SummerTIME « Pullias Center for Higher Education

SummerTIME 2013 Application Open

The SummerTIME 2013 application is now open to high school seniors. Applications are due on Friday, April 26, 2013. Print out the application here and the recommendation letter form here!

KPCC Report on SummerTIME 2012

“Many UC, CSU students aren’t ready for college-level writing; USC program tries to help,” noted that for the past 10 years, SummerTIME has provided students with one-on-one instruction, peer assistance, and many opportunities to revise and refine their writing.

William G. Tierney and Stefani R. Relles collaborated as guest bloggers on The Washington Post, College Inc. based on 10 years of teaching remedial writing, as well as other research, point to four ways to get students to write better.

Background

Our SummerTIME program (Tools, Information, Motivation, Education) serves low-income underrepresented college-bound students representing Los Angeles Unified high schools where over 90% of attendees are eligible for the federal school lunch program. Students who attend low-income urban schools are frequently unprepared for college. Most participants live in homes where English is a second language and are the first in their families to graduate high school and continue on to college. Based on previous years’ participants, approximately 65-75% of our students are Latino, 10-20% are African American, and 10-15% are Asian/Islander. Approximately 80% of the students attend colleges in California.

Project Description

When students enter SummerTIME program, their reading and writing levels are low, their time management skills are weak, and their knowledge about what it takes to succeed in college is frequently non-existent. Our program impacts these realities; we understand the effects of poverty and inequality in these students’ lives and provide them with the critical tools needed for their transition to college life. The Pullias Center’s SummerTIME program has a proven track record pertaining to academic enrichment. The program focuses on improving writing levels and college knowledge of college-bound youth so that they are better prepared to navigate university life.

The SummerTIME curriculum is an intensive program of college level writing, supplemented with information related to the transition to college. The objectives of the program are fourfold:

To increase students’ expository writing abilities
To improve students’ grammar and language capabilities
To increase students’ ability to revise and evaluate their own work
To provide students with resources and tools for transitioning from high school to college.

SummerTIME Archives

SummerTIME 2012 Reunion

The SummerTIME 2012 cohort returned to USC for the annual Pullias Center SummerTIME reunion. Staff and instructors checked in with last year’s students to see how they fared in their first semester/term at colleges across the US.

KPCC Report on SummerTIME 2012

Eligibility

If you are a senior in an LAUSD high school, you may be eligible to participate in SummerTIME. Refer to our complete eligibility criteria to make sure you are fully eligible. Applications are typically available during the spring semester of your senior year on this website and through your college counselor you can submit your application starting in April to be considered for SummerTIME!

While students from all LAUSD high school may apply, first consideration will be given to students from our partner high schools, including: Belmont, Crenshaw, Downtown Magnets, Foshay Learning Center, Bravo Medical Magnet, Locke, Manual Arts, John Marshall, Roosevelt, and Roybal Learning Center.

Requirements:

MUST be a graduating SENIOR entering a 4-YEAR college or university in fall 2012
Be committed to daily program attendance, class participation, and timely completion of assignments
Be presently or formerly eligible for free or reduced school lunch program
Be currently attending a high school in the Los Angeles area
Be accessible by e-mail, Facebook, or by phone once a semester while in college
Personal statement: 2 pages; 400 word minimum; double-spaced; 12-point font (Times New Roman); include a full introduction, body, and conclusion to your essay.
High School Transcript: Submit a current transcript (an unofficial copy is acceptable).
One Letter of Recommendation in a Sealed Envelope: Ask a teacher or counselor to complete the recommendation form and to return it to you in a sealed envelope. You will submit the recommendation letter with this application.

Apply Now

Applications are now open!

Let’s Get Started

Congratulations! Now let’s get to work! Because we only have four weeks to write, we need to hit the ground running! This year’s theme is “Making your Voice Count” as 2012 is an election year and we want to empower you to write about issues that you are passionate about and relevant to society.

The Paper

All e-mail submissions at SummerTIME and in college should be as file attachments. Files must be .doc or .docx. Do not submit written work by pasting it in the body of an e-mail. Before submitting your paper don’t forget to:

Each draft of your paper must be submitted as an e-mail attachment to: summertime.writing.program@gmail.com; your instructor must be copied (cc-ed) on your e-mail as well.
Files must be .doc or .docx.*
Do not submit written work by pasting it in the body of an e-mail.

Here is a list of instructor e-mails for referential ease:

Name	E-mail
Yanira Cartagena	yaniracartagena@gmail.com
Donna Escalante	drayalaescalante@gmail.com
Juan Fernandez	jrfernandez@riohondo.edu
Lisa Fitzgerald	lfitzgerald@lbcc.edu
Raeanna Gleason	rgleason@usc.edu
Sharon Luk	sharonlu@usc.edu
Brandon Martinez	brandodm@usc.edu
Ruben Mendoza	rmend014@ucr.edu
Flavia Tamayo	ftromero@verizon.net

The Workshop

You are responsible for making sure copies of your work are available for your assigned workshop dates. Below you will find the guidelines to request copies from the Pullias Center:

1. E-mail your 2–3 pages (500–750 words) by midnight the night prior to your workshop date.
2. Please make sure your name and your instructor’s name are in the header of the document so it can be placed in the correct outbox in the PULLIAS office.
12 copies will be available for pick-up in the PULLIAS office at 11:30 a.m. on the day of your critique.
The email address for making copies is: summertimecopies@gmail.com
The subject of your email should read: FOR COPYING.
As always, your file must be sent as a .doc or .docx attachment.* Do not submit written work by pasting it in the body of an e-mail.

*Note that you can use Google Docs to save your work as a .doc file. Learn how at: https://docs.google.com/.