The WISE Program is designed for academically talented and ambitious high school juniors and seniors.
The WISE experience is crafted for students who:
- are excited by the life of the mind and ready for intellectual risk-taking
- are mature, committed learners, who have developed the personal discipline necessary for academic success
- take responsibility for their own learning
- have the personal maturity necessary to navigate the high school world and a university setting where there will be interactions with faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students
- are ready for the independence and commitment to community required by a residential living experience
- understand the critical importance of academic integrity to research and adhere to high standards of academic and personal intergrity
The academic background and abilities of WISE participants must have readied them for Honors/Advanced Placement level work. The overall WISE experience will demand the commitment to learning required of AP-level students.
Students must have a basic competence in the reading, writing, mathematical, scientific, and critical thinking skills required by the program. Typically, conditions for enrollment include:
- success in high school courses to date
- completion of and a grade of B or better in Algebra II
- completion of and a grade of B or better in Biology and in Chemistry; applications will be considered from students who have not yet had Biology or Chemistry due to the Science course sequencing of their home high school
- a grade of B or better in Physics, if Physics has been taken
- grades and teacher recommendations that reflect solid reading, writing, and critical thinking abilities
GFS students applying to WISE must submit teacher and advisor recommendations only.
As part of their application, non-GFS WISE candidates will be asked to submit materials that support their academic readiness for the WISE program, including:
- an up-to-date transcript that shows grades for each high school semester that has been completed at time of application
- letters of recommendation from the applicant's current math teacher, current science teacher, and faculty advisor or school guidance counselor
- their most recent PSAT scores and SAT scores, if the SATs have been taken
- a copy of a writing assignment submitted for a high school class, such as an essay or term paper
- applicants who speak English as a second language will be asked to provide results from a WISC examination; TOEFL scores; and other information related to their fluency in English