High School students selected to be Young Scholars may participate in the following:
- Monthly Inspirational/Informational Sessions: These sessions will be held at each YSP high school. These sessions are designed to provide timely and relevant information on preparing for postsecondary education. Speakers will be experts in their fields. These monthly get-togethers are meant to inspire students to achieve academic success and inform them how to make that happen.
- Mentoring: “Research confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful positive effects on young people in a variety of personal, academic and professional situations.” (The National Mentoring Partnership, 2019). YSP mentors may be UT Dallas students, staff, faculty, alumni or community partners. The YSP director will match mentors will high schools students, with the goal of a 1:5 mentor-student ratio. Mentoring will occur primarily via an online platform with the goal of providing the necessary resources to meet the needs of Young Scholars.
- SAT/ACT Preparation Sessions: According to the College Board, which administers the SAT test, just six to eight hours of preparation on official SAT practice tests correlates to an average 90-point increase on SAT scores. A 115-point average score increase is associated with 20 hours of practice (The Washington Post, May 9, 2017). The Young Scholars Program collaborates with Dallas ISD to provide opportunities for YSP students to hone their test-taking skills and content knowledge during the fall, spring and summer.
- UT Dallas Campus Visits: Touring campus gives high school students a chance to experience people connected with UT Dallas and campus life. These visits also offer students an opportunity to see for themselves what higher education looks like. This is why, each year, high schoolers involved in YSP are invited for a daylong tour of the UT Dallas campus.
