Hi,
I just found out that my HS Junior son’s full tuition automatic scholarship from Ole Miss, also covers the full cost (tuition, room & board, meal plan) for the Ole Miss Summer College for High School.
I am wondering if anyone has any feedback about any of the programs – either the for-credit programs, or the non-credit research programs.
He is taking engineering classes at community college and would probably be most interested in the Engineering program, but I wonder if one of the more unique “centerpiece” programs might be more beneficial – either the PACE Honors program, StarTalk Chinese, or possibly Intelligence & Security Studies.
Or, would it be more beneficial to do one or two of the non-credit research programs instead – Concussion Research, Renewable Energy, or Nanotechnology?
here’s the link:
http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/schs/programs.html
is anyone familiar with this program and the various offerings?
thanks!
@Wien2NC I would encourage the obvious consideration of what he wants out of the experience. Does he want college credit that might help lighten the load freshman year or would he just like to have a unique experience? If he’s looking at engineering, I would highly suggest the Concussion Research Program “Heads in the Game” or the regular engineering institute offered through summer college. Both will give an idea of what collegiate level work is like, but the research program won’t contribute to college credit. Hope that is of some help!
I actually attended this program in July 2015 with the Heads in the Game Concussion Research Program with Dr. Morrison and I would definitely recommend he take the opportunity. My experience in that program is what pointed me on my career path, which is to eventually be a biomedical engineer. A lot of my friends who were in for-credit courses had class until about noon, with the rest of the time available to explore campus. I feel much more prepared in what to expect this fall because of how I had to take care of myself for that month. He should be honored to be one of the 200. To put in perspective the types of kids I was around, many are returning to UM or MSU, but there are several extraordinary kids. My roommate is going to the Naval Academy in Annapolis because his senator was so impressed with our research and gave him his reccomendation. My room next door neighbor was 1 of 2 in a BioFuels research program (he was from Mobile) and was accepted and will attend Harvard in the fall. I would love to steer him towards the concussion research program, but you can tgo wrong with any of them. Keep in mind though, the Concussion research application is separate from SCHS and Dr. Morrison, Dr. Waddell, Dr. Valiant and their associates review wthose applications personally. That program is free due to support funding from X2 Biosystems (or at least it was in its first year) no need for a scholarship. If you have any questions, feel free to reply to me.
@Clayp711
hey thanks for your feedback. we sent all the materials this week and he applied separately to two research projects. he is actually filling out the Concussion application tomorrow. I will see if he has any questions for you. thanks again.
I applied for the general track with engineering courses and got in! @Clayp711 are the afternoon activities listed on their website calender required for everyone to do?
@SuperPoofi
apparently they are. they meet for about an hour, maybe 5-6 pm, for group announcements, mail call, and an activity. frankly that’s his least enjoyable aspect of his time there, but he is really enjoying the experience. he loves the campus, he loves the fact that his roommate never showed up so he has his dorm room to himself, and say this was exactly the experience he needed.
the engineering program is supposed to be a lot of fun so I am sure you will enjoy your time there. he is doing French now and for Session 2 he will do Statics and US History. he wanted to do German but they did not offer it in Session 1.
@Wen2NC I was worried that the activities would be too long but an hour seems reasonable. Would you happen to know what the dorms are like there? Also, what do you suggest I bring?
I would have loved for my son, a rising senior, to have done this, but the kids are locked down on campus, which was unacceptable to my son. So he’s taking four courses this summer and just paying, although he does get a partial dual-enrollment scholarship. We’re local, so he just drives to school. I’ve got to give baby boy credit for having an almost perfect score in both of his current classes, one of which is known for not having many A’s (30 years ago when I took it there were three out of a class of 50).
I think it’s great for kids to earn a good number of college credits before actually starting. It just gives them a head start.
@SuperPoofi My d is there now and will remain for second session.
The SCHS students are housed in the LuckyDay residential college. The rooms are huge, with a private bathroom in each room. The sink is located outside the bathroom proper. There are 2 large closets directly opposite the bathroom door and sink. Imagine a hotel-type arrangement. The a/c is adjustable. There is a lounge on each floor. The kitchen and laundry, plus other common rooms, are downstairs. Guys and girls are separated.
Besides the usual clothing (she packed one or two nicer outfits just in case), toiletries, and preferred school supplies, my d took
a set of sheets
a blanket
a pillow
towels
her computer
her kindle
backpack
refillable water bottle
We stopped at Walmart before leaving her on campus and purchased
hangers
a container of cleaning wipes
hand soap in a pump
toilet paper (she received one roll at check-in lol)
snacks
We flew down to Memphis and drove to Oxford. Many, many students arrived with so much more than d! A desk lamp might be a good idea if you are the type to study in the room and need more light than the overheads.
The provided fridge is large and has a separate freezer compartment with its own door.
A bus or van runs to Walmart on most Fridays (need to sign up before), though not this last one for the session. Vans are available to take groups of students to off-campus restaurants on the weekend.
There is an assortment of snacks and drinks for sale downstairs in the bookstore. Starbucks in the bookstore is slammed in the morning when it first opens (d’s class starts at 8). I don’t know about the Einstein Bagels in an engineering building since d doesn’t go over there. Most non-dining hall locations close at 2pm weekdays and are closed on the weekends. Dining hall swipes can be used on the weekends (language on the website is a bit confusing—something about 2 swipes M-F but it’s really that you get 40 (?) swipes total).
@WhereIsMyKindle did you get info about your d’s roommate before you went? The orientation for the second session is on Monday and I still haven’t received an email or anything about my roommate…
hey @SuperPoofi … Kindle hooked you up with some good info. well, i guess you are down at Ole Miss now. my son did not get any info about his roommate and didn’t even know he would have a roommate until the guy showed up. funny thing is, the roommate asked my son about his last name and it turns out he goes to high school with two of my nieces!
are you taking the Intro to Engineering ENGR 100? if so, you are in the same class as my son.