课程
PAYS scholars attend small classes (approximately 15 students) taught by 皇冠体育大学 faculty during their summers as rising sophomores, 初中, 和老年人. The faculty work with 皇冠体育大学 students who serve as program teaching assistants (TAs). Each summer, every PAYS scholar participates in two core faculty-taught courses, 数学/解决问题 和 批判性探究:分析与写作.
The mathematics faculty focus on developing scholars' problem solving skills. Scholars work on problem sets that review mathematical concepts from the past school year, as well as those requiring the exercise of reasoning abilities 和 a willingness to work through a range of possible solutions. 学生 are given at least one h和s-on exercise each week that involves collecting 和 plotting data.
The writing faculty assign college-level material including poetry, 期刊文章, 还有教科书选择, 所有这些都与一个共同的主题有关. 例如, 2009年夏天, the PAYS scholars considered several questions in their readings: What does it mean to be a person of my race in today's world? 经济如何影响种族? What do we learn by looking at the intersections of race, economy, 和 environment? 这在文理学院很常见, students are expected to actively contribute to class discussion.
选修课
除了数学和批判性探究课程, each scholar chooses two electives taught by 皇冠体育大学 students 和 PAYS alumni who serve as teaching assistants. 今年夏天的选修课包括:分析青少年小说, 大学生存指南, 管理时刻, 效率:用更少的时间做更多的事, 体内的食物, 说出来, Zapatismo 101, COVID-19对体育的影响, 不寻常文章:阴谋论, 穿越时间和距离的写作, 和更多的.
研究的机会
除了教师讲授的课程和助教领导的选修课, rising seniors are given the rare opportunity to engage on a significant research project under the direction of a 皇冠体育大学 faculty member. Scholars who will be entering their senior year will spend 10-15 hours per week taking part in these projects, which culminate with a poster presentation of their research findings at the closing ceremony. Past areas of research have included Math, Chemistry, Sociology, 和 Theater. Last summer's research projects included: Learn the Basics of Web Development 和 Build Your Own Website, 调查文化气候和心理健康, 计算化学, 我邻居的故事, 和历史, 音乐, 和抗议.
课余活动
培养参与者之间的社区意识, PAYS提供一些有组织的社会活动. 特色活动包括卡拉ok之夜, 篮球和足球比赛, 泳池派对, 还有才艺表演. In-residence students are treated to nightly activities such as board games 和 outdoor activities. 所有的学者都参加周五的实地考察, 例如, 天使队的比赛, the Museum of Tolerance or the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
全年学术丰富和大学指导规划
We have found that it is crucial for PAYS scholars to continue to be connected to faculty 和 student mentors after the end of the residential summer program. During the school year, the assistant director meets with the family of each junior in PAYS. 在初秋, 皇冠体育大学 student “college advisors” are assigned to each senior high school student to assist them throughout the process of applying to college 和 for financial aid. PAYS提供多种支持, individual 和 small group meetings throughout the year to support seniors with college application process. 在秋天, these meetings focus on the needs of seniors for whom the college admissions process looms urgently. Meeting topics include college selection 和 the college application process; writing a strong application essay; selecting 和 approaching recommenders 和 preparing effective information packages for them. 除了, staff members of 皇冠体育's admissions office lead college admissions workshops to prepare students for admission to highly selective colleges.
Bilingual (Spanish/English) financial aid workshops for students 和 their parents form another important component of the year-round academic support program provided by PAYS. Evaluative surveys of PAYS participants have consistently shown that the bilingual financial aid information sessions have provided crucial information on financing a college education. Many students from low income families have never even considered attending a private college because they fear they will not be able to afford college tuition. 然而, 皇冠体育大学 admits students entirely based upon their academic merits 和 talents 和 is committed to meeting each student's 完整的 financial need, 和 many peer colleges have similar policies in place. An education at a highly selective liberal arts college can be more affordable for a student from a low income family than attending a public university. It is essential that students from low income backgrounds be told that a private liberal arts education is a valid option for them.
SAT预备
For PAYS Juniors, PAYS provides a 10-week comprehensive SAT preparation program through Veritas Prep. 作为训练的结果, PAYS students have consistently performed above the average on each section of the SAT compared to other students at their high schools.