Building Confidence: The Junior Program
In the Saturday Sessions, each class has their own specific curriculum curated to teach essential skills and enrich each student’s life. For all classes, Saturday is divided into two parts: morning academic tutoring, and afternoon 1:1 mentoring and individual skill development. The latter is focused into 4 main skill blocks: communication, applications, personal growth, and college & career readiness.
A core component of all three classes’ academic sessions is SAT preparation, which involves tutorials in math, writing, logic and critical thinking. Students follow a dedicated, class-based curriculum that is intended to help them face the SAT examination with confidence and raise their scores.
Academics: Class of 2025
Juniors spend most of their academic time on SAT preparation in the fall and winter, as students typically take the SAT examination in early November and December. After the exam, their curriculum shifts to focus on writing, with special emphasis on personal essay structure, appropriate e-communications, and writing styles for applications, resumes, and cover letters. There are breaks in the spring curriculum for career information sessions and interview workshops.
Mentorship: Class of 2025
With their mentors, Juniors cover a wide variety of topics focused on college research, college and summer program applications, understanding financial aid, and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).
Communication Skills: Interview and Presentation Skills, and Individual Presentations.
Application Skills: Summer Program applications, and Resumés and Cover Letters.
Personal Growth: Emotional Intelligence.
College & Career Readiness: Exploring Careers, College Research, Career Panel Discussions, and Paying for College.
Key goals for Junior mentors is to help their students select and apply for Summer Programs, narrow down their college choices, explore potential majors, and prepare for the college application process. Students report that this curriculum helps them explore careers they otherwise would not have considered and builds confidence.
