FEATURE
W hile in high school, Jordan Twitty had her sights set on attending one of three South Carolina schools: the University of South Carolina, Winthrop Universi- ty, or the College of Charleston. She didn’t want to go too far from her home in Orangeburg, South Carolina. She decided to attend the College of Charleston, about an hour and a half southeast of home. Her decision ultimately came down to one thing: how she spent her summers. For three years in a row before starting her freshman year, Twitty spent a portion of her summer at the College of Charleston. As a ris- ing high school junior, her mother encouraged her to attend a program called Junior Project offered by the Office of Admissions at the College of Charleston. Junior Project is a week- long, summer college preparatory program for rising juniors of color and first-generation students. Attendees benefit from leadership workshops, learn writing and time management skills, and live on campus. Later as a rising senior, Twitty attended Senior Project, which allows participants to attend a college class, have a one-on-one admission counseling session, and complete a College of Charleston admission application. “At first I didn’t want to go; my mom made me go but I am so glad she did,” said Twitty. “It really helped me make my decision.” With her admittance to the College of Charleston, Twitty enrolled in yet a third summer program called SPECTRA. Participants of the pro- gram enroll in two for-credit courses — earning six college credits before their freshman year even starts. They live on campus for a month, attend workshops, and get to know the city of Charleston.
Now, Twitty is gearing up to grad- uate this spring with a bachelor’s degree in public health and accep- tance to the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, where she’ll work toward earning a master’s degree in public health administration. Using the summer semesters to get ahead or stay on track is a grow- ing trend among students that offers great benefits to institutions, too. As counselors advise students on which institutions may be the right fit, those that offer summer options may make all the difference. SUMMER SERVES ALL KINDS OF STUDENTS About five miles west of Washington, D.C., a small group of rising 11th and 12th grade students spend a portion of their summer learning how to build a small dog robot that’s programmed to do a series of tasks. These students are part of Maker’s Mark, a two-week engineering program at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. Participants live in residence halls, socialize with other students, and earn three college credits upon com- pletion of the program. For Marymount University, pro- grams like this — which they also offer in criminal justice and commu- nications and media — present mul- tiple benefits: They bring in revenue, but they also increase student inter- est in the university. “What I primarily look at is how many students say, ‘Marymount is now an option,’” said Louis Frisenda, assistant vice president of enrollment initiatives at Marymount. He’s seen how early exposure to a university helps. For instance, four students out of 12 applied and were accepted to Marymount after
That’s mind- blowing when you consider
I’m dealing with a population that
doesn’t know much about us and we’re sandwiched between all these other bigger public institutions. Louis Frisenda Assistant Vice President of
Enrollment Initiatives Marymount University
28 • THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE ADMISSION
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