor at emily5988@gmail.com. Be sure to include a photo of you decked out in University gear and apparel or holding up your acceptance letters.

Congratulations to the Class of 2012!

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My name is Justin Scholar. I am a senior at Scotch Plains-Fanwood high School, and on March 29th I was accepted to the prestigious New York University, specifically NYU Tisch School of the Arts. I am a Film/TV Production major. I was also accepted to Emerson College in Boston, MA, where I took two classes last summer.

In order to apply to Tisch, I had to construct a portfolio with my best work - I submitted an episode of my restaurant review show, "Taste of Our Town," where my host Craig Gorbunoff (accepted to Montclair University) spotlighted the Highlander Diner on Park Avenue. 

I began working in television production during my freshman year of high school as an avid volunteer for Scotch Plains Television, channel 34. It was there that I met Station Manager, Mr. Bill McMeekan who encouraged my growth in the field. I also work at the studio in the municipal building, whether it be running wires and rebuilding the studio or directing a shoot.

I've worked on countless projects over the years, including two of my own running television series. I have won a national award for my work- an episode of my show "That Just Happened" won Best in Entertainment Variety at the Alliance for Community Media's 2011 National Hometown Video Awards. I was the only winner from New Jersey. I flew out and accepted my award at the conference in Phoenix, AZ in the summer of 2011.

The experience I've gained here is invaluable; I can't thank the town of Scotch Plains enough for allowing me to work as I have and for encouraging me by supporting and watching my programming.

I am excited to represent the township of Scotch Plains and bring my small-town local TV background to the most competitive, ambitious group of film students in the world. I will be studying with theatre and film students from across the world, including Bangalore, Taiwan, and China.

Scotch Plains Television has sent many students like me to the most prestigious film schools in the country, including Will Kempner last year and Blake Lyons the year before to NYU.

Our station has also been recognized on a national level for excellence in operation and programming. We are also the nation's oldest running high school news program. I always feel as though we are the "underdog" group at the high school and hope one day we will be recognized as the massively successful operation we are today. 

I am glad that my extensive work with my community helped me get into one of the most prestigious film production programs in the world. Support your local television channel. Tune to Channel 34 (22 on Verizon cable) and watch student-made programming and great news on the town. For more of my work, visit vimeo.com/picaresquemedia