UCSB Early Academic Outreach Presents Higher Education Week

The Early Academic Outreach Program at UC Santa Barbara is hosting Higher Education Week, a four-day event beginning October 20. It will bring representatives from universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education to high schools in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties to meet with students and discuss post-high school educational opportunities.

The event, which is timed to coincide with the application period for both the UC and California State University systems, will include half-day visits to each of the schools. College presentations will be followed by breakout sessions on a variety of topical issues, and a college fair.

Presentations will be held first at Hueneme and Rio Mesa High Schools on Tuesday, October 20. On the same day, a meeting for parents will take place at Oxnard College from 6 to 8 p.m. On Wednesday, October 21, the event will move to Fillmore and Santa Paula High Schools, and to Channel Islands and Pacifica High Schools on Thursday, October 22. The week will end with visits to Lompoc and Pioneer Valley High Schools on Friday, October 23.

In all, more than 3,500 high school juniors and seniors will hear from representatives from the UC and Cal State systems; private colleges and universities, including Westmont, Cal Lutheran, University of San Diego, and The Art Institutes; Hancock, Moorpark, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, and Ventura community colleges; and vocational schools, including Wyotech, The Paul Mitchell School, Santa Barbara Business College, and ITT-Tech.

Also on hand will be representatives from educational support organizations such as the Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation, Princeton Review, Huntington Learning Center, and Sallie Mae.

"We're reaching out to every senior and offering an option for after high school," said Britt Ortiz, director of the Early Academic Outreach Program. "Usually, the schools identify which students are college prep and give them the appropriate information. But they aren't always able to do that with non-college prep kids. We're providing information to every member of the senior class."

The mission of the Early Academic Outreach Program at UCSB is to help high achieving and high potential first-generation and low-income students meet the academic requirements for acceptance to the University of California. A variety of pre-college programs offered on an annual basis give students the opportunity to visit UCSB, meet with faculty members, and conduct research or participate in other academic activities. Among the programs are the Academic Decathlon, UC Prep, Junior High Conference, Migrant Education Conference, and Student Leadership Conference.

Related LinksEarly Academic Outreach Program