Posts Tagged ‘university of pennsylvania’

Another Summer of Boredom? Think Pre-College Summer Programs!

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Considering another summer spent playing video games, bumming at the mall, or vegging out in front of the TV?  Not that there’s anything wrong with taking a little break but – that’s not going to set you apart from the college bound crowd!  To make yourself really stand out to college admissions (and earn a college credit) you might want to look into a pre-college summer program offered by a college or university!

Option #1: Spend another summer mowing the lawn?

Nate Kay / Nate Kay

From math summer programs to summer business programs – if you want to study it, it’s out there!  What a great way to check out the actual workings of a college!

Staying in the dorms or residence hall, eating the cafeteria food, and exploring the college campus give you a sense of the college atmosphere before you ever make that official campus visit!  Take a look at a small sampling of the big variety of pre-college summer programs to fit any student!  Get in touch with the colleges and see what is still available (or the application due dates for next year).  Explore your options – you’ve got years left to plan!

Love science and math?  You might have met your match!  The School of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) presents a Summer Academy in Applied Science and Technology (or SAAST).  High achievers can choose from five fabulous UPenn summer programs in exciting fields: biotechnology, computer graphics, computer science, nanotechnology, and robotics in an intense three week course full of hands-on learning — and fun!  Successful completion of this UPenn summer program could net you a college credit!

Looking for something even longer? Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York) has a six week long summer college for high school students program with a shot at earning seven college credits (with non-credit two and three weeks programs, too).  There are a lot of choice from – more than thirty courses from the Liberal Arts section alone!  There’s also Fashion Design, Law, and Architecture (to name a few more).   Connect with the Summer of Syracuse 2010 group on Facebook and start planning!

College + Workshops + Seminars. Students in the University of Maryland Young Scholars Program choose one intro-level three week college course (mock trials, kinesiology, or landscape architecture to name a few) for college credit.  Scheduled workshops at the University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland) mix things up a bit, including Stock Market Planning and Tai Chi as well as informative seminars with topics like social media privacy or tips about traveling abroad – talk about a nice (and super fun) little bonus!

Or Option #2: Hit the books, meet new people, get college credit, and have a ton of fun?

Horia Varlan / Horia Varlan

More fun than a barrel of monkeys! The Emory College of Arts and Sciences at Emory College (Atlanta, Georgia) offers up a six week residential or commuter program with courses like Public Health, Sustainability, Film Studies, or Anthropology..  When not listening to speakers or participating in student-panel discussions, students live it up on awesome scheduled tours and field trips, like to the Planetarium, the High Museum, or an Atlanta Braves baseball game.

Say goodbye to summer boredom! The five week High School Summer Scholars Program at Washington University in St. Louis (St Louis, Missouri) is for high school Sophomores and Juniors – and you could net yourself up to seven college credits!  Dig in to courses like geology, mathematics, Italian, dance, history, or economics.  With scheduled trips, social events, and free time (of course), it could be the makings for a summer to remember!  WUSTLhsscholars is on Twitter – so you can get connected!

Cornell University Summer College Programs for High School Students (Ithaca, New York) attracts students interested in veterinary medicine, business, or even college success (a program to help ease your transition to college and then some!). You can browse through Cornell University summer program highlights through photos, videos, a Facebook page, even blogs!  What’s even better?  They are all eligible for college credit!

We weren’t kidding when we said there were plenty of choices!  So go ahead, start planning and creating the summer of your dreams – and jump into college life!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Preparing for College, Summer Programs | 6 Comments »

College Graduation: Pomp, Circumstance, and Unusual Traditions

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

My College Guide has mentioned unusual college traditions and superstitions before…but with all the exciting talk about college graduations all over the web — we thought you might be surprised to hear that many college commencement ceremonies are definitely not what you would expect!  Take a peek at some of the fun and unique traditions surrounding college graduation – and some of the fun events that you have to look forward in the future!

Colleges with a large student body, like at Texas A&M University, decorate their mortarboards so friends and family can pick them out in the crowd!

sarowen / Sarah

For some colleges, it is all about the graduation gowns: they’ve gone green!  No, we aren’t talking about the color — colleges like the University of New Hampshire and Saint Michael’s College are wearing earth-friendly recycled graduation gowns created from plastic bottles.

The College of Charleston has a different take on caps and gowns: they just don’t wear them!  Spring graduates wear white — dinner jackets for the men and dresses for the women, while December College of Charleston graduates attire themselves in black tuxes or dresses.  No formal dress required at the University of California Davis – students go with the creative flow, decorating their mortarboards as they see fit, even wearing flowers and leis from friends and family.

Some colleges give a nod at their heritage, like Covenant College which includes bagpipes at their graduation ceremony.  While others, like Connecticut College, honor the college seal.  For almost twenty years, Conn College graduates have received an Eastern White Pine sapling, wrapped in blue and white ribbon, Conn College’s school colors, and green, that they will carry with them as they walk.

Saint Mary of the Woods College doesn’t receive a sapling but a crown of leaves.  The intertwined leaves are a symbol of success and a “well-rooted foundation” and are handed to graduates while at the Faculty – Senior Reception, traditionally held the week before graduation.  At Williams College, graduates hope for success as all eyes focus on a watch, or rather, the dropping of a watch from the top of the college chapel spire, a fall of 80 feet!   This Williams College tradition dates back to 1916 – if the watch breaks, the class will be lucky in life!

Columbia University graduates throw or wave items related to their college major.

Mira (on the wall) / Mira John

The University of South Florida new graduates, like many college grads, sing the USF Alma Mater at the end of the graduation ceremony.  Goshen College graduates sign their names in the college book, a 100 year tradition!  Oglethorpe University graduating seniors also sign a book – but not before gaining exclusive access to the Lutpon Hall Clock Tower and ringing the bells!  The College of William and Mary seniors line up to ring the Wren Building Bell after their last class.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology students have a different tradition – before graduating, MIT undergraduates wear their class ring, or Brass Rat, flipped around, so only the seal, motto, and skyline is visible.  When graduating, the ring is turned, to proudly display the graduation date!   Meredith College and Indiana University are a couple of other colleges that share this common college ring tradition.

Wondering about any new college traditions?  It might just involve Twitter!  Colleges like East Carolina University, Hampton University, and the University of Pennsylvania encouraged the Class of 2010 graduates to follow along or update their Twitter status during the ceremony – it’s a trend that is sure to catch on!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Choosing a College, College Campus, College Life, Fun Stuff | 2 Comments »