Four Ways Summit High School Students are College Bound
Summit High School College Bound students visit the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
The road to becoming a first generation college student is not easy. Summit's high school students are all striving to one day attend college and pursue higher education, but many will be the first in their family to achieve this goal. Without the example and guidance of parents who are familiar with the college application process, there are many unknowns about how to go about preparing for this goal, with many questions such as how to pay for college, where to apply, or what they need to do right now in high school.
The Summit High School College Bound Program helps students to strive for success in high school and prepare for college the following ways:
1. College Visits - Over the past few years, College Bound students have travelled all over the country to visit college campuses and get a feel for being a college student. Summit students have travelled during Spring Break or during weekend trips to places like Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Madison, the greater Milwaukee area, NYC, Philadelphia, Boston, and many other cities. For many of the students, this is their first time traveling out of the Milwaukee area and it is an exciting opportunity to see new sites and gain new perspectives with their friends at Summit.
2. College Entrance Exam Practice - Though students may take exams like the ACT or SAT during their Junior and Senior years of high school, students at Summit start taking practice tests their Freshman year to prepare. By taking the test, and then reviewing and understanding the answers, they can work on improving every time they test in order to score well for the Big Test.
3. College Prep Seminars - College Bound students have classes both during the 7 week Summer Olympics Program and the school year program - which meets once a week - that focus on topics related to preparing for college. Students are assigned projects for personal research, including both careers and colleges of interest. They also learn how to prepare resumes and college and scholarship applications, among other things. Summit students are able to set attainable goals for their post-secondary school education by focusing on their interests and learning how to figure out what they want for themselves.
4. Building Leadership Skills - By working as a Junior Counselor during the Summit Summer Olympics Program, high school students naturally develop leadership skills. The younger students look up to them as peer leaders, and the high school students learn how to act as role models and fill the shoes that the younger students have made for them. As a Junior Counselor, students also learn to put the cares of others before themselves and put the virtues that they learned as campers into practice, such as responsibility, patience and obedience.
Want to help Summit high school students expand their horizons? Learn about sponsorship opportunities for the annual college visits here.