Each summer, University Lake School students take advantage of opportunities to expand their learning beyond the classroom through pre-college programs and academic enrichment experiences. Hosted by universities across the country, these experiences give students an inside look at college life while helping them develop new skills, discover academic passions, and explore future career paths.
Highlights from this summer's experiences include:
- UW–Madison Summer Transitional Enrichment Program (STEP), where students participated in hands-on sessions in Exotic Animal Care and Coding.
- At the School of Veterinary Medicine, participants learned about the anatomy, nutrition, habitats, enrichment, and veterinary care of reptiles, birds, amphibians, hedgehogs, and other exotic animals through laboratory activities and dissections.
- At the College of Engineering, students learned programming fundamentals, computational thinking, debugging, and teamwork while designing interactive games and digital projects with beginner-friendly coding tools.
- Vanderbilt Summer Academy: Exploring the Human Mind, where students explored the science of psychology through research-based learning. The program introduced participants to the history of psychology, research methods, study design, and scientific communication. Through debates, case studies, collaborative discussions, and hands-on activities, students developed critical thinking skills while designing their own psychological research proposals.
- UW–Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences Summer Program, where students explored how science is used to address complex environmental and climate challenges. Throughout the week-long program, participants studied freshwater ecosystems, fisheries, microbiology, public health, and water technology while investigating watershed ecology, sampling water quality, and learning about nonpoint source pollution. They also spent a day aboard UWM's Neeskay research vessel and visited Reflo, a nonprofit dedicated to sustainable water use, green infrastructure, and equitable water resource management.
"Taking classes at UWM is a great way to learn about our greater community, and the freshwater science classes specifically helped me to learn how to protect and help our (great!) Great Lakes."
- Willow F.-B., on attending the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences summer program
ULS' College Counseling program plays a key role in identifying and curating these opportunities, helping students align their summer experiences with their academic interests and college goals. To learn more about how ULS' College Counseling supports students year-round, visit: https://www.universitylake.org/academics/college-counseling
