As the new year begins, students and parents may consider summer options for the former to enhance educational opportunities, especially at the collegiate level. The Accolade offers the second in a series of articles related to what Sunny Hills students did this past summer either in traveling abroad or within the United States to get a head start in their college journey. If you participated in a similar educational opportunity, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected] so we can share your experiences with our readers.
Then-junior Lillian Foster’s summer plans were solidified one day last March, near the end of the month.
Foster said she recalls going to the mailbox as is her usual routine after school to bring back to her parents the items that got delivered to her Fullerton home.
Within the stacks of mail, she said she remembers seeing a bright, purple envelope that stood out among the rest.
It had the word, “Northwestern,” on it. With curiosity, she said she immediately opened it to see what was inside.
What the now-senior found was a brochure for Illinois-based Northwestern University’s College Prep Program.
“Discover a variety of course opportunities for high school students with Northwestern University and prepare for college success,” the brochure read.
Foster said she knew this was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.
“I thought it would be a good way to get onto Northwestern’s radar and learn if I liked the forensic major before applying to colleges as well as get the dorm experience,” Foster said.
In addition, the likelihood of attending Northwestern over the summer fulfilled her freshman year’s aspiration to someday attend the school in Chicago. In fact, her research project for her Advancement Via Individual Determination [AVID] class was based on Northwestern.
“I believed Northwestern would be the best fit for me based on its location, school colors, mascot and rigor,” she said.
But before applying, the senior inquired with her mother, who willfully encouraged her to apply. The cost wasn’t much of an obstacle and she focused more on how this program will aid her for the future.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for both students and parents to practice the college experience from moving into the separation of family to college course exposure,” Ashley Foster, the senior’s mother, said. “I think everyone, if given the opportunity, should try a college preparatory program.”
And on top of that, Chicago has become like a second home to her since she was born there and her family lives there, Foster said.
OFF TO THE WINDY CITY
The program consisted of two options: a six-week program for college credit, costing $5,000-$7,000, and a two-week program for no college credit, costing $4,850. Students were required to pay this cost after they were accepted through their application. The extensive duration of the six weeks made her choose to apply for the non-college credit program, the senior said.
When applying, Foster said she had to submit a personal statement, transcript and an activities list.
A few weeks after submitting her application, she received her acceptance letter through email on a random weekend in mid-April, while she was casually going through her emails on her bed.
“I was like, ‘What the heck? Like, there’s no way,’” she said. “I was like, ‘OK, well now I need to pack and plan everything because I did not think I was gonna get in and I was really excited.”
Foster and her mom already planned to visit Chicago for the entire month of July, which fit in perfectly with the summer program dates — alleviating any worries about traveling alone.
She said the two weeks, from Sunday, June 30-Saturday, July 13, provided her with an insightful and once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“It was just amazing, and I definitely think the program is worth it,” Foster said. “I was able to truly grasp the college experience by sleeping in a dorm, and since we only had one class, we had so much free time.”
With this, she said she discovered essentials to pack for her dorm that she wouldn’t have known otherwise, which she found helpful for her upcoming year as she prepares to set off to college.
FIRST DAY JITTERS
On the first day, Foster said the students had to first wait in a long line to check in and move into their dorms. They then got into their groups of 10-20 girls who were each assigned to one resident assistant [RA].
After settling in, she said all students gathered in a hall and were given protocols and directions to follow throughout the program. For safety reasons, students had a 10 p.m. curfew from Sunday to Thursday and 11 p.m. curfew Friday and Saturday.
The students were then given a campus tour by their RA so they knew how to navigate the vast campus.
Upon arrival, Foster said she felt nervous and unsure how she would make friends at the program with too many people to count and 30 people in her major-focused class. This anxiety soon settled as she got to know more people soon after settling into her dorm.
“When everybody left, all the girls got into one room and we started talking to each other like, ‘What grade are you in?’ and ‘Where are you from?’” she said. “By the second week, we were like, ‘Guys, how did we become friends?’ because it was just so quick.”
Foster said she noticed the environment was different from what she was usually used to in terms of diversity, as more than half of her classes at Sunny Hills contain largely Asian students. At the program, she met many people of the same African-American descent as her and international students from Asia and Europe.
“The idea that in college, there’s gonna be more diversity like this made me excited,” Foster said.
LOOKING FORWARD
The senior said she chose forensic science from a list of 24 different majors because she was interested in familiarizing herself with the major, as it is something she has thought of pursuing since the beginning of junior year.
“For AVID you had to come up with what major you want to go into and I realized that I really liked chemistry and I had always been interested in crime,” Foster said. “I researched how you can combine science and law enforcement, and I found a forensic scientist.”
She said the academics consisted of lectures, discussions on the students’ assigned readings and labs.
“One main lab I did was checking what ink was used on a paper to track a suicide note to see if it was forged,” the senior said. “Another lab was mixing chemicals then putting over a flame to see where the electromagnetic spectrum is.”
For the reading, students were required to read 10 chapters of a book, which the students had to purchase themselves, for homework and came back to discuss and answer questions about the reading.
“It was a fictional story about forensic scientists who end up getting captured by a murderer and all this like stuff about falling in love,” said Foster, who found the reading easy to understand. “It’s just that we had to read a lot at night and that was the worst part.”
Out of all these academic components, she said she enjoyed the labs the most because it was a lot more interactive and different than what she was used to at school.
“We got actual lab coats and the labs were fancy and the things we were doing were really interesting and elaborate,” she said.
Foster said the students received percentages for the academic coursework, such as the reading questions and lab work. However, since Foster was not applying for credit, these grades did not count toward anything.
These academic activities ran for around three hours a day Monday through Friday from 8:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. This allowed plenty of time to socialize and explore Chicago, especially because the program gave students complete freedom to go out and do whatever they desired in the city, as long as they followed safety protocols.
“I liked going to the beach whenever I wanted to, eating really good food and just the environment; I feel like my heart is in Chicago,” Foster said. “There was always someone to talk to and hang out with, and the vibes were always good.”
Northwestern provided the participants with free dining hall meals, but the senior said she didn’t really enjoy it, hence she ate out a lot in the city, paying for her food.
“One food recommendation is Potbelly’s which is a super good sandwich place that I’ve been going to since I was 2,” she said. “There is also this place called New Star that has such good Chinese food and a boba place called Rare Tea especially made for ppl that have dairy restrictions — that’s a must-try.”
Although she befriended many, Foster said she made four lifelong friends. This core friend group consisted of all girls and a mix of juniors and seniors who all had different ethnic makeups: one white, one half white half Japanese, one half white and half Filipino and one half Korean and half Chinese.
By the end of the program, Foster said the students had a goodbye beach bonfire at night on the last day. She said it was hard for her to say goodbye because of all the worthwhile memories she shared with her friends.
“At first, we just kind of got to know each other and exchanged numbers, but it was more toward the end when we exchanged Instagrams and TikTok so we could still keep in touch,” she said. “We still keep in contact, so we’ll be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I miss you; I’m writing about you in my college essay.”
During the program, Foster said the students were provided resources to help them with their plans to apply to colleges. For example, they could have signed up for appointments with college students to get help on the entire step-by-step admissions process from writing Common Application to what to expect once students are admitted.
“This program confirmed to me that Northwestern was the place for me [after high school] and in turn made me focus and prioritize Northwestern University as my first choice,” the senior said. “So much so that I’m now applying Early Action.”
Although she chose forensic chemistry as her major for the program, Foster said she is not fully set on the major she wants to pursue and is willing to explore other career paths.
“I was able to learn more about my major although it made me realize that this is not the right major for me, which is good because if I would’ve taken that in college, then it would be more difficult to switch majors and everything,” she said.
