High school students get a taste of college life at Lindner Summer Institute

During the multi-day, overnight program facilitated by Lindner Undergraduate Admissions, participants were fully immersed in the on-campus experience — eating in dining halls, residing in Marian Spencer Hall, touring campus, reveling in a competitive scavenger hunt and making friends in a new environment. 

“We had a wonderful group of LSI participants this year,” said Kendra Byrd, who serves as assistant director of undergraduate student recruitment. “We watched these students, who mostly did not know each other at all, come to campus for possibly the first time, meet new people, make connections and become more confident as they started to understand the opportunities available to them.”

Instructional sessions were focused on preparing for the college admissions process, such as how to approach the Common App, navigating scholarship and financial aid, asking for letters of recommendation and understanding the array of support systems and involvement opportunities available at UC that can help them succeed once on campus. 

“I was impressed by how thoughtful the students were with their questions and their level of reflection,” said Byrd. “While they were prepared for a lot of what we discussed, they still took a few minutes with some topics to really understand. I’m confident that whether they end up here at UC or somewhere else, they’ll use what they learned.” 

A standout activity — and a favorite among students — was creating a tabletop lamp with minimal supplies. Facilitated by Urban Impact Studio Executive Director and adjunct instructor of operations, business analytics, and information systems Chanda Monroe-Williams, this activity simulated a real-world group project that called for teamwork, communication, division of roles and meeting a common goal under a tight deadline. 

“This exercise is about understanding how you work with your team,” Monroe-Williams told students. She shared that there will be many times in their career where they might be bonded with a team but can’t always work with them.

“When you can't be with your team, that’s sometimes a good thing, because you build your network by not being with your team. You get to shine independently.” 

In the last instructional session before the closing ceremony, every student shared the final version of their pitch.

“Presenting in public and hearing real-time feedback can be intimidating, but it was amazing to see how much they improved in such a short time,” said McFarland. “I can’t wait to hear how they go on to use these new skills.” 

Featured image at top: 2023 Lindner Summer Institute participants outside Lindner Hall after a campus tour. Photo by Suzanne Buzek. All photos by Gavin Vargas unless otherwise noted.