Program Overview
The LEDA Scholars program includes the following components:
Recruitment: LEDA is unique in its approach to locating and assisting low-income students. Rather than passively recruiting on the basis of proxies for academic achievement such as PSAT scores, LEDA representatives travel across the country visiting low-income communities and recruiting potential LEDA scholars in person. LEDA also activates its network of guidance counselors, alumni, and partners to identify candidates. Our recruiters have visited 26 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico since the inception of our Summer Institute.
College Guidance: Each year, LEDA scholars visit several selective colleges and universities throughout the Northeast, and also meet and interact with college admissions staff members who visit Princeton. In 2009, Summer Institute participants attended a college fair hosted by Columbia University, and visited Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, George Washington, University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore, Yale, and Wesleyan. After the Summer Institute, Scholars return to their respective high schools for their senior year, during which LEDA staff supports and guides them through the college application and financial aid process. College Guidance support includes:
- Weekly one-on-one counseling during each stage of the college admissions process
- Personalized letters of recommendation written by LEDA staff
- Writing instruction to assist with college essay preparation
- Advice and consultation for parents
- Assistance with scholarship and financial aid applications
Scholar Support: LEDA carefully follows its scholars' progress and provides support in adjusting to college, guidance to assure that scholars take full advantage of their campus resources, assistance with planning for future standardized tests such as the GRE, LSAT, GMAT, and MCAT, and assistance in locating and pursuing internship opportunities. Our scholar support staff member visits LEDA scholars across the country and tracks their academic and social progress. LEDA builds close relationships with its scholars, and those relationships persist throughout their college careers and beyond.