School teams up with summer college for high schoolers

Rising high school seniors get a glimpse of college life while participating in the SCHS program.

he University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy has partnered with the Summer College for High School Students to offer college courses to rising seniors.

SCHS is a residential program held on UM’s Oxford campus that awards academic credit for classes taught by UM faculty. While earning college credit, participants also get a glimpse of college life and experience all that Oxford has to offer.

Starting on June 28 and running until July 28, the SCHS Pharmacy Program enrolls students in Chemistry 101 and Math 115. In addition to their course work, students will also learn about the field of pharmacy.

This is the first year that SCHS has partnered with the School of Pharmacy.

“We’re very excited to be able to offer a pharmacy-specific program this summer,” said Chelsea Bennett, the school’s assistant dean of student services. “We hope to highlight pharmacy as a profession and allow rising seniors the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the many areas in which pharmacists work.”

Bennett encourages high school students “with an interest in science, the health professions and patient interaction” to consider the opportunity.

“We are planning some exciting hands-on activities for our students, including career overview activities, fun compounding experiments, patient counseling skills challenges and trips to various pharmacy sites,” she said.

To apply for the SCHS Pharmacy Program, the applicant must be in good academic standing in the 11th grade, have permission from his or her school principal, and have a 3.5 GPA and a 24 composite ACT (or SAT equivalent).

“With a specialized program like pre-pharmacy, this is an opportunity for students to really start thinking about what they want out of the university and the type of major they want to pursue,” said Cass Dodgen, director of SCHS. “Students also get to interact with college students and really hear about what college is like from their perspective.”

Lydia Beard, a Corinth native who is in her second year of the pharmacy school’s Early Entry program, said she enjoyed her SCHS experience.

“The Summer College for High School Students program really gave me a taste of what college life at Ole Miss is all about,” Beard said. “I received a head start on my college education and gained valuable life experiences that made my transition into college seamless.”

While SCHS is not free, three helpful types of financial aid are available to summer college participants: need-based aid, academic achievement scholarships and first generation scholars aid, which is offered in conjunction with a grant from the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation.

Applications for SCHS are due June 1 for U.S. applicants and April 15 for international applicants. For more information, visit www.outreach.olemiss.edu/schs.