UNIVERSITY CENTER

AT

ELSIE ALLEN HIGH SCHOOL

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

  1. What is the University Center?

It is a magnet program for students who want to excel.  You take at least two honors/AP classes each year.  After you have completed Algebra II (in tenth or eleventh grade) and have maintained a GPA of at least a B-, you can go to Sonoma State University as a high school junior or senior.  Some students take only four or five classes at the high school while they also take one or two college courses each semester.  They will have completed up to one year of college at the time they graduate from high school

 

  1. What is the advantage of participating in this program?

You will be with students who like to learn – just like you!  You can graduate from high school AND earn a full year of college credit that is transferable to anywhere in the nation. If you decide to continue your education at SSU, you do not have to apply; you simply continue as you have as a high school student.

                PERSONAL INFO:

·         One 10th grader will be spending three weeks this summer at Brown University, learning about Environmental Challenges of the 21st Century.

·         One 11th grader was written up in the Sonoma County Library Newsletter for serving on the Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library Advisory Board.

·         One 11th grader will be spending six weeks this summer at MIT.  Only fifty students from 400 applicants from the entire nation were chosen to attend.

 

  1. How much does it cost to go to Sonoma State University as an Elsie Allen student?

It will cost you only $15 a semester compared to college students’ $1,200 tuition!  You will have free transportation.  You may have to pay part of your textbook fees.

 

  1. Will I be able to see my friends who are not in the program?

Yes!  You will be with the same grade-level University Center students four times a week.  Other students can also take the honors/AP classes that are offered.

 

  1. What if I have problems in a class?

The special coordinator of the program will assist you as will your high school counselor.  Other students in the program will help with tutoring if it is an achievement problem.

 

  1. How would a typical day look like for a ninth grader?

You will take your required honors English, algebra or geometry, biology or physical science, and world history, fine arts, and French or Spanish.  You must take at least two honors classes to make sure you will succeed at SSU as a high school student.

 

  1. How is this program different from the Early College Program at Piner?

Any student can take junior college classes while in high school.  There are no prerequisites.

You must have completed Algebra II and have a B- GPA (no grade below a C) to attend SSU while in high school. You register for SSU courses before any other college student. You get individual attention.

 

     8.   Will I still have time to participate in extra-curricular activities?

Yes, absolutely!