High school students may have more options than they are aware of when it comes to their education. Students in Somerset and some neighboring counties can seek admission to Somerset County Vocational & Technical School, located at 14 Vogt Drive, Bridgewater.
While students can certainly seek admission for programs such as Auto Mechanics, Plumbing, Welding, Building Trades, and Electrical Construction, there are so many other options. These include Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Law & Public Safety, Performing Arts, and Health Occupations.
Some students attend Vo-Tech under a “shared-time” plan, taking 15 credits of vocational training along with four academic classes at their high school. Other students attend Vo-Tech full time.
The typical entry route is for students to take an entrance exam as 8th graders. Applications are currently available online for the 2025-26 school year with a regular application deadline of December 31st, 2024, and a late application submission of January 1st to 31st, 2025. Admission testing will be held February 22nd, 2025, and then again on March 1st, 2025 for late applicants.
One of the more popular offerings is the highly reputable “Gifted and Talented Performing Arts Program.” Students must audition for the competitive Theater Arts Program or Dance Program. Graduates of the performing arts have moved onto such prestigious institutions as Princeton, Columbia, and Carnegie Mellon universities, NYU and Mason Gross School of the Arts, Boston Conservatory of Music, and London Academy of Music & Dramatic Arts.
Another popular offering at Vo-Tech is The Academy for Health & Medical Sciences. This is a rigorous four-year honors program that partners with Raritan Valley Community College. Students take high school and college courses, and graduate with both a high school diploma and an Associate degree in General Science. Typically, only 30 students are accepted each year, based on their 7th and 8th grade GPA, standardized test scores, admission testing, and personal interview. Accepted students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 each semester to remain in the program. Graduates have moved onto such prestigious institutions as Princeton, Cornell, Yale, Emory, and Johns Hopkins universities, as well as to the University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
It's exciting for local students to know they have so many academic and career-oriented options right in their own county.
Susan Alaimo is the founder & director of Collegebound Review, offering PSAT/SAT® preparation & private college advising by Ivy League educated instructors. Visit CollegeboundReview.com or call 908-369-5362
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