Selecting the Students for ACE

ACE is a scholarship program, meaning not all the students who apply get in.  Out of the 400 students that apply every year, only about 180 are selected.  The students are selected based upon financial need and an essay that they are asked to write.  The program is not an academic based program, meaning we accept applications from any sophomore that applies regardless of high school GPA.  However, in order for the students to be taken into consideration they must acquire two letters of recommendations from current teachers.  Typically, if the students are not doing well in their high school classes, they will not be giving a good recommendation.  What we find is that the students who are serious about taking college classes while they are in high school are students with fairly good, to excellent GPA's.  Currently we have been accepting the new applications for the new cohort of 2011.  It took us four weeks to schedule and present to all the sophomores at 8 high schools in our footprint.  Out of those high schools, we handed out over 1000 ACE applications, and out of those we have received close to 400 applications.  Once we evaluate the applications and selected the fortunate few, the students will start the program the first summer semester in June at South Mountain Community College.