Local News in Brief : Countywide : UCI Program Targets Pre-College Students

A college preparatory program will be offered by UC Irvine this summer for gifted junior high and high school students who qualify in what UCI called a “talent search.”

Students with exceptional math, verbal or overall academic ability are being sought for the first-time program, said Jim Waldron, the program’s director in the UCI Office of Relations with Schools and Colleges.

To qualify, students in grades 7-12 must score as well as or better than the average high school senior on either the SAT or the SCAT examination.

The deadline for registration for the SAT--the Scholastic Aptitude Test for college admission--is Friday, although late registration is permitted until Feb. 15, and students may be able to take the test as walk-ins at test sites, Waldron said.

The final day for registering for the SCAT--a shortened version of the SAT, which is not used for college admission--is Feb. 22.

Classes will be taught by UCI professors, who will include such subjects as international relations, critical thinking and writing, physics, jazz-dance, sailboating and college survival.

“This is a very selective program for high-achieving students,” Waldron said. “Our goal is to offer especially stimulating educational experiences not usually available to these students.”

Applicants must pay a $15 fee. In addition, tuition for the 5-week session--offered June 26 to Aug. 3 for high school students--is $585. High school and junior high students may enroll in the 3-week session, scheduled July 10-28, for $535.

Scholarships are available. Students may commute or live in campus guest quarters with a chaperon. Minibus service is also available in Orange County.