<p>The tough part really is getting the summer acceptances. My son was accepted into the collegiate experience this summer. There were 90 sophomores in total at three locations. As far as we can tell, he was the only student from NJ. </p>
<p>The competition for the internships (which are paid!) is even more intense. These internships are amazing. I was at a NASA event in NYC a few weeks ago and spoke with many scientists from the different centers. They told me that NASA uses NASA INSPIRE as a sort of feeder program for NASA employment. The students come for internships and end up with careers at NASA! Even though the manned space shuttles have ended, NASA is shifting its resources to robotics and other endeavours. It is not going away.</p>