July 19, 2018 Tinley Park, Illinois COLLEGE CONNECT Summer

July 19, 2018 Tinley Park, Illinois COLLEGE CONNECT Summer enrichment program Kate Agarwal Assistant Director, College Access Center for Access and Attainment (CAA)

What is College Connect? FREE summer program for Chicago high school students Designed for sophomores and juniors, but we admit motivated freshmen July 2 through August 3 - Mondays through Thursdays, 9am-12pm Engaging college-level courses taught by professors committed to student progress and success Hands-on learning, with fun field trips and guest speakers

Who we target? What’s the goal? High school to college bridge Demystify college application process To provide cultural experiences To introduce college-level work To explore career opportunities Students of color From under-resourced communities From low income families First generation college students

How we recruit Targeted emails to high school contacts we develop and cultivate Counselors, college coaches, principals, teachers from targeted fields High school college fairs and summer resource fairs Personalized visits to high schools to promote the program to targeted groups IB students, computer science classes (for computing courses) Presentations to high school groups who visit DePaul campus

Eligibility guidelines Must be a high school student – preference is given to juniors and sophomores, but motivated freshmen are also considered Grade point average over 2.5 Evidence of some college prep work (Honors classes, AP, IB, etc.) Personal statement needs to address reasons student wants to participate and what the student hopes to gain

How students apply Online application opens February 1 http://go.depaul.edu/College-Connect Deadline: March 31 Questions – all go directly to me The goal is to simulate real college application process: Completed application Personal statement High school transcript Recommendation letter

Program structure Each class has one instructor and two experienced/trained DePaul students (Peer Guides) plus office staff support Academic work: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday We hire qualified DePaul instructors who want to teach high schoolers, plus experienced high school teachers and community leaders Thursdays are reserved for college-prep programming, 100% Peer Guide driven

College Connect academics DePaul faculty teach classes which they would teach to college freshmen Courses change every summer Depends on which instructors are interested in teaching over the summer Depends what we want to focus on E.g. career exploration is the focus for summer 2018

2018 Courses 1. Art and Literature of the Marginalized: Chicago Focus 2. Cybersecurity in Action 3. Social Justice and Social Change: Youth-led Activism 4. Introduction to WordPress and Web Development 5. Sankofa: Political History of Black Chicago 6. Art as an Agent for Change

Final Presentations Night Reception celebrating student work and end of the program Families are invited to see students present final projects We award formal certificates to all students

Program outcomes Students report increased awareness of college application processes Parents report students’ increased motivation toward high school achievement and excitement about college as a real option Peer Guides keep in touch with their students; report high degree of engagement throughout senior year and college application season

Our students apply to DePaul in large numbers Most are admitted We advocate for our students with Admissions and Financial Aid We stay in touch with them after they enter DePaul We hire alumni as Peer Guides Out of 34 College Connect students from summer 2016 and 2017 who were high school seniors in 2017-18: 28 applied to DePaul 82% 23 were admitted 67% 8 enrolled in the Fall 2018 23% of all 2018 seniors

2018 data 156 total applicants 52 Chicago high schools represented 115 admitted students 94 enrolled in the program 67% are female, 34% are male 76% are first gen 77% are eligible for free/reduced lunch 36% are IB students 54% are rising seniors, 44% are rising juniors, 2% are rising sophomores Race/Ethnicity

More 2018 program data Do you participate in the IB program at your school? Are you eligible for free/ reduced lunch? Has your parent/guardian earned a college degree outside of the U.S.? Has your parent/guardian earned a 4yr college degree in the U.S.? Gender of College Connect students: