College Access Program Alumni Reflect on Their Experiences in the Program and Its Impact on Their Skills and College Outcomes

Abstract

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The Benefits of Infusing the Arts in a College Preparatory Program

“…Indeed, the results of the PUPP evaluation indicated that: a) alumni felt that the arts and cultural events they attended as a PUPP Scholar enabled them to engage in discussions about theatrical performances or other arts or cultural works with their peers in college; and b) empowered them to succeed by helping them develop their cultural knowledge, which helped to ease their transition into college and made them more well-rounded individuals (Millett & Kevelson, 2018a). These findings suggest that arts and cultural events exposure may help alumni to feel that they belong in college, even in an elite environment, just as much as those raised in more affluent homes (Bourdieu, 1986;Coleman, 1988;Kisida et al, 2014;Millett, Saunders, & Kevelson, 2018). The implication is that the cultural experiences offered by PUPP enable an expansion of students' worldviews, an outcome that is supported by recent research .…”

“…College access programs like PUPP, which provide high school students access to arts and cultural events, presuppose that their students may not have access to the requisite social and cultural capital these types of opportunities provide in their familial or community networks and will be more "college-ready" after exposure to said events (Musoba & Baez, 2009). In other words, exposure to arts and cultural events helps participants to "code-switch" and to feel that they belong in college, even in an elite environment, just as much as those raised in more affluent homes (Bourdieu, 1986;Coleman, 1988;Kisida et al, 2014;Millett, Saunders, & Kevelson, 2018). The implication is that the cultural experiences offered by PUPP enable an expansion of students' worldviews, an outcome that is supported by recent research (Kisida et al, 2014).…”

Positioning for College Success: The Evaluation of the Princeton University Preparatory Program's Work With High‐Achieving, Low‐Income Students

“…Although the survey sample and focus group participants may not be representative of the entire PUPP alumni population, respondent alumni's self‐reported answers provide insights into the PUPP experience during high school and in the post‐PUPP period (see Millett & Kevelson, ). See the Alumni Survey and focus group report by Millett, Saunders, and Kevelson () for a detailed account of the methodology and findings for each survey, including response rates.…”

“…They also describe scholar and alumni experiences in PUPP activities as well as their perceptions of the program's impacts on themselves and, among current PUPP scholars, on their families. Note that the PUPP Scholar Survey report (Millett & Kevelson, ) and Alumni Survey report (Millett et al, ) provide detailed accounts of the findings from all items on each survey, along with graphs and charts depicting major findings.…”

“…Two focus groups were conducted with a total of 12 PUPP alumni in fall 2015. The alumni focus groups were designed to collect data on alumni perceptions of PUPP college preparation and exposure activities, PUPP staff, college and financial aid application support, college entrance exam preparation, how PUPP differed from their high school courses, PUPP arts and cultural experiences, and support for the transition to college (for details on methodology and findings, see Millett et al, ).…”