High schoolers flock to campus

A summertime on campus may not make everyone happy, but for AL Wang, it doesn't get any better than this. "I think it's incredible," the Wissahickon High School senior said. "The best five weeks I've had in my life." Wang is one of 64 high school students participating in the highly competitive Governor's School for Business program, through which he is taking specially designed classes at the Wharton School. Sponsored by the state's Department of Education, the program exposes students to stock market simulations and takes them on trips to businesses in the Delaware Valley. Hundreds of other high school students are also on campus this summer, living it up away from home in the name of higher academic pursuits. They are enrolled in one of a number of summer conferences aimed at exposing high school students to college-level academics and the social aspects of residential living. Like Wang, many pariticpants said they have found time to enjoy their first taste of independent living, despite the fact that they are enrolled in intense summer courses. The University hosts more than 45 programs during the two summer sessions, many of which are geared toward high school students. Such programs include the Pre-College program, Summer Science Academy, Lean and Upward Bound. The Lead program was established in 1980 in conjunction with A Better Chance and McNeil Consumer Products to encourage minority students to consider pursuing higher education in business. A Better Chance selects 30 talented high school students each year to take second session summer classes at Wharton. There is an emphasis on the role of business in everyday life and students are taken on observation trips to major corporations in Philadelphia and New York. "These are the top minority students in the country who have been chosen," Wharton junior and head Lead counselor Deanna Brannon said. "It exposes them to the business world and makes them realize that every profession is essentially a business." Upward Bound targets first generation college bound students form Low-Income families in Philadelphia high schools for an "academic summer camp" at the University. Students in the program are given the opportunity to adjust to college life early with specially designed classes and activities. For 89 ninth- and tenth-graders, their four weeks at the University have been devoted to lectures and lab sessions in either mathematics or science. Called the Summer Science Academy, their program is geared to younger high school students. In addition all of the students take ethics and computer science classes. This is the sixth summer of the program and the application process has become more competitive over the years. "This is the best group we've ever had," said David Reibstein, assistant director of the College of General Studies and the program's director. "We've received more applications than ever before." High school juniors in the twelve-year old Pre-College Program are enrolled in ordinary summer school classes at the University. The professors teaching the classes are not told about the students so that the 84 participants are given the opportunity to experience a real college course for which they will receive credit. "The program has risen over the years," program coordinator Sue McNamara said. "But it is slightly down in enrollment this year, probably due to the economic situation." While the summer conferences all have academic components, organizers say they are also very important in teaching the students about college life beyond the books. Students are allowed to experience the independence of being away from home while residential advisors, or prefects, are still present to advise them. "It's an opportunity for high school students to have a college experience while they still have the security of a program geared to their age level," McNamara said.