e-mail this page
Printer Friendly Version

Program preps students for entrance exams

Sacramento State and UC Davis are helping area high school students get a jump on their college admission processes by helping them prepare for exams necessary to begin their college careers.

The Sacramento State/UC Davis Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program Center is sponsoring a six-week College Entrance Exam Preparatory Academy for educationally disadvantaged students. The academic program, held at Sacramento State from 4-7 p.m. each Friday, Sept. 28 through Nov. 2, will provide hands-on and computer-based training materials for students.

“Commercial preparatory programs are cost prohibitive for many of our students,” says Jean Crowder, director of the center. “They can run as much as $16,000 for comprehensive courses that do not include preparatory instruction for the required placement exams. Students need to prepare for these tests ahead of time in order to do well, and this course helps narrow the academic achievement gap that exists for many disadvantaged students by giving them valuable classroom instruction and the opportunity to take the coursework home to work on their own.”

The academy will help prepare students in the University MESA program to take the PSAT, ACT, SAT I and SAT II exams. It also prepares students for the University English and math entrance exams.

After completing the course, students receive a 1-gigabyte flash drive containing a take-home study guide and additional preparatory work.

The program, co-sponsored by Intel, Corp., is free to MESA-enrolled students. Enrollment priority is given to high school juniors and seniors.

MESA provides academic support to educationally disadvantaged students in elementary, middle and high schools. It also helps prepare them for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. 

For more information on the MESA program, contact 278-4575.