Armir Telushi (286)

For many students, junior year is the time to make themselves stand out to colleges. One path students follow is participating in out of school programs such as the Penn Young Scholars program or the Penn Model Organization of American States (PMOAS). Both programs assist participants with developing life skills applicable to the real world, which improves their character by making them better critical thinkers. While the PMOAS aims to teach students about regional issues and develop their public speaking as well as critical thinking skills, the Young Scholars program allows participants to see what college classes are like, explore new interests with a variety of classes, and earn college credit. 

The Penn Young Scholars can be taken as a fall semester course, with applications in the summer, or a spring semester course, with applications in the winter. The course requirements to be considered include a 3.5 unweighted GPA, strong recommendations, and an 85th percentile in standardized test scores (SAT, PSAT, ACT). If one is accepted, they can pick from a variety of classes such as anthropology, economics, philosophy, psychology, and more. With such a wide course selection, students can explore what may pique their interest for future careers. Most classes meet twice a week or one day a week for a longer period of time, which allows students to have time for themselves. When students complete the program, they receive college credit that transfers to the college they plan on attending, allowing them to ease future workloads when they pursue their degree. A current student enrolled in the Young Scholars fall semester, Brock Thomas (286), stated that “It prepares you for an overall college course taken on campus with Penn undergraduate students. You can sign up with their peers who are also motivated and looking for a program to participate in. It’s a challenging program, but it’s definitely worth the time for students.”

Although the Young Scholars program comes with extensive benefits, the PMOAS, which takes place in the fall and spring semesters, invites students to speak about the most pressing issues faced in the Americas. Students all across the Philadelphia School District work with current college students at UPenn in order to prepare for serving as diplomats at a Model OAS simulation in Washington, DC, to debate certain topics. During the semester, participants write policy papers and research issues regarding democracy, development, security, and human rights. Participants will learn to develop better public speaking skills and critical thinking skills that will help them produce solutions for problems they may deal with in the future. Although the program is not as useful in preparing students for college, students in PMOAS can consult with Penn mentors for college application processes. Zoey Zelinger (286) who is currently enrolled in PMOAS shared, “I think the PMOAS is more interactive and engaging than Young Scholars; you actively work with college partners inside and outside of the classroom, and I think the skills that you learn [are] great for actually participating in debate and learning new perspectives from the conference taking place in DC.”

College application season is approaching sooner than students realize, and it’s up to them to decide what opportunities they will take to impress colleges and prepare themselves. Whether students choose Young Scholars to truly experience real college-level learning and find an interest before starting college, or PMOAS in order to develop skills in problem-solving and learn more about regional issues, students should feel encouraged to participate in these programs to not just thrive on applications, but in the real world by building confidence, critical thinking, and leadership. The future of students can be determined by the program they pick today.