Basic Information:
- Catholic college with a medium-size campus (9,000 undergraduate students) located in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
- Located at the end of the Green Line on the Boston subway (“T”)- very easy to get to and from Boston.
What We Like:
- Options Through Education (OTE) Transitional Summer Program
What is the OTE Program?
- OTE is a six-week academic program geared toward easing the transition to the college experience. There are classes five days a week, six hours a day, along with support services and social activities. 94.5% of AHANA students who participated in OTE have graduated over the past four years; the graduation rate for all AHANA students is 82% over the same period of time.
How to Apply:
- Contact Joana Maynard at (617) 552-4804, or at joana.maynard.1@bc.edu. You can also look on OTE’s website: http://www.bc.edu/offices/ahana/programs/ote/
Basic Information:
- Small liberal arts university (about 3,000 undergraduate students), located in Waltham, Mass (a suburb of Boston).
- Easy to get to Boston by commuter rail (has its own T stop on the Fitchburg line).
What We Like:
- Transitional Year Program (TYP)
What is TYP?
- TYP is a year-long academic program consisting of exclusive courses in humanities, writing, math, science, social science, and computer science. It is geared toward students with potential whose high schools did not offer high-level coursework and those whose have overcome tremendous life obstacles to succeed. Students take four exclusive classes per semester, plus one undergraduate course each semester. Students meet with the Program Director one-on-one in semi-monthly advising meetings.
o TYP pays for room and board (housing and full meal plan) and tuition.
o TYP does not cover books (around $200/semester), personal expenses (around $40/week), or insurance ($537 fee + cost of plan). Approximate cost of Brandeis TYP education for one year: $2237 + health insurance.
o Applicants must be U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents.
o Applicants must be insured or buy a University insurance plan.
How to Apply:
- Send in by March 15th:
o Completed Common Application.
o Official copy of all high school transcripts and/or GED certificate.
o Official copy of SAT or ACT scores and TOEFL scores, if applicable.
o Official transcript(s) for any course(s) taken at the post-secondary school level.
o Three (3) letters of recommendation, preferably from teachers, guidance counselors, employers, ministers, etc.
o A 400-word essay on any experience that has had a significant impact on your life or a 400-word autobiographical statement (part of the Common Application).
o Copy of U.S. Permanent Resident Visa (Green Card) if not a U.S. citizen.
- Contact Erica Smith, director of TYP at (781) 736-3564, or esmith@brandeis.edu. You can also check the website: http://www.brandeis.edu/programs/typ/.
Basic Information:
- Small liberal arts college in the middle of Boston near Fenway Park. Right in between Wheelock and Simmons Colleges.
What We Like:
- RISE Program
What is the RISE Program?
- Geared toward low-income or first generation students with lower test scores but higher grades, who have challenged themselves academically at school. Average GPA is a 3.4, but a 3.0 or above could be accepted. RISE has a 5-week free summer program but does not offer any financial support once the student enrolls.
How to Apply:
- There is no special RISE application. After you apply to Emmanuel, the school will notify you if you get in. Contact Roystone Martinez at (617) 735-9715 or at martinro@emmanuel.edu for more information.
Basic Information:
- Small public liberal arts college (just under 4,000 undergraduate students) in Framingham, Mass, 20 miles from Boston.
- The commuter rail from Framingham to Boston takes about an hour.
What We Like:
- PLUS Program
What is the PLUS Program?
- In place of the standard four classes, each student takes three courses each semester. There is a low advisor/advisee ratio; each student receives special advising and peer tutoring.
How to Apply:
- Contact Maya Weilundemo at (508) 626-4907 or mweilundemo@frc.mass.edu. You can also look at their website: http://www.framingham.edu/CASA/plus.htm
Basic Information:
- Very small private liberal arts college in western, rural Amherst, Mass. (about 1500 undergraduate students).
What We Like:
- James Baldwin Scholars Program
- Part of Five Colleges
- SAT optional
What are the Five Colleges?
- The five colleges are Hampshire, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Amherst, and UMass Amherst. If you go to one you can take classes at all five; the five colleges share resources and are all prestigious.
What is the James Baldwin Scholars Program?
- It is a VERY small program (only about 9-10 students/year) for students with great promise and drive who may not be able to get into Hampshire by regular admissions standards. Often first generation, low-income, disabled students.
- It is a transitional year program: it doesn’t count as freshman year of college. After successful completion of the program, students can either apply to Hampshire for freshman year or apply elsewhere. The course credit will count toward Hampshire requirements, though, and can transfer to other schools.
- Each semester, each student takes three classes instead of the standard four: one chosen class, one tutorial, and one writing class.
- Over the January term, students are required to take another class.
- There is also a 10-week math survival tutorial to develop basic math skills.
- Additionally, a successful Baldwin Scholar can apply for a paid summer internship and work at a non-profit.
- The program provides tuition, room and board, and a book allowance for the year. After the Baldwin year, students become first-years and apply for federal financial aid as a first-year student.
How to Apply:
- Student completes application for first-year students – be sure to check the box for the program on the application. An admissions interview is required BEFORE the February 1st deadline. Be sure to indicate when making an appointment that the student is a Baldwin Candidate. Two letters of recommendation are required.
- Contact Madelaine Marquez, Director of the Baldwin Scholars Program for more information at (413) 559-5301, or check out the website: http://www.hampshire.edu/cms/index.php?id=8966
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)
Basic Information:
- Very small public liberal arts college (about 1500 undergraduate students) in North Adams, Mass. It is in northwestern Mass, near the Vermont and New York borders. 1 hour from Albany, NY, 3 hours from NYC, 2.5 hours from Boston.
What We Like:
- Individual Enrichment Program
What is the Individual Enrichment Program?
- A free four-week residential summer program for first-generation college, low-income, and/or disabled students. MCLA looks for students who have shown academic promise but may not have achieved their full potential in high school.
- Summer: Students take three-credit courses-Learning Strategies, Writing for College and College Writing I, Mathematics for College, and The Creative Arts: Methods and History.
- Academic year: Tutoring, writing, and advising services are continued throughout the year.
How to Apply:
- Students must check a box on the standard application.
- The office of the program will consider their eligibility and either conduct a phone interview or a face-to-face interview.
- Contact Wendy Guerra, Coordinator of the Individual Enrichment Program at (413) 662-5389, or at w.guerra@mcla.edu. You can also check out the website: www.mcla.edu/iesummer.
Basic Information:
- Medium-large university (about 15,000 undergraduate students) in Boston, MA.
What We Like:
- Co-operative Education Program (Co-op)
- Ujima Scholars Program
What is the Co-op Program?
- The Co-op program combines academic study with work experience. Students at Northeastern normally get their degrees in five years: 8 semesters of full-time study and up to 3 semesters of full-time paid work. Northeastern has co-op partnerships with many for-profit and non-profit companies. Northeastern is ranked #1 by Princeton Review for best internships/career services.
What is the Ujima Scholars Program?
- A five-year program that provides students with course advising, free tutoring, personal and career counseling, cultural and educational activities and access to a special library collection of materials on Africans in the Diaspora. The program enrolls students in regular courses based on their selected majors, and strives to have them accepted into their major in their sophomore year. A Reading, Writing, and Study Skills course, which provides instruction in effective literary analysis, critical thinking, essay composition and study skills, is required.
How to Apply:
- Contact: Kwamina Panford at (617) 373-2170 or k.panford@neu.edu. Check out their website: http://www.neu.edu/aai/services/ujima.html.
Basic Information:
- Medium-sized liberal arts college (about 7,000 undergraduate students) in the city of Salem, Mass (famous for witch trials in colonial times).
- North of Boston, about 30 minutes by commuter rail.
What We Like:
- A.I.D./ACCESS Program
What is the A.I.D./ACCESS Program?
- A state grant-funded program that provides alternative admissions opportunities for talented, low-income and educationally disadvantaged students chosen for their academic potential and desire to improve their academic skills. A.I.D./ACCESS students become part of Student Support Services Program (federally funded) and are offered a variety of support services to enhance their potential to succeed.
- Components: six-week residential program, plus academic support and advising, career advising, etc.
How to Apply:
- Contact Arthur T. Gerald, Associate Dean, Learning Center at (978) 542-6213, or check the website: http://www.salemstate.edu/learningcenter/aid/aid.htm.
Basic Information:
- Medium size liberal arts college (about 7,000 undergraduate students) in Dartmouth, Mass. Located in southern Mass, east of Newport and about 40 minutes from Providence.
What We Like:
- START Program (Steps Toward Abstract Reasoning and Thinking)
What is the START Program?
- This is a program for students who are considering a technical major but who lack the necessary foundation at the beginning of their college careers. Women and students of color are especially encouraged.
- The four “steps” of START include:
- A mathematics course which includes algebra through an introduction to calculus
- A laboratory-based science course that assists students in understanding, analyzing, and problem solving in chemistry and physics
- A course that teaches effective reasoning and computer skills in the areas of math and science
- Counseling and tutorial aid which help students develop good study habits in demanding technical programs, and assists them in adjusting to university life
- At the end of the academic year, upon successful completion of the program (2.0 grade point average), the student continues at UMass Dartmouth. Students who begin in START can expect to spend five years pursuing a degree in a technical program unless they take extra courses.
- Each student gets a counselor and has bi-weekly meetings.
- Each student must take and Intro to University course that is taught but a counselor.
How to Apply:
- Contact Carol Spencer at (508) 999-8705 or cspencer@umassd.edu. Or you can contact Anne Boifvert at (508) 999-8702 or aboifvert@umassd.edu. Check out the website: http://www.umassd.edu/undergraduate/alternativeadmissions.cfm.
- Completed applications should be sent in NO later than January – but admissions is rolling, so the earlier the better. Testing and interviews take place before a decision is made (testing is only for placement, it’s not pass/fail). Use a paper app if using a fee waiver.
Basic Information:
- Small public liberal arts college in Westfield, Mass, about 20 minutes from Springfield, Mass, and 2 hours from Boston. Best known for its Criminal Justice and Education programs.
What We Like:
- Urban Education Program
What is the Urban Education Program?
- For students with at least a 2.0 GPA, high school diploma/GED, who have taken the SATs. Preference given to low-income and first-generation college students. UEP provides academic and personal support services to its students, and encourages graduate and/or professional school study.
- Free six-week residential program. Each student takes 5-6 classes and can receive up to 9 college credits. Students live on campus from Sunday through Thursday. Ask about weekend accommodations.
- Academic support services throughout the year, and possible additional grants/scholarships.
How to Apply:
- Students need only to check a box on the regular application. Contact Joan Fuller, Director of Urban Education Program at (413) 572-5389 for more information. Check out the website: www.wsc.ma.edu/urbaned.
Advertisement
