Spring 2003

issue VOL 1, ISSUE 2 Second FAST FORWARD TO THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY SPRING 2003 Returning the Gift: CA: When I was little, both of my parents got involved with cocaine, and I think that really had an impact on me. Maybe I wasn’t getting enough attention. Things weren’t great at home and I would act out at school. When I was 9, my mom realized the Plugging into the Community AT A COMPUTER CLUBHOUSE, CAL COLLEGE SPECIALISTS CONNECT WITH LOCAL YOUTHS On a recent afternoon at Eastmont Mall in Oakland, UC Berkeley graduate Letitia Henderson stood beside a cluster of computers, watching magic unfold on a colorful screen. A 14-year-old high school student was working the keyboard, adding intricate detail to an animated movie that he’d created. “You see these kids and so many of them have so much talent,” Henderson said. “One of my jobs is to get them thinking, ‘Okay, so what am I going to do with myself after high school?’” Henderson, who earned her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley in 2002, now serves as a crucial link between the University and the community where she was raised. She works as an advisor for an unusual outreach program that encourages kids from some of the poorest communities in Oakland to pursue their passions with an eye toward future educational goals. The program—the Intel Community Project—is a joint effort by the Intel Corporation and UC Berkeley’s Center for Educational Christina Anderson “Anything worth achieving doesn't come easy. You have to fight through the hard times and believe in yourself. That’s the kind of lesson that prepares you for life...” effect that her drug use was having on me. She said, ‘I don’t want to lose you to these drugs,’ and so she just stopped. And my life began to change. My mom and I moved to the East Bay. My dad stayed in Hunter’s Point. And I started to get more focused in school. I go back to Hunter’s Point on weekends to visit my dad, and I see people I knew who’ve gone down the wrong path. I hear of kids my age who were killed by guns. I’ve been through some hard times, but I also realize how fortunate I am. MOTIVATING OTHERS Now a sophomore at Cal, Christina passes on the lessons she’s learned to high school students as a mentor and as a volunteer at the University’s Black Recruitment and Retention Center. “I didn’t have an easy road but I didn’t walk it alone either,” Christina says. “I want to make sure I reach out and help as many people as I can.” C al Mentor Christina Anderson is Giving Back What She Got Along the Way. The way Christina Anderson sees it, tough stretches from her past prepared her for a prosperous future. Growing up in Hunter’s Point in San Francisco, she watched both parents descend into drug addiction. She acted out in school. She saw friends and classmates wander down hopeless paths. With Christina’s help, her parents got clean, and Christina moved with her mother across the bay to San Pablo. Christina enrolled at DeAnza High School in Richmond, where she began to find her academic way. She also found guidance through UC Berkeley’s Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP), which sends college-age mentors into local high schools. “Seeing my mom, and how she turned things around, I learned that you can never give up,” Christina says. “Life isn’t easy, but if you stick to it, you can turn a challenge into an opportunity.” >>FWD: You’ve said you weren’t always a model student. What helped you turn things around? >>FWD: Did you have help from other people along the way? CA: Lots of people. My high school teacher, Ms. Mason, to name just one. She had gone through a lot of hardships. People very close to her had died. But she always persevered Photograph by Dan Frost. and she encouraged us to do that too. Also, my counselor, Ms. Thompson. She was always telling me how important it was to keep up my grades, to make sure I was on time with my assignments. She always made time to talk to me, and encouraged me to see education as a way to open up opportunities. >>FWD: How did you first get involved with the Early Academic Outreach Program? CA: Mentors from the program came to our high school. They would talk to us about college and what it took to get there. It was great to get to meet college students who had gone down paths not so different from mine. Some of them had had a tough go of it. But they hadn’t given up. That’s really one of the greatest lessons you can learn. I had a mentor named Michelle who was with me all the way. When I had questions about college, she was there to answer them. If I was unsure about what to do on my application, she was a guide. >>FWD: And now you’re an EAOP mentor. Why did you feel it was important to get involved? Continued on page 5 Shaheehrah Bradshaw (right) and Ashia Bradford (left), members of the Intel Clubhouse, collaborate on a graphic design project. Photograph by Dan Frost. Outreach. At its core lies the Intel Computer Clubhouse, the high tech center at the Eastmont Mall where Letitia Henderson spends much of her time. Funded by a grant from the Continued on page 6 REAL WORLD SCIENCE COLLEGE APPLICATION STRATEGIES EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ON THE WEB! Page 2 Page 4 Page 5 >> 1 Celebrating UC Berkeley’s Unique Partnerships Welcome back to Fast Forward, UC Berkeley’s round-up of stories, articles, and tips about young people who are making extraordinary journeys to a successful future through academic achievement, Vice Chancellor Genaro Padilla. and about the programs and people who are Photograph by Peg Skorpinski. helping them along the way. In this edition, we share with you our excitement about a number of new partnerships between UC Berkeley, and the schools and communities around us. Many of these partnerships are dedicated to only one thing: Encouraging young people to imagine a bright future, and directing the resources to them that will help them in their journey to college. Happily, Berkeley is not alone in undertaking this mission. Many supporters in the community have stepped up to the plate and are helping us in our endeavor. To name just one, I want to applaud Intel Corporation for its support of the Intel Community Project, a collaborative venture with Berkeley’s Center for Educational Outreach. Funded by a $50,000 grant from Intel, Berkeley has been able to establish a College Resource Zone adjacent to Intel’s Computer Clubhouse, a high tech center at the Eastmont Mall in East Oakland. There are hundreds of students ranging in age from 8 to 19 who are members of the Intel Clubhouse, and many of them have been dropping into the College Resource Zone for information and help since its opening in February 2003. You can read much more about this partnership and others highlighted in this column, throughout this Spring 2003 edition of Fast Forward. I hope that the wonderful stories contained within these pages will motivate all our readers in the knowledge that while the road to college may not always be a straight and narrow path, the barriers can be surmounted. To the students, teachers, and administrators who are persevering in the face of under resourced schools, and to the families who want only the best of futures for their children, I say, press on. Partner with us—with all of us at UC Berkeley who care so much about equal opportunity and equal access to educational resources—for the future not only of our children, but of our society itself. Genaro M. Padilla is the Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Affairs. >>FWD Real World Science: Lance Powell teaches science at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School in San Francisco, but his classroom extends beyond the building to a blighted stretch of shoreline by the San Francisco Bay. Heron’s Head Park has been treated for decades as a dumping ground, a sandy collection area for industrial waste. On a recent afternoon, Powell brought his students to Heron’s Head to gather soil samples. The kids conducted tests for lead and other foreign substances that happen to hit very close to home. “A lot of these kids live right in the neighborhood. Heron’s Head Park is practically their backyard,” Powell says. “So the lessons are very real to them. It’s just one way of showing them that science isn’t some abstract subject confined to a classroom.” Powell’s lesson plans are an outgrowth of an unusual joint effort between UC Berkeley and local high schools to teach young students real world science in innovative ways. It’s called the Environmental Science “…now the kids were out in the field, learning first-hand about basic biology and chemistry.” Teaching Program and its philosophy is simple: that lessons are most powerful when they’re personally relevant, and learning is deepest when it’s hands on. The program was born six years ago when UC Berkeley professor William Berry teamed with Douglas Kern, a Bay Area geophysicist and founder of the non-profit Urban Watershed Project. Their goal was to restore the Tennessee Hollow watershed in the Presidio, which had been covered over when the site was a military base. They went about the project unconventionally: by turning the Presidio into an outdoor classroom. Every week, as part of a hands-on environmental science class, Berry and Kern brought students from Galileo High School in San Francisco to the Tennessee Hollow site. The benefits were two-fold: the students worked on the restoration project while applying science lessons they had learned in school. “Instead of being cooped up in a classroom, now the kids were out in the field, learning first-hand about basic biology and chemistry,” Berry says. “They’re identifying plants, they’re testing the soil and water. And they’re doing it at a site that’s only a mile and a quarter from their school.” Within three years, enrollment in Galileo’s environmental science program jumped from 30 to 100 students. Professor Berry realized they were on to something, so the program was expanded to other high schools. UC’s Spirit Shines with its Community Efforts The spirit of a university is not confined to its campus. It thrives on connections to the world at large. Nowhere is that more apparent than at UC Berkeley. The University has created unique partnerships with businesses, public institutions and community organizations to establish programs that enrich young students’ academic and personal lives. INTEL COMPUTER CLUBHOUSE UC Berkeley and Intel work together to prepare students for life after high school at the Intel Computer Clubhouse at Oakland’s Eastmont Mall. The Clubhouse is an invaluable learning center that gives young students from underserved o 2 neighborhoods free access to and training in the latest computer technology. The students also get exposed to the College Resource Zone, which operates in tandem with the Clubhouse. It’s a warehouse of information, staffed by UC specialists, designed to open students’ eyes to college opportunities and guide them through the application process. W have helped revive wetlands on the Dow plant in Antioch and worked to restore a watershed in the Presidio. Dow, which helps fund the program, also sends its own scientists to lecture in Bay Area high school classrooms. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TEACHING PROGRAM UC Berkeley has joined forces with the Dow chemical company and the Presidio Trust to create a unique high school science program that meets young students where they live. The program brings students into the field, where the learning is hands on, and is linked to everyday life. Among other projects, students in the program BAY AREA WRITING PROJECT The Bay Area Writing Project and teachers from San Francisco’s MLK Academic Middle School have joined forces to help students C with the three R’s: reading, writing, and researching. Through this project, the San Francisco Public Library gives MLK Academic Middle School students access to its vast online archives. Students use this invaluable resource as they work on research projects. All the way, they learn vital skills that will serve them in their later academic lives. >>FWD Environmental Science Teaching Program. Today the Environmental Science Teaching Program reaches hundreds of students at high schools in the East Bay and San Francisco, including students in three classes taught by Lance Powell. Throughout the semester, Powell’s students tackle a range of hands-on exercises that underscore the role of science in everyday life. In addition to soil sampling at Heron’s Head Park, Powell’s students have conducted experiments in the teaching program, and has sent its own scientists to guest lecture in local high school classes. “I’m not surprised at the response this program has received because it makes so much sense,” Andrews says. “The whole thing with science is you have to show the kids why they should care. Once you do, what you realize is that they actually care a lot.” A MUSEUM FOR ALL AGES UC Museum of Paleontology The UC Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) is an active research center that houses the largest paleontological collection of any university museum in the world. It is also home to an outreach program designed to introduce the museum’s collections to the K-12 audience. The museum’s award-winning website (www.ucmp.berkeley.edu) is one of the primary vehicles for outreach. UCMP has received support from both the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to develop web-based materials for teachers and their students. UCMP also has a long history of providing professional development opportunities for teachers. These include annual short courses and workshops held in local school districts and at meetings of the California Science Teachers Association and other professional organizations. Currently UCMP is working with two school districts on special projects: 11th graders in the Environmental Science Teaching Program at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School in San Francisco build a watershed model to display concepts of landscape development hydrology in urban and city planning. (From left to right) Thurgood Marshall Academic High School student Johnathan Jones, UC Berkeley instructor Steve Andrews, Thurgood Marshall students Justin King, Jessica Ramirez, Myra Palomina, Thurgood Marshall teacher Lance Powell. Photograph by Dan Frost. Students from Thurgood Marshall's Environmental Science class prepare a 3-D plaster model of a watershed to simulate the effects of urban pollutants on an estuary like the San Francisco Bay. Photograph by Dan Frost. bio-remediation to learn how bacteria can be used to clean up oil spills. They’ve constructed their own biomes, glass-enclosed terrariums that serve as mini-replicas of rain forest ecosystems. They’ve even built scale-model cities, replete with rivers, transportation systems and sewage treatment plants, to help them understand the critical challenges of urban planning. Powell teaches his classes in tandem with Stephen Andrews, UC Berkeley’s point man in the Environmental Science Teaching Program. Every week, Andrews drops by Thurgood Marshall with supplies, lesson ideas and an endless depth of expertise. “A lot of times I’ll have an idea of something I want to do in class and I’ll run it by Steve, and he immediately has an idea of how to carry it through,” Powell says. “He’s got so much experience and he really knows how to engage the kids. They love him. Everybody calls him UC Steve.” A burly man of boundless energy, Andrews is a UC Berkeley instructor with a background in soil science. When he isn’t teaching UC students, he tours local high schools, teaming up with teachers to show kids how to build watershed models or test the acid levels in local streams. As part of the Environmental Science Teaching Program, Andrews has taken high school students to the Dow chemical plant in Antioch, where he led the kids in an effort to restore a wetland preserve. Dow was so impressed by the students’ work that the company donated $15,000 to A lot of high school students also care about college but don’t always feel they’re ready to apply. The Environmental Science Teaching Program has helped in that arena too. This year, Thurgood Marshall science teacher Lance Powell says, 72 percent of his advanced placement students applied to Cal. To increase their chances, Stephen Andrews also runs a Saturday academy on the UC campus, specially aimed at high school students who are interested in science but on the borderline of making the grade for college. As always, the focus is on hands-on learning. In keeping with the spirit of outreach, UC students with science backgrounds help Andrews run the academy. On a recent Saturday, Andrews stood, arms spread, on the north side of campus, while students in the academy took turns launching water balloons from a sling shot in his direction. It was part of an exercise designed to teach students about the difference between precision and accuracy (a crucial distinction in scientific experiments). Later that afternoon, Andrews would lead the students in another hands-on exercise: testing the pH levels of Strawberry Creek. Kimberly Woo, a sophomore at Burton High School in San Francisco, laughed as her water balloon arced high and landed 26 feet short of her intended target. It didn’t matter. For her, the program hit the mark. “It’s Saturday and I know I could be at the movies but this is more valuable to me right now,” Woo said. “I like science, but I also know I could use some extra help with it. The more I learn, the more opportunities I have. I really want to go to Cal when I grow up.” >>FWD EARTH: A DYNAMIC STRUCTURE (http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/edu cation/dynamic/) is a six-session course designed to support the needs of teachers in San Francisco who are teaching Earth Science. GEOSCIENCES IN ALASKA (http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/edu cation/alaska/) is a collaboration to provide field and research opportunities for K-12 teachers from West Contra Costa County. T. rex photograph copyright UC Museum of Paleontology. >>FWD ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to the following individuals whose hard work and dedication are helping to make this newsletter a reality: Center for Educational Outreach Marsha Jaeger, Director Gail Kaufman, Director, School/University Partnerships Undergraduate Affairs Development Office Maryellen Himell, Director of Development and Community Relations Rosita Lucas, Grants Specialist Katherine Isobel Urbanski, Manager of Operations Special thanks to these UC Berkeley contributors: Genaro M. Padilla, Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Affairs Patrick Delaney, Bay Area Writing Project/MLK Academic Middle School Nisa Donnelly, Senior Editor, Student Academic Services, UCOP Judith Frank, Assistant Director of Financial Aid, Undergraduate Affairs Yvette Gullatt, EAOP Coordinator, Student Academic Services, UCOP Miya Hayes, Partnership Coordinator, School/University Partnerships Judith Scotchmoor, Director of Education and Public Programs, UC Museum of Paleontology And we are very grateful to: Roland Addad, Marketing Manager for Residential and Student Services Dan Frost of College Educated Photography Karen Kemp, Studio 49 Design, Designer Josh Sens, Writer Lucie Ryan of Ryan Creative Printing Thank You to Our Sponsor the Margoes Foundation UC Berkeley is extremely grateful to the Margoes Foundation for its generous financial commitment, which has made possible the bi-annual publication of this newsletter for two years. The Margoes Foundation, located in San Francisco, was founded thanks to a legacy from John A. Margoes (1927-1983), who was a visionary business leader determined to provide opportunities for those less fortunate through imaginative grantmaking in a variety of fields, including higher education for minority and disadvantaged students, among its highest priorities. 3 Myth: UC only looks at grades and test scores when making admission decisions. Fact: UC reviews your entire application packet. Your personal statement is a critical piece of this review. Your ability to assess your personal achievements and life challenges within the context of your academic achievement weighs heavily in the selection process. 1 Your College Application Personal Statement – 10 Myths to Keep in Mind – personal statements. I won’t be able to write a perfect personal statement. Fact: Your personal statement should reflect your own ideas and be written by you alone. There is no such thing as a perfect personal statement. There is only a statement that is right for the person submitting it. That said, it is important to get feedback to ensure your personal statement rounds out your application. Good sources for feedback include teachers, college counselors, and university outreach officers who visit your school. When soliciting feedback, try to find people who do not know you well. People who are less familiar with you and your academic history tend to provide more objective (and more useful) feedback. Myth: It’s only two pages, so I can write it in one sitting. Fact: A successful personal statement is seldom, if ever, produced in a first draft. Allow enough time to make sure your essay not only describes what you’ve accomplished, but why a particular situation, activity or experience is important to you. It’s not unusual to write six or seven drafts of your personal statement. Start early, plan to revise and be open to feedback. 5 Myth: UC only wants to hear about hardship. Fact: Every student comes from a unique background and every student can write a great personal statement. UC admissions readers are looking for a thoughtful and reflective account that reveals your personal qualities, such as leadership, creativity, initiative, persistence, maturity, self-discipline and respect for differences. We’re also interested in your sustained and meaningful participation in activities that matter to you. If you have overcome adversity and the experience is relevant to your academic record, the personal statement is an ideal place to reflect on this. Just remember to do so within the context of your academic history. In sum, we’re interested in the quality and circumstances of your academic and personal preparation for college. 2 4 Myth: I should write as much (or as little) as I want in any format that I want. Fact: The UC personal statement is limited to two pages, single-side only. It can be typed or handwritten using black ink. The font size should not exceed 12-point. Do not use italicized or boldface type. Use reasonable margins (no smaller than 1⁄2 inch). Every word counts, so be sure your statement uses vivid, concrete and specific prose. Also, because the personal statement is a reflective and analytical piece of writing, a statement that is less than two pages in all likelihood will not adequately complete your application because it will lack sufficient detail about your topic. 6 Myth: The best essays include descriptions of all the activities I’ve participated in. Fact: Quality trumps quantity. In other words, focus on one topic (an activity, a personal experience, a class) and explain not just what you did, but why you did it. Focus on how the experience is relevant to your academic history and your academic goals. Strive for depth, not breadth. Fact: Choosing the right topic is key. In fact, writing an effective personal statement is as much about critical reading as it is about writing. Often, students choose to write on topics that do not properly enhance their application. If you have gaps in your academic record, the personal statement is the time to explain those gaps and place them within the larger picture of your personal circumstances and your academic goals. Writing about the prom, for example, is not a good complement for an application that reveals academic gaps. So be sure that the topic and content of your personal statement accurately focuses on and explains the issues that your application raises. Read your application carefully: what questions emerge for you? Those same questions are likely to emerge for your readers. Choose your topic based on these questions, and your personal statement will more likely enhance your overall application. Myth: Admissions officers really appreciate humorous and creative personal statements. After all, it’s important to stand out from the crowd. Fact: What is funny to a high school student is not necessarily funny to an admissions officer. Some students are genuinely creative and some are extremely humorous writers, but in both instances these approaches need to be looked at with a critical eye. If you’re planning to write a humorous or creative personal statement, get feedback from adults. In general, however, aim for a tone in your personal statement that is thoughtful and reflective rather than funny. 9 8 Myth: Writing about someone else is easier and safer than writing about myself. Fact: The personal statement must be about you. While it is tempting to use the personal statement as an opportunity to tell admissions officers about the important people in your life, it is not appropriate to do so. Admissions officers are interested in you, not the people in your life or the ones you admire. So, if your topic sentences and paragraphs focus on another person, start over! Myth: I shouldn’t worry if my essay contains mistakes—as long as my ideas are good, grammar and syntax don’t matter. Fact: Guess again. You are expected to submit a well-written personal statement that is free of spelling and grammatical errors. Avoid clichés. Use concrete, vivid and specific prose. Remember, even if you are not being judged on your grammar and syntax, your personal statement will leave an impression on the reader. Be sure to proofread your next-to-final draft carefully, and employ another set of eyes (preferably a teacher’s or counselor’s) to find errors that you might have missed. Your computer’s spell check function is not sufficient—you will need human eyes to catch everything. 10 Myth: Only students who can afford outside help write great 3 Myth: I should write my personal statement on whatever topic appeals to me. 7 CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE PERSONAL STATEMENT Thoughtful and honest Strives for depth, not breadth Follows the conventions of good writing (vivid, cliché-free prose) Has benefited from several drafts and feedback from others REVISION STRATEGIES 1 2 Concentrate on the whole by examining your essay’s frame: the introduction, the conclusion and a sentence in each paragraph that supports your main theme. Examine your essay for continuity. Make sure that your points work together conceptually—that key points are unified by your essay’s theme. Try outlining your essay after you’ve written it. An outline can provide a snapshot of your essay and help you to see its organization clearly. 3 Revise for focus, clarity and depth. Make sure that the skeleton of your personal statement is fleshed out with sufficient examples, fully developed paragraphs and meaningful prose. ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR DRAFTING, WRITING AND REVISING THE UC PERSONAL STATEMENT Go to the EAOP Personal Statement Website: www.uga.berkeley.edu/apa/personalstatement 4 DOT-COLLEGE A One-Stop College Shop on the Web CaliforniaColleges.edu is a free website that allows students, parents and teachers to obtain information about higher education opportunities in California. Developed through a partnership of California universities and community colleges and the California Department of Education, the site is a portal for colleges and universities around the state, linking prospective students to on-line applications, financial information, career planning and more. CaliforniaColleges.edu has two main functions. The first is College Exploration. Visitors can take virtual campus tours or use the Matching Assistant to find schools that best suit them. The site also provides information on application deadlines, campus life, curriculum, tuition and the surrounding community. The site’s second function is Guidance and Counseling. It has online admission planners and comprehensive information on college-prep A-G classes and financial aid. Students can apply directly to any California State university by using a CaliforniaColleges.edu username and password at csumentor.edu. This site is not ready for University of California applications but there is a direct link to Pathways (the UC on-line application process). Student data can also be transferred to FAFSA-on-the-web (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid) for quick and easy financial aid assistance. I I I Returning the Gift CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Not sure where to start? CaliforniaColleges.edu is a powerful, open-ended site rich with content that makes finding and applying to a school in California a snap. Just click on a role to the left to learn more about what each section of the site can do for you. Note: New roles will be added in the future for middle school students, graduate students, parents, counselors and teachers. TIPS FOR TEACHERS & PARENTS Using the Matching Assistant The Matching Assistant allows users to research colleges and universities based on specific preferences. To help students understand the eight search criteria, have them answer the following questions on their own or in small groups: Are small classes better than large classes? Do you want to stay close to your family while in college? What are your two favorite classes right now? Students can move on to other sets of questions that will help them further fine-tune their search. Below are some examples. I How many colleges or universities are within 50 miles of your home? Name them. Name three colleges or universities that offer a major you are interested in. Name the one school that begins with Y. I I These questions help students gain expertise in using the search tool. After answering the questions, students can come up with a list of three or four schools that suit their needs and interests. There are more than 218 colleges and universities in California to choose from! >>FWD Photograph by Dan Frost. CA: You go out to these high schools and you see how much potential these kids have. They have so much going for them, but they don’t always know it. They need encouragement and someone to help guide them. You realize how easy it is for someone to slip through the cracks. In my life, I know I’ve had a lot of help. It’s important not to forget where you’ve come from and to give back to the community. >>FWD: What are some of the lessons you try to pass on? CA: On the one hand, I can help with practical advice, when they have questions about college, what they need to do to get in, what classes they need to take, questions about applications. But there are also broader lessons that are important in life. One of them is that life isn’t easy. There will always be struggles and the crucial thing is to never give up. Anything worth achieving doesn’t come easy. You have to be willing to fight through the hard times and believe in yourself. That’s the kind of lesson that prepares you for life, no matter what comes your way. >>FWD Teachers and Counselors are Vital Sounding Boards for Students Writing their Personal Statements A strong personal statement helps admissions personnel get to know a student. It is an opportunity for a student to fill in gaps, explain unusual circumstances and provide a more complete picture of who they are. Teachers, outreach professionals and counselors can provide invaluable support to students preparing their personal statements. Here are a few ways you can help. about the student’s personality and interests. A personal statement is more than a chronology of a student’s life. It is a vibrant portrait of the writer’s character and aspirations. QUESTIONS CAN BE ASKED AT VARIOUS LEVELS. Level One questions deal with facts. A Level One question might be, “What classes has the student taken to become UC eligible?” Level Two questions are open to interpretation. A Level Two question might be, “How has the student maintained his/her high grades while working 30 hours a week?” Level Three questions address the significance of events and experiences. A Level Three question might be, “Why is high achievement important to this student?” Answering these questions helps students choose topics and structure their essays. Level Three questions (“why?”) can form the basis of a thesis. Level Two questions (“how?”) can inspire the essay’s topic sentences. Level One questions (“what?”) can serve as supporting evidence. more challenging tasks—such as clarifying their ideas—alone. Finally, review the entire application to determine how well the essay fits into the entire package. CRITICAL READING: CREATING THE “TEXT” AND ASKING GOOD QUESTIONS Before choosing a topic for their personal statement, students should complete the rest of the application and read it carefully. They should ask themselves questions about the information they’ve provided. Asking questions helps students anticipate the kinds of questions admissions readers will have. It also reduces students’ anxiety about having “nothing to say.” PROVIDING USEFUL FEEDBACK FOR REVISIONS A good personal statement undergoes several revisions. You can help students revise their drafts by providing focused feedback. On a first draft, comment only on the ideas, the level of analysis and the theme. On a second draft, comment on structure and provide additional input on theme and analysis. On a close-to-final draft, comment on grammar, syntax and vocabulary. If you combine feedback types, students will “correct” the easily correctable and leave ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS A six-session lesson plan is available by e-mail for educators interested in teaching the personal statement. To receive lesson outlines and accompanying PowerPoint presentations, send an e-mail with your name and school/ organization to eaop@ucop.edu. >>FWD HELPING STUDENTS GET STARTED Encourage students to think about the personal statement as a written interview with the University. It is an opportunity to discuss academic and personal decisions, and what those decisions illustrate 5 Reading,Writing and Researching INNOVATIVE ONLINE PROJECTS ARE A LIVELY WAY FOR YOUNG STUDENTS TO LEARN With help from UC Berkeley’s Bay Area Writing Project, eighth-graders at Martin Luther King Academic Middle School in San Francisco are "fast forwarding" their reading, writing and research skills. They’re working on I-Search papers, digitally enhanced research projects that bring the learning process to life. Unlike By integrating computers into the project, I-Search papers keep students engaged and motivated, teachers say. It shows in the thoroughness of their research and the quality of their writing. "Doing an I-Search Project with my students has saved this battered middle school teacher's soul,” says language arts and final product is a well-researched piece of expository writing with an authentic voice." In the two-month project, Turnbull's students: I I I Write and organize notes from their research and interviews Keep a daily log of their searching process Write an I-Search paper that includes answers to at least three of their questions and reflects on the searching/reporting process I I Choose their own topic Determine what they already know about their topic Establish at least five interesting questions about their topic Find sources (including at least three print sources) on their topic questions Find and interview a person with expertise on their topic I I “Okay, I’m starting to scare myself. I never thought that I could talk like I’m a computer wizard.” traditional research papers, which often dissolve into dry exercises in regurgitation, I-Search papers are designed to engage students by requiring them to write in the first-person and compose journals about the research process. Technology also plays a vital role. Students work on Weblogs, or “blogs,” online spaces for writing, researching and publishing. Blogs allow students to edit and publish on the Web, to store and update links to useful online sources, to organize work, and to collaborate with other users. Thanks to a partnership with San Francisco Public Library, Martin Luther King students also have access, through their blogs, to the library’s online resources. social studies teacher Helen Turnbull. “I'm inspired, they're motivated, standards are met, and real learning takes place. My dream of creating lifelong learners really can be realized." Working on I-Search papers has helped Turnbull’s students develop valuable research and reporting skills. The projects require a high-school level of expository reading and writing. Even more important, Turnbull says, "because students choose a topic that truly interests them, the I-Search Project motivates and inspires like nothing else I've ever seen. They work harder to find information and read at higher levels because they are genuinely interested, and the I Martin Luther King eighth-grader Jazmin Fischer says the I-Search project has helped her learn how to use the Internet for tasks other than surfing. “Learning how to do all of these things will be really helpful when I'm in high school,” she says. “I will be more organized. I will also be more up-to-date on this high-tech world, which isn't all that hard to learn. Okay, I'm starting to scare myself. I never thought that I could talk like I'm a computer wizard." The I-Search Project can be modified for students with special needs by adjusting the number of questions that must be answered or the number of sources that must be used. In their search, students will select reading that is accessible to them. Students of all levels get a chance to work on such skills as paraphrasing, summarizing and note-taking. Once established in the classroom, the I-Search project can be used for more teacherdirected research on a wide variety of subjects. It introduces students to the kind of independent research required in high school academic courses. Examples of this year's I-Search projects will be available for public viewing and comment in the first week of June, 2003, at http://www.bayareawritingproject. org/mlkBlogzeum. >>FWD MLK Academic Middle School teacher, Helen Turnbull, conferences with students Andy Wu and Arturo Sanchez regarding I-Search web logos. Photograph by Dan Frost. Into the Community CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Intel Corporation, the Eastmont Computer Clubhouse is one of 70 of its kind around the country. It is equipped with dozens of stateof-the-art computers and cutting edge software——the latest technology in audio, video, digital animation and graphic design. It is open every weekday afternoon to local school kids, age 10 to 18, who get a chance to pursue their creative instincts while developing valuable computer skills. On any given afternoon, shortly after school lets out, the kids begin to filter in. They spend hours focused on their latest projects: designing album covers, creating animated movies, laying down tracks for self-penned CDs. They retreat to a glass-enclosed recording studio to put the final touches on a song they’ve written. They peer through the lens of a digital camera, filming a movie about their lives. Clubhouse users are free to pursue their own interests. What they don’t always consider is how those interests could serve them down the line. That’s where UC Berkeley comes in. With a separate grant from Intel, the University’s Center for Educational Outreach has established the College Resource Zone in an office adjacent to the Computer Clubhouse. As its name implies, the College Resource Zone is devoted to helping kids plan a life after high school. It provides comprehensive nuts and bolts information on the college application process, from course requirements to scholarships and financial aid. Along the way, it instills a simple but invaluable idea: that college is an attainable goal. “These kids and their parents may be daunted by the idea of At the College Resource Zone at Eastmont Mall in East Oakland, Alex Yamamoto puts the finishing touches on this innovative community-based college information center. Photograph by Dan Frost. going to campus and trying to sift through all the information. Here, all that information is easily accessible to them. College starts seeming like a more realistic goal,” says Miya Hayes, who supervises the program for the Center for Educational Outreach. Letitia Henderson knows how important that is. When she was a student at McClymonds High School in Oakland, many of her classmates didn’t consider college, either because it seemed uncool or unattainable. Or simply because it had never crossed their mind. Henderson knows the kind of kids who come to the Computer Clubhouse. She’s been in their shoes. She’s also been to college. With her help, she hopes they’ll have a chance to walk a similar path. “They work on these computers and the computers open up whole new worlds to them,” Henderson says. “In a sense that’s like college. Until you get there, you can’t imagine all the places you can explore.” >>FWD 6 Building Bridges, Clearing Paths Two UC Mentoring Programs Help Open the Road to College Starting Point Alfredo Garcia grew up without a father in a downtrodden neighborhood in Sacramento. His family spent time in a homeless shelter. Alfredo did a stint in juvenile hall. After high school, Alfredo landed a job as a supermarket checker. He didn’t consider trying to do much more. One afternoon, Alfredo bumped into his former sixth grade teacher. “He was one of those teachers who really took an interest in the kids and the community,” Alfredo says. “He was very adamant with me. He told me I should go back to community college. He pushed me. He encouraged me to believe in myself.” Now 31, Alfredo is in his third year at UC Berkeley, a transfer from community college in Sacramento. He’s also a mentor in a university program called Starting Point, which operates through UC Berkeley’s Centers for Transfer, Reentry & Student Parents. Since it was launched in 1999, Starting Point has paired more than 100 UC Berkeley class. His goal, he says, is to make UC Berkeley feel more accessible, a place where Gilbert feels like he belongs. Alfredo’s work through Starting Point adds a vital stitch to the fabric of life on the UC Berkeley campus, where around eight percent of undergraduates are “reentry” students over the age of 25. “The other day I got a call from Gilbert and he told me he was doing well in school and that he was applying to Cal,” Alfredo says. “When he gets here, it will be just as I’m graduating. And that’s so gratifying to me. It makes me feel like I’m part of a cycle. And it reminds me that nobody gets through life alone.” Starting point mentors Ethan Dominquez, Feng Trang, Allen Brown, and Kore Oliver practice the fine points of mentoring with each other at a recent training session. Photograph by Dan Frost. Scholars to CAL “Not meeting his potential, that’s what I kept reading,” said Drew Houston about David, a Berkeley sixth-grader whom he had recently begun to mentor. That phrase kept cropping up in David’s report card. “To me there’s nothing sadder “And like his teacher said, he’s got a lot of potential. We’re not going to let that slip away.” students with students from local community colleges. The idea is to bridge an educational gap that often feels too far to cross alone. “I know how much of a difference one person can make in someone else’s life,” Alfredo says. “When you’re in community college, getting to a place like UC Berkeley can seem like it’s such a long shot. I feel so fortunate to be where I am. It wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t help others get here too.” Through Starting Point, Alfredo became a mentor to Gilbert, a student at Vista Community College in Berkeley. In Gilbert, Alfredo says, he sees a reflection of himself. “We both come from backgrounds that placed a high value on hard work, but didn’t always emphasize education,” Garcia says. “Education is about opportunity. And that’s what I try to pass on— the idea of using education to open doors.” In their regular meetings, Alfredo has brought Gilbert to the Cal campus, shown him the library, the admissions office in Sproul Hall, taken him to his poli-sci than that. It’s like his teachers were saying he had this opportunity, and he was letting it slip away,” said Houston. But looking at David, the young boy he’d volunteered to mentor, Houston saw shadows from his own teenage past. “It made me think back to when I was his age, growing up in a house without a father,” Houston says. “Things turned out okay for me, but I also realize how easy it would have been for me to head down the wrong path. I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen to David. Everybody needs a role model, but they don’t always have one, especially not young African American men.” He and David had met through an innovative mentoring program called Berkeley Scholars to Cal, which is run by Stiles Hall, a non-profit agency that plays a crucial role in UC Berkeley’s outreach efforts. For more than 70 years, Stiles Hall has provided mentors to underserved students around the Bay Area. Stiles Hall established Berkeley Scholars to Cal to give additional support to low-income students from backgrounds that don’t always lead to college. The idea was to meet kids early and often, to provide them with everything from academic tutoring to after school companionship. Like other mentor pairings in the program, Drew and David get together at least twice a week. Drew goes to David’s school in Berkeley, where he helps him with his homework or simply chats with him about the day. They browse bookstores. They go to movies. They talk about writing, which is emerging as one of David’s strongest interests. The relationship, Drew says, is similar to one you would have with a sibling, or a very close friend. Twenty weekends a year, Drew and David and the other mentor/mentees in the Scholars to Cal program get together for a Saturday academy on the UC Berkeley campus, where they tackle academic topics and play games that help build friendships. In the years to come, Scholars to Cal will open up other opportunities to David: summer music camps, foreign exchange programs, pre-professional internships. Their relationship, built on trust and commitment, can best be measured not by sudden transformations but by a steady progress toward a long-term goal. Drew says. “I’ll drop him off at home and he’ll say, ‘Okay, see you, I’m off to do my homework.’ He’s just a great kid, and like his teacher said, he’s got a lot of potential. We’re not going to let that slip away.” >>FWD UC Reaches Young Students through the Arts and Academics UC Berkeley has a longstanding commitment to the K-12 educational community—a commitment that comes through in various outreach programs in the arts and academics. CAL PERFORMANCES The famed performing arts center hosts professional development workshops for teachers in the Berkeley Unified School District. It also runs the Oakland AileyCamp, a 6-week summer dance program for 75 at-risk youth ages 11 to 14. Visit http://cpinfo.berkeley.edu/information/education/index.html. BAY AREA URBAN DEBATE This program fosters debate activities at urban high schools around the Bay Area. The philosophy behind the program is that debate enhances critical thinking, public speaking and research skills that empower youth. For more information, visit http://www.polisci.berkeley.edu/baud/index.html. THE NEW LEARNING CLINIC Run by UC Berkeley’s University Extension, the clinic provides assessments of elementary school children on a sliding fee scale. The assessments include screenings for cognitive strengths and weaknesses. For more information, visit http://www.unex.berkeley.edu/dept/edu/learn.html. YOUNG MUSICIANS PROGRAM For more than 30 years, this program has provided gifted lowincome students with professional music training. It serves more than 70 young musicians (ages 11 to 17), who receive year-round private instruction—at no cost to their families. The program monitors student academic progress and provides guidance in choosing and applying to universities. Over the past 12 years, every student in the program has gone on to college. Visit A special bond exits between UC Berkeley student Jonathan Lim and Joshua Hatcher, now a 7th grader at Berkeley's King Middle School, as Jon has been mentoring Joshua since 5th grade and is now helping him successfully navigate these challenging middle school years through the Berkeley Scholar's to Cal program. Photograph by Dan Frost. http://ymp.berkeley.edu/default.html for more information. 7 issue Focus on Scholarships: Scholarships recognize your academic and personal achievements. They help fund your college education, and you don’t need to pay them back. To qualify, you’ll need good grades and perhaps community service. You might have to write an essay or be interviewed. Whatever it takes, it’s worth the effort. UC Berkeley has many scholarships, with awards ranging from $100 to the full cost of attendance. Most—but not all— Berkeley scholarships target students who demonstrate high potential for academic success and who have financial need. Some awards include benefits such as faculty sponsors, scholar association membership and academic/career planning services. Visit the websites listed below for complete information about each award. Second REAL WORLD SCIENCE COLLEGE APPLICATION STRATEGIES 2 4 How and Where to Look for Financial Support For eligible students, these awards are renewable for four years. The Cal Bears Scholarship, Berkeley’s largest program, serves nearly 5,000 undergraduates each year. Eligibility is based on GPA and financial need. The Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholarship, serving 800 students, is Cal’s most prestigious award for entering undergraduates and is one of few that are offered regardless of financial need. The Cal Opportunity Scholarship, serving 100 students, offers a full need scholarship to academically promising students from specific Bay Area high schools. For more information on the application process, eligibility, and benefits go to www.berkeley.edu/scholarships The following programs request that you submit special materials for consideration. Visit the websites for important application information. The Incentive Awards Program (http://students.berkeley.edu/incen tive/) serving up to 240 students from its 60 current partner schools, offers $7,000 annually for four years to entering students with a commitment to service. The California Alumni Association (http://www.alumni.berkeley.edu/) sponsors two scholarships for Berkeley students: I Scholarship Resources Check out the following scholarship resources no matter what college you plan to attend. CollegeNETMach25 www.collegenet.com Search more than 600,000 private sector awards, including schoolspecific awards, from more than 1,500 sponsors. UC Berkeley Scholarship Connection http://scholarships. berkeley.edu Visit the Scholarship Connection website to investigate non-university scholarships and links to other on- and off-campus scholarship resources. More helpful resources: The Complete Scholarship Book Presents financial help regardless of financial situation, intended major, GPA or test scores. Contact Sourcebooks, Inc. (800-43-BRIGHT). The Scholarship Book Provides comprehensive information for private scholarships. It is available in any public library. The Undergraduate Scholarships Bulletin Lists announcements on various outside agency scholarships. Located on campus, near the 2nd floor elevator in Sproul Hall. FastWeb www.fastweb.com This site identifies more than 180,000 scholarships, FinAid www.finaid.org fellowships, loans and This award-winning site grants. is one of the most comUC Berkeley prehensive annotated Undergraduate collections of information Scholarships, Prizes about student financial and Honor Office aid on the web. http://www.berkeley.edu East Bay Consortium /scholarships Incoming and continuing www.eastbay UC Berkeley students will consortium.org find information on non- A directory of scholarship and financial aid university scholarships through the link “Outside information. Scholarship Resources.” The Leadership Scholarship is a merit award for students who exhibit leadership. About 950 students receive $1,000 annually. I The Achievement Award Program offers need-based awards to students who have excelled despite hardship. About 75 students receive $5,700 annually. Want to find out more about the outreach programs you’ve read about in >>FWD? Visit Kindergarten to College; UC Berkeley in the Schools, the website “gateway” for the more than seventy Cal outreach programs: http://outreach.berkeley.edu Want to order more copies of >>FWD? Contact Michelle Bullock at (510) 543-9674 or mbullock@uclink.berkeley.edu Center for Educational Outreach 2150 Kittredge Street Berkeley, CA 94720-1060 Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid University of California, Berkeley