Mayor John Street is to Philadelphia as Amy Gutmann is to "blank."
SAT-style analogies may be a thing of the past, but a new program is bringing Penn students back to the days of flash cards and diagnostic tests.
And all with a little West Philadelphia flavor.
Let's Get Ready!, a program already running in 22 neighborhoods across the country, is being brought to West Philadelphia via Penn.
Through this program, college students act as mentors in a seminar-style classroom, where they tutor underprivileged high school students with the goal of improving their SAT scores.
Funded by the College Board - which administers the SAT - LGR! provides these tutoring services free of charge, unlike pricier test-preparation alternatives, which can cost thousands of dollars.
All that LGR! high-school participants are required to pay is a $25 deposit, which they will get back upon completion of the program.
And there's a clear-cut reason why these services are free.
Students from low-income families trail 254 SAT points behind students from high-income families, according to the LGR! Web site. Even more alarming, 32 percent of high-achieving students from low-income families never attend four-year colleges.
College junior Elizabeth Dawes, the co-coordinator of Penn's LGR! branch, said that, as opposed to traditional SAT preparation programs, LGR! has a more-flexible curriculum and is more "culturally stimulating."
"The students form personal relationships with other students and the coach, and I think the interaction creates a better learning environment," she said.
The tutors will be given creative leeway in their approach to the material, and some ideas, students say, include using candy as incentive to learn and inventing playful word games.
LGR! is still accepting applications from prospective Penn coaches, who are required to submit their own SAT scores in the form.
Program officials hope to distribute the first diagnostic test this Saturday. So far, they have received 120 applications from high-school students in the West Philadelphia area, College sophomore Jason Saunders said.
Saunders is in charge of LGR!'s Sayre High School branch, where Penn students will be tutoring LGR! participants.
And as they gear up for the kickoff weekend, officials agree that the tutor-tutee relationship will be based on more than fancy words.
"Tutors explain the college culture and what it's like to live on campus, so they're not just teaching [how to prepare for] a test, but they're also serving as role models," LGR! spokeswoman Laura Rizzo said.
Penn volunteers will also help bring their mentees to visit local campuses and, ultimately, will help them apply to their college of choice.
"Penn seemed like a natural fit with its students and culture of service, and we really found that Philadelphia has a need for SAT prep," Rizzo added.
