Two programs run on the Medford campus this summer gave mostly local high school students a chance to take courses in a college setting.
Tufts Summer Study, which ran from July 1 to Aug. 12, coinciding with the second undergraduate Summer Session, was run by the University. Academic Study Associates - a non-Tufts organization - held its College Admission Advantage program at Tufts from June 19 to 30.
Both programs were overseen by the University's Conference Bureau, which handles most events that take place on campus over the summer. According to Conference Bureau Staff Assistant Jacqueline Furtado, the summer events generate income for the University from facilities that would otherwise go unused over the summer.
This year, about 70 high school students participated in the Tufts Summer Study program. This amount is roughly consistent with 76 last year, 67 in 2003, and 62 in 2002, according to the 2004-2005 University Fact Book, published by Tufts Institutional Research.
The program does not provide housing for participating students, so most of the students are from nearby. Although many of the students are from Massachusetts, "kids have come [from] as far as eastern Connecticut and southern New Hampshire" Summer Session Manager Sean Recroft said.
He said there were participating students from both urban and rural areas.
International students have also participated in the program in past years. According to Recroft, however, this was possible largely because "they had relatives that lived locally."
Recroft said that one of the aims of the program is to "provide a presence in the local communities of Medford and Somerville." The program is also designed to "provide an opportunity for local high school students to get a taste of what college life is like," Recroft said.
The program enrolls high school students going into their junior or senior year who are good writers. An admissions committee reviews students' academic records before accepting them into the program.
Classes in the program range from "Ethics and Global Citizenship," for students interested in diplomacy, to "Health Science Honors," for students interested in a career in medicine. Students in "Health Science Honors" visited clinics at the Tufts-New England Medical Center.
Introductory courses in physics and philosophy were also offered.
Programs such as college life, college planning and an SAT workshop were added this year. They were available to students who were enrolled in other Tufts Summer Study courses.
The Academic Study Associates program also included SAT preparation courses, in edition to essay writing instruction, admission workshops, and one-on-one counseling.
Participating students were housed in South Hall. "It was a small group, so it was easy to house them," Furtado said.
