Appendix B
Overall Impression of Project GRAD
POSITIVE
1. I really like the program, I feel like I learned a lot of different stuff that will help us in
our future to be successful. I think it's a good program whether we’re moving around or
not. (Junior)
2. I like it, because at school we get the chance to go to the room and get work done we
didn’t get done in the day. They help with scholarships, resumes, anything they want to
help us with. It’s just a better tool than some of the other stuff we have at school to get
help with college and other stuff we need to get done.” [Resource Room] (Junior)
3. I think Project GRAD is very helpful, not only so do they help you with college, but
tutors are expensive and if you need help in school they have tutors to provide you.
Sometimes we’ll take college trips, and where you go to college, that’s an important
decision that you make in your life. And I think it’s just helpful because you have the
support you may not have at home and it’s a loving environment, and not only that but
the $4,000 scholarship will come in handy where ever you go.”(Junior)
4. I think it’s great for Buchtel because everybody thinks Buchtel is a bad school, but
actually it’s a pretty good school because they have more academic scholarships that
other Akron Public Schools.” (Junior)
5. This is my second Summer Institute. Last year was Career Exploration and I did
Bridge to Graduation for incoming freshman and it’s like a month long and they basically
teach you the basics about high school and you get to go to some of the classes that you’ll
be taking in the fall. I know one class got to take a computer class which is Integrated
Software, and when I got there in the fall I knew what to expect, like the room
environment. They give you tours around the building; they give you more that one tour,
at least two. (Junior)
7. I’ve had one of their [Project GRAD] tutors come and tutor me for language arts and I
think it really did help me because I passed 9 th grade English and I also think it helped me
on my OGTs and I passed those too. There are a lot of programs that they have there such
as tutoring that are prepping you for OGTs or just tutoring in general and those programs
definitely did help. (Junior)
8. Especially my math tutor, because I had an engineer from The University of Akron and
they broke it down in a way that I could understand it because it was trigonometry. I
mean, I got an A in the class but it was hard for me to understand it at times. But then I
think in the end when you break it down a certain way it’s easy for someone to remember
it and catch onto it quick, so I think that helped me because I did real well on my OGTs, I
had advanced because they broke down equations into a way you could understand and a
way it could relate to you. (Junior)
9. I was in Freshman Connection while I was in my first year and in Bridge to
Graduation. When you came, they showed you what high school was like in the summer
before you got to Buchtel, so you wouldn’t be so lost your freshman year. There’s
Summer Institute, there’s tutoring down in the Project GRAD room. They make sure
seniors know about their scholarships like the scholarships going around, so, stuff like
that. (Senior)
10. And Project GRAD is a really good source when getting into college, especially
HBCU, historically a black college/ university. It’s a really good program to get you in
one of them. (Junior)
11. That room [Resource Room] is always open. I go in there everyday if I need a
specific service, like tutoring, but something like if I am working on a project, they’ll
help me out. If I need a letter of recommendation or I’m writing a paper they’ll he me do
that. (Junior)
Appendix B
12. I think they’re very successful especially with helping people get off to college. There
are two people that have been Project GRAD scholars that have graduated from Buchtel
and won the Gates Millennium Scholarship. So not only does Project GRAD give you
that support but the extra push to apply yourself to things that you would never have
thought of. Like who would ever think of winning the Gates Millennium scholarship out
of 20,000 applicants? That just makes you feel good and you think, ‘Wow, Project
GRAD really pushed me and influenced me to do that,’ so I think they’re successful in
changing a lot of lives if somebody thinks, ‘Maybe I can go to college, but if Project
GRAD is offering my $4,000, then maybe I am college material.’ (Junior)
13. To me, Project GRAD is successful, but then with the students that apply for it. But
when the students slack off in their freshman or sophomore year, it ends up causing them
not to get the $4,000 scholarship or whatever else they were applying for. (Junior)
14. The speakers have helped me decide what I wanted to do with my life like a
Marketing career or what it takes to get where they’re at.
15. I can also say that I benefited from a program that was offered before we go to high
school called Bridge to GRAD. They helped me get ready for high school, get the feel of
the building, and helped with some of my skills.
16. Even though you have to meet requirements, they help you meet them. Even though
they have tutors for the entire school, the tutors can actually help Project GRAD students.
(Junior)
1. I think they’re helpful. They give tutoring if you need tutoring, you finish projects
down in the Project GRAD room, and they help you with everything. (Junior)
2. They are pretty helpful. That room is open most of the day, not all the time, but most
of the day, anytime that you need it. (Junior)
NEUTRAL
3. Overall I think it’s a good program, it is teaching you and guiding you to get ready for
college. I enjoy it.
4. [Bridge to Graduation] It happens in August and some of us took it and it went from
Perkins and several different schools as well, and when we go in there and when you go
in there, for me, all I saw was Perkins students (laughing) a lot of them. It was just funny
to me because this program is for everyone and they were branching out, but they weren’t
able to branch out like they really wanted to in picking the students, so it was actually
kind of strange to me because when they gave us the letter I don’t think they asked us
what school we went to and that’s why it ended up being that many students from
Perkins, but we got to go to separate classrooms, computer labs, to the Integrated
Software room that they have in Buchtel and when we go into high school we basically
knew where everything was. (Junior)
5. The standards of Project GRAD aren’t challenging at all
1. The only thing I don’t like about it is, it seems a lot of stuff is late notice so a lot of the
programs you learn about a day before or the same day that there is a program after
school. I just don’t like the late notice and it’s kind of unorganized sometimes.
AREAS OF
IMPROVE
MENT
2. I don’t really like Project GRAD. I got in it because of my friend and cousin really, he
told me it was fun so I signed up and it wasn’t like what he said it was. It’s really boring,
and he told me it was fun, they got the stipends and lunch was real fun because they got
the Zip Cards and you can walk around and switch classes and it’s not like that. But,
overall I think Project GRAD is successful. (In-depth Interview – Junior)
Appendix B
3. My first impression is that it wasn’t what I though it would be, because last year they
go to walk around Akron U and be in different rooms, and I thought that’s what we were
going to be doing this year too. We’re staying in one room and learning marketing and
also working on the iCafé project. (Junior)
4. [Project GRAD] needs more funding and the Summer Institute needs improved. The
Law Summer Institute is extremely lack yet the students receive the same amount of
credit for participating.
5. The Summer Institute needs more organization.
6. There are a lot of contradictions [specifically at this current Summer Institute] about
what we can and cannot do
7. Yes, but they need more funding and the Summer Institute sucks this year [2009].
8. We need to better Buchtel’s webpage and link it to Project GRAD’s. I don’t access
Buchtel’s webpage because once you get on there, there isn’t a lot of information and it’s
not updated.
9. I didn’t know they had it and even if there is a link on Buchtel’s website, Buchtel’s site
isn’t all that great either. They only have pictures of our Vice President Assistant
Principles and main Principle.
10. We have a school website, we don’t use it regularly. It’s not a type of site where we
can figure out our grades, it’s nothing like that.
Overall Community Support/Perception/Awareness
1. Our community is very happy that there’s a program like this because the majority of
our community is African American and they think it’s a big help in pushing the African
American to go to college and to do more with their lives, so I think the community likes
the program. They help a lot with volunteer hours too. (Junior)
2. I think the community supports and is in favor of Project GRAD because they want to
see us succeed and it’s just not another statistic, if we grow us become famous and we get
back to our community they’ll be like ‘Yeah, she came from Akron, she came from
Buchtel, she went to Project GRAD,’ so I think they support it, they want to see us do
well. And they also donate, not only just money, but their time, their helpfulness, their
faith in us, and they want to see us succeed and go down the right path. (Junior)
POSITIVE
3. I think the community views it as a good thing because my mom made me come to
Buchtel basically because of Project GRAD. (Senior)
4. I think [Project GRAD] gets our reputation back on the good side because our
reputation kind of got damaged a couple of years back. (Junior)
5. I think we should put Project GRAD in more schools. (Senior)
6. For real, everybody deserves the opportunity that we get [at Buchtel]. (Senior)
7. They have Buchtel Cluster Schools building up to Buchtel High School and overall it’s
a good program.
Appendix B
8. I think there is community awareness because every year at the beginning of the school
year, Project GRAD will go around to the freshman, or they’ll go around to the
neighborhood and just acknowledge them that this is a program out there in the
community and you should take action ‘and go do it. I really think the community does
help out. (Junior)
9. So far, since I’ve been in, [Project GRAD] there has been no negative feedback. It’s all
positive and it’s helped me out a lot. (Junior)
10. An example would be one day we got visitors in school and she just asked random
people ‘What is Project GRAD?’ and I told them ‘Project GRAD is a college prep
program, it’s helpful, they help you with everything they can to the fullest extent they are
able to do.’ And she said, ‘I think that’s a very good program and it’ll help you succeed,’
and I was like ‘Thank you,’ because some people are like ‘Oh you’re not going anywhere
in life’ or ‘you’re not going to do anything.’ But just to have that support there and just to
have them think, ‘Wow this community is coming up with something new, something
that can help not only this generation, but generations to come.’ (Junior)
11. I think the community view it [Project GRAD] is a good thing, because my mom
made me come to Buchtel basically just because of Project GRAD.”
12. I think they community should know. Maybe we should have an activity day to make
them aware of Project GRAD, or hold meetings…
13. They should start having ads placed in the newspaper like the Akron Beacon Journal
and like have it more publicized. (In-Depth Interview – Junior)
14. In a way I don’t think newsletters are effective. I personally think they should come to
your house. Some people view the newsletters are garbage.
15. They go around certain times in the year and put little bags on the door explaining
the programs. (Junior)
NEUTRAL
1. They do a lot of stuff in the community like The Walk for Success and all of that. I
mean, that’s a lot of reasons why people send their kids to Buchtel high school because
otherwise at a different high school, they [Project GRAD] wouldn’t be here. (Senior)
2. Usually they do these on the weekends, like when they went around to the
neighborhood and knocked on doors. They do that on the weekends.” (Junior)
AREAS OF
IMPROVE
MENT
1. To me, when people think of Project GRAD, they think of just another program, but
for some people that don’t know a bout it, it’s not just another program. It’s a way for us
to succeed, me and everybody else here, that’s what it’s for. It’s giving us this
opportunity to be in this marketing program and to be working with a company and
learning how to do marketing and other things and there’s also a law program their also
learning that we have an opportunity of doing too next year. (Junior)
2. I don’t think the community knows what we’re doing in Project GRAD, just the
students and maybe their parents. It’s not really told…
3. I don’t think that many people know about it, but the people who do know about it
think it’s a really good program. I think more people should be aware of it. (In-Depth
Interview – Junior)
Appendix B
4. A lot of the community does know about it, but some people outside the community
don’t, because I had this man come up to me and ask what program I was in and I told
him a little bit about it but for me I can’t really explain it all the way because even though
I’m still in it, I don’t know the full impact it’s going to do to me. (Junior)
5. I think they may know because they have a Walk For Success where they go around
and put stuff in people’s mailboxes to tell them about the program so they might know
but not because they are involved.
6. I don’t read those newsletters, I throw them away. People would hang up on phone
recordings, but phone calls to those who are involved would be nice.
SHORTTERM
Ideas to Enhance Project GRAD
1. A lot of people know about it, but they don’t really know about it, knowing as in depth
of what it goes down to, so a lot of people don’t sign up for it, so I would find a way to
give more knowledge to others people to join the program because there’s a lot of people
who would/could join up that have the abilities at Buchtel. Maybe talk to different students
at lunch time and tell them ‘Project GRAD is here if you’re having trouble with college,’
or maybe on our news channel at school we can talk about it, of which they do already,
just talk about it more. (Junior)
2. Or you could send letters out to parents because some parents really do care, or even to
their grandparents and that would help a lot because then the grandparents would say, ‘Oh
you should go to this, or this because it’ll help you get to college and we’ll be able to see
you succeed and also help for me,’ or your mom or whoever it is. (Junior)
3. Having Project GRAD in the Parades, because everyone in Akron will be at the parades
and having people that’s in Project GRAD walking around passing out flyers and that
would get a lot of people aware about that Project GRAD is. Because no one in my family
knew what it was until I got in it. (In-Depth Interview – Junior)
4. All we can do is keep doing what we’re doing what we’re doing it’s just that… (Junior)
5. Announce scholarship awards and amounts in the newspapers.
6. They to show them how fun it is. Try to have an activity to where they could come to
even though they’re no in the program and see that even though they’re giving us money
for college and it’s college based, that we still do have fun and it’s a fun program to be in.
(Junior)
7. I think Project GRAD already kind of tries to do those things by taking pictures and
displaying them all over the school. I think it really just depends on the students and if they
want to sacrifice their time and show their abilities to do it. I think Project GRAD already
does some kinds of things to show how good this program already is, it’s just your choice
if you decide to do it or not. (Junior)
8. You have to persuade them to want to go to college first because if they don’t want to
go to college there is no point in going Project GRAD.
9. Tell them the benefits of getting a college education and advantages of Project GRAD
and how it’ll help them.
10. There are only 50 students allowed into the program so they should increase that.
11. Everyone has their own perception or idea but you could probably give them more
information about it.
12. They need to hold more events. Pass out cards that promote Project GRAD like have
fairs, car washes, or bake sales. Something like that to get people to come first and then
Appendix B
you can tell them [about Project GRAD].
13. Phone call parents whose children aren’t involved in Project GRAD.
14. Improve time management, letting us know stuff ahead of time and not last minute.
15. Before I knew anything about it [Project GRAD] my math teacher told me. I think
teachers should make individual announcements in class [about Project GRAD].
16. See Project GRAD participate in Akron’s Parades.
17. Promote Project GRAD at sporting banquets.
18. I think community service would be good if it could in interchangeable with the 93%
attendance rate.
19. They send out letters in the mail, telling you what programs you can sign up for. They
have meetings, usually at the beginning of the year. (Junior)
20. Awards ceremonies, football games, basketball games; someone should be there
passing things out [to promote Project GRAD] because that’s when parents come.
LONGTERM
21. They need to advertise more. Put the website links on shirts.
22. They don’t hold meetings now for parents, but maybe after school around 5:00 pm
most people would come. Maybe the sporting events could sponsor it and tell people about
PR at the football games. I think students talking about Project GRAD would be better
than Mr. Turner telling people what Project GRAD is.
23. They should hold more meetings for parents whose kids aren’t in it and the meeting
should be about how hard life would be without college and how Project GRAD would
help.
1. Try to get more money, have more fundraisers to get more money, so we’d be able to do
more stuff, because I know this year they were on a low budget for the Summer Institute
and it would be nicer if we could have done more things. I mean, this is a good program
but it would have been nicer to have a little more money to do a little bit more things.
(Junior)
2. Project GRAD is a pretty good program because it’s not only in Buchtel, they have
Buchtel cluster schools. It’s just when you actually get to Buchtel and you have the
Summer Institute and all that, that’s building to the scholarship that only Buchtel can get.
Really, what I am trying to say is to improve Project GRAD’s view in the community is to
improve Buchtel, because those are kind of interlinked because that’s the only school that
has [Project GRAD]. (Junior)
3. We should make Project GRAD is all schools, not just Buchtel. Everyone deserves the
opportunity that we get.
4. The only way to improve Project GRAD’s image in the community is to improve
Buchtel because it is the only school is Akron that has it [Project GRAD].
5. Keep our scores up, keep putting people through college. The more people that graduate
with the Project GRAD Scholarship will be noticed through announcements in the
newspaper and let the community see [that Project GRAD helps kids succeed]. (Senior)
6. Promote the website, get staff/faculty more involved, improve Buchtel’s website, and
increase funding.
7. Have students help work on Buchtel’s Website as a student project for those whole are
inter IT and Computer Science.
8. I really believe Project GRAD should have its own website that’s not attached to
Buchtel because really when you look at it you can see the school; it’s all in black and
white. But us students don’t really pay attention to it. (Junior)
Appendix B
9. Have updated information uploaded onto website that pertains to them, scholarship
updates, due dates, and awards, and/or any other announcements being made.
10. I didn’t know there was an Akron Project GRAD had a website. The Buchtel Website
is horrible. There needs to be a lot more colorful. It’s just a black background that says
‘Buchtel High School’ and then it has all of these selections you can choose from;
Students, Activities, Faculty/Staff, Football, Basketball, etc. And everything you click on
says ‘Page Under Construction. (In-Depth Interview – Junior)
11. We don’t access Project GRAD’s website at all.
12. I think something that they should add is; it shouldn’t be something big but maybe a
little bit of community service hours just because that’d look good on your college resume.
You don’t have to have 250 but 10 to 15 hours by the time you graduate because you need
to those to put on your resume. (Junior)
WHY
PARTISIP
ATE
Participation
1. I decided to participate in Project GRAD because I want more success in my life and I
Want to be successful and accomplish things in my life. Coming from a private school I
really didn’t know what programs were out there and seeing Project GRAD I knew that
was a step I had to take to go where I want to go in life and I think the reason why I choose
Project GRAD because it helped me, preparing me for college, it’s showing me all the
different career aspects I can take in my life. I think it really helps a lot of the kids at
school.” (Junior)
2. I think I participated in Project GRAD because when I had mentors in my freshman
program it really showed me that Project GRAD is more than just a program that throws
you $4,000 if you meet their requirements. It’s also a program where you can learn life
lessons like good communication skills and leadership, and how to work with teams, and
not only that but to be responsible and determined to keep your grades up and just take
care of your business, and I just think it’s a really good program that you can use in life
and learn how to have self discipline. You have to learn how to be a leader and how to
work on a team because you can’t always do everything by yourself, so that’s some reason
why I choose Project GRAD. (Junior)
3. I choose Project GRAD because later on in life it’s going to help me out bust most of all
I choose it because my sister encouraged me to do it because she does Upper-Bound at
Buchtel, so I wanted to do something that could actually help me out like Upper-Bound
helps her out and I don’t what to be like my older sister because she’s not doing anything
with her life. (Junior)
4. The reason why I did it wasn’t just because of money, but because of my grandma. A
lot of my cousins, they have children already and a lot of them aren’t in college, but some
one them are. And my grandma really encouraged me to be different from the rest of the
people in my family and so does my mom and dad, and I know if I do this, I’ll be able to
go to college and I know that’s why I want to do. (Junior)
5. Everyone at Buchtel is a Project GRAD student; all you have to do is signup for the
program. I knew that it gives some sort of college experience before you went to college
and I knew it would help me out buying books or whatever funding you need, plus my
brother was in it.
6. Its easy money and the speakers helped me decide on college and career choices.
7. Both of my parents have college degrees, so I was able to go to Upper Bound (another
program where students can attend Kent State get the college experience and stay
Appendix B
overnight).
8. My mom wants me to go to college.
9. My mom made me come to Bridge to GRAD Program, I didn’t even know half about it
[Project GRAD] because most of my life I haven’t been in public schools. It showed that it
wasn’t a joke and you to take it seriously, so after Bridge to GRAD I was inspired to get
money.
10. The scholarship
WHY NOT
PARTISIP
ATE
1. Some don’t like to apply themselves; they like to be lazy and don’t want to do work.
They see it as, ‘Oh its high school, it’s not that big of a deal,’ but actually it is. It’s what
they call out golden years and you should enjoy them but don’t slack off because after high
school what are you going to do really? (Junior)
2. I think they don’t participate in Project GRAD because they may feel they’re not college
material, so they look at it like, ‘Oh, this is something for college and I’m not going to
college anyways, so why waste my time.’ But I think by the time they get that mindset,
they think it’s too late, but it’s never too late to apply yourself. Because life after high
school only gets harder and you have to go to college and it’s not going to be easy, its
going to be harder, so start preparing yourself now. You may not want to get up early, but
you have to do it anyways. Some of them are scared to do that and grow up and get old
because that’s what everybody fears so they’re afraid to apply themselves to go to far
because it wasn’t in their life plan. (Junior)
3. The students can’t say they don’t know about it, they put it on the announcements.
4. They don’t meet the requirements and some don’t care about going to college.
5. Some come to the Summer Institute for the stipend or for the food, but they don’t really
care about getting the scholarship.
6. Their parents might not push them like my parents.
7. They don’t want they scholarship and they don’t want to go to college.
8. They don’t want to make the commitment.
9. Not that many other students get involved mainly because I don’t think they want to
come to school in the summer for two weeks [Summer Institute]. There’s a lot of people
feel they don’t need it [the scholarship]. (In-Depth Interview – Junior)
POSITIVE
Parental Awareness/Participation
1. I won’t say that parents are involved physically, like coming out to help, but I think
they’re involved mentally. I think all kids in Project GRAD were probably persuaded by
a parent in their household to come or even gave them that boost to say you’re doing a
good job in finding these programs like Project GRAD to participate in. And I think most
parents are on their side in helping them out. (Junior)
2. I think parents know if their child is in Project GRAD because their kids get up in the
morning and come [to Summer Institute].
3. I absolutely think that if parents whose children aren’t involved had more information
about Project GRAD, they’d push their own children to get involved.
Appendix B
NEUTRAL
AREAS OF
IMPROVE
MENT
4. Newsletters are effective because it’s the reason I joined.
1. Some parents don’t come because some kids don’t have their parents or their mom and
dad is working a lot and some kids, like my cousin, her parents ended up leaving her with
my grandma, so my grandma has her to watch over and they’re older so they can’t do that
much. So it’s disappointing for some kinds but a lot of kids have their parents who work
long hours and they can’t get off work and then they have hectic schedules that cause
them not to be able to do it. So that’s why some parents aren’t in it. (Junior)
2. Parents don’t have any require or specific duty to help Project GRAD.
1. I think some parents are involved, but some parents kind of look at it like, ‘I don’t want
to overcrowd my child by being in school and being with them all the time because I’m
with them at home, I’ve got to let them have some freedom,’ and I think that’s why some
parents don’t participate. But I think parent involvement is important because you need
the support not only from outside but your family is the most important. (Junior)
2. For the students in Project GRAD there is big parental involvement, but not the parents
who children aren’t involved. To get more parents involved they need more newsletters to
the houses.
3. I don’t feel that parental involvement is as good as it could be. I don’t know that
many adults that know about Project GRAD or are that into it, like volunteering. The only
adults that I see around Buchtel are Mrs. Thermon and Mr. Turner, about three or four
adults. My mom don’t know about it. I just try to meet the requirements and like that.
4. We were supposed to have a meeting for parental activity, but they didn’t have it.
5. They didn’t have a meeting this year. They usually have one before the program
[Summer Institute] starts to get their parents to know what exactly will be happening as
far as where we’ll be located, what activities we’re doing, but they didn’t do that this
year.
6. I think there should be parental involvement. Parents don’t do hands on stuff with
Project GRAD and a lot of them probably don’t know about it. They should get sponsors,
have Parent-Teachers meetings, Report-Card Pick Up and tell them what Project GRAD
is and they their kids can get involved in it. (In-Depth Interview – Junior)
7. In a way I don’t think newsletters are effective. I personally think they should come to
your house. Some people view the newsletters are garbage.
POSITIVE
Faculty and Staff Involvement
1. Some teachers that aren’t even in Project GRAD still are getting kids help even though
they’re not in it. They still say, ‘Oh, you can go to the Project GRAD room,’ and they
truly keep on throwing it out to kids. (Junior)
2. Faculty and staff are very supportive and they encourage you to use your resources and
not let them go to waste. (Junior)
3. Faculty and Staff absolutely encourage Project GRAD, especially Mr. Turner; he tries
to get everyone involved.
4. They make announcements.
5. My counselor had told me to get into it [Project GRAD] this year because I have a
really high GPA and I was asking him when I can start applying for scholarships and he
told me to get into Project GRAD and that’s when I went and asking my friend. (InDepth Interview – Junior)
Appendix B
6. Our teachers really did help as well, for some of us because I know I didn’t take that
advantage [tutor] whatsoever and the crazy part about it is I’m not good at English, I’m
not going to lie, and I actually passed my writing and reading. (Junior)
1. A lot of the teachers are in Project GRAD, but some aren’t. It just depends on the
teacher, because a lot of teachers come down to the Project GRAD room and help us our,
or help us out in the classroom when it comes to Project GRAD. (Junior)
2. It took me until my sophomore year to know that I can enter the Project GRAD room.
AREAS OF
IMPROVE
MENT
3. Some encourage us to go in I need tutoring or help with an essay, they will tell us to
visit the Project GRAD room, but not all teachers are encouraging.
4. The only teachers that I hear talk about Project GRAD are the teachers in the Project
GRAD room.
5. Not a lot of teachers talk about it in their classrooms, it would help especially if it was
a teacher that students like a lot, and students might listen to them.
6. Some staff just wants their paychecks.
POSITIVE
Summer Institute
1. This is my second Summer Institute and we liked information, it feels like were just in
college and it gives you a little taste of what college is going to be like. We get to sit in
the big classes and take notes and last year we go to walk around campus a lot and have
the responsibility of keeping up with a zip card. So it was a little taste of college. We go
to talk around in groups, had to do team assignments and got to have different teachers
for different things. We also learned a lot more about computers because the thing is
technology now. [We] learned how to send things with attachments and learned how to
work a flash drive. I liked it because they gave us insight on what we really need to know
and be prepared for in college. (Junior)
2. This is my second year also. I really like the program because I feel like they improved
my skills more and more everything I join the program. Everyday I learn something new
and everyday they’re preparing us for college. (Junior)
3. For me it’s my first year and coming into a marketing class, now that was something I
really didn’t expect. But at the same time I didn’t know about anything and a lot of
people do not know. To me it was actually amazing to find out some of the processes that
you go through marketing different items and different things. (Junior)
4. This is my first year and so far I like it except for waking up early, but it’s great. I’m
not getting in trouble this summer and I’m actually doing something that’s going to better
my life. I actually like it and marketing was a bug surprise because I didn’t know
anything about marketing. (Junior)
5. I think I benefited from the speakers but it was that fact that all of them were pretty
much the same exact thing.
6. Overall I like the program. I wasn’t to go into marketing, and two speakers is a lot but
it is preparing us for college because sometimes you’re going to have classes that are four
hours long and you’ll have to sit there and listen.
Appendix B
AREAS OF
IMPROVE
MENT
7. I like a couple of the speakers like Denise and Andrew Hayes, they were good
speakers. Denise’s [speech] was about having to work for everything because I guess her
father, well she grew up on a farm and they were kind of poor so her parents didn’t
believe in girls going to college so on day she asked her father if he could start saving
fund and he told her no because girls weren’t suppose to go to college so she got a job
when she was 15 years old and saved up enough money for one semester of college and
when she got scholarships so she could finish all four years. Then she went back and got
her Masters and all that stuff and now she’s a millionaire. Andrew Hayes was talking
about how he was real successful and had money and then one might he was out closing a
deal with a client that was like a onetime deal and he wasn’t out drinking and got into a
car accident and he was drunk and hit this 17 year old girl and it was a real bad accident
and I think he went to jail and they gave him 14 months but let him out of good behavior
and now he can’t get a job because he has that felony on his record. And he was telling us
to not get big headed and always stay positive and don’t mess up your life like he did and
all that stuff. (In-Depth Interview – Junior)
8. We are working on this ad and we’re trying to promote this new product called iCafe.
It’s popular in France and we have to set up our own PPT and Excel ad we have to
present it tomorrow. Whoever wins gets to present it in front of the actual iCafe Board. I
hope we win, it’s kind of interesting. (In-depth Interview – Junior)
1. I don’t like the fact that we have to stay in one room for so long. I like to move around
and discover and see new things and now be locked up in one room, I feel like I’m in
kindergarten again. (Junior)
2. I don’t like staying in one room either, even though we get to go to the computer lab.
Like yesterday, we got to walk across the street to the College of Business and that was
like a field trip for me. But I like moving around because it gives you a more college
fell/experience. (Junior)
3. Sometimes it’s very interesting if the speakers help you if you really pay attention to
what they say it could be useful and the other times you’ll be lost because what they’re
saying is irrelevant to you, or some of them don’t even believe in what they’re saying.
(Senior)
4. I like the 2008 Summer Institute because we felt that we were being more prepared for
college. We actually got to walk around campus, we were in different classrooms, got to
be in the computer labs, able to go to the Student Union and eat. It was more fun, and we
got paid, versus SI 2009 that was one classroom, all day, which sucks and we might not
get paid.
5. I’ve been in Project GRAD for three years and based on the first time I came until now
has been a big change because the first time was actually on a college campus and
switching buildings but it’s kind of different being in one building and one class.
6. Pretty much this program is wack. The food is terrible; we have the same dry Subway
sandwiches everyday with water. That’s all they offer throughout the day. We have to
stay in one room, the computer lab, and then lunch. Having two speakers a day isn’t
necessary to me, I could see one speaker, but two gets tiring. That’s why a lot of people
go to sleep. It’s different from last year because it seems like we have more fun activities,
better food, and more freedom.
7. I have to get up early and go through a regular school day. Last year we had to get up
early but we dot out early. To improve that I think maybe 10:00 by the time we have to be
at the school. …I like 8:00 to 1:00 or 8:00 t0 2:00, but not 7:30 to 3:00…
Appendix B
8. The Law Summer Institute is way better and they go everywhere. They get shirts and
bags and today they went to Cleveland.
9. Now they are basing our stipend on our behavior. In the past we got $150, then $100…