Summer Programs Connecting 85 CA Youth to College

Summary

We provide three 5-week summer academic programs for disadvantaged high school students, enabling them to succeed on college admissions test and broaden their opportunities to attend college.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

Nearly all four-year colleges require either the SAT or the ACT for admission, but disadvantaged students from low income families score, on average, more than 200 points lower on the SAT than students from middle and high income families, a figure that a Princeton economics study estimates as worth $100,000 in future lifetime income. Our current programs support Stanford Upward Bound, UCI Upward Bound, and Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula.

How will this project solve this problem?

We provide three 5-week summer academic programs for 85 disadvantaged high school sophomores and juniors in southern and northern California. These programs include 25 hours of SAT-specific instruction, diagnostic testing, and other opportunities.

Potential Long Term Impact

The project will enable 85 disadvantaged students to not only attend college but also thrive in college by giving them access to universities that have the resources to ensure that each student succeeds and graduates free of financial burdens.

Project Message

"You're saying that we spend 4,000 hours in high school and that's our GPA, and the SAT is worth almost as much and we can prep for that in 40 hours. It's like going to the store and getting 99% off!"
- J.P., Program participant at Stanford Upward Bound.

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).