San Benito High School trustees heard a report from the Ivy League Project, which recruits students to some of the top private universities in the nation.
The program would expose high school students to a year-long series of workshops and a trip to the East Coast to see some of the elite institutions.
Students often write off schools like Harvard, Princeton and others because of what they think is the cost, but sometimes the financial aid packages are better than those of the in-state universities, Superintendent John Perales told the Free Lance last week.
“It’s shown a lot of success in other areas,” the administrator said.
Trustees did not vote on the topic, listed as an information item on the agenda for last week’s meeting. The item was deferred to administration, which will make decisions going forward, Perales explained.
The program operates at no cost to the district, the superintendent said. It also prepares students for applications and interviews, he explained.
Participating students must possess at least a 3.7 GPA and be challenging themselves by taking advanced placement or top-level courses, Perales explained. Initially, the program might start with 20 students but would double in size within a year, he said.
As part of participating in the program, students would fundraise $2,600 to pay for their summer trip to visit about 13 schools, as well as the cities of Washington D.C. and New York, he said.
“It’s a pretty extensive trip,” he said.
Ivy League schools
Brown University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Harvard University
University of Pennsylvania
Princeton University
Yale University
