Penn launched the Rising Senior Summer Academy (PennRSSA) for students in Philadelphia district and charter schools who will be high school seniors this fall. The initiative has two online components: a session on how to apply to college, and a four-week program called the PennRSSA Academy.
Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, Penn vice provost for student engagement, said PennRSSA Academy instructors offer courses on topics like applied economics, writing for different audiences, career exploration, and college applications.
“They take students through the whole process of beginning to think about where they might like to be geographically for their work, how they think about what's important to them in college,” she explained.
Academy classes begin July 6. McCoullum said 600 students have been accepted so far, and there’s room for 2,500.
Students who finish the course can earn one credit toward their high school transcripts.