UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON DREAM PROJECT

How Does it Work?

Dream Project students meets twice a week — once as an entire class as part of the UW course and once with their smaller group at their assigned high school to work with the students.

The UW Classroom

Students in the course will focus their readings and discussions social justice and empowerment and the relationship between the two. The second area will concentrate on questions related to civil society. Discussions will examine questions of poverty and inequality, class disparities, social dimensions (race, ethnicity, class, gender, immigration status, disability, age, sexual orientation and family structure), the role of historical oppression, individual versus structural explanations for poverty, and solution-focused and strengths-based perspectives for upward mobility. The academic theoretical approach of the class will focus on the relationship between educational opportunity and social mobility and the relationship between volunteerism and civic engagement. The Dream Project marries the understanding that one has of educational opportunity and social mobility to the experiential learning that one receives from their work in the high schools.

University course credit

Since the Dream Project is a UW course as well as an outreach program, participating students can receive up to two credits per quarter. *

At the high school

Each week, Dream Project students will meet with the high school students to work on that week's focus area. Depending on the school, these meetings may occur multiple times during the week. The goal is to provide as much access as the students need. In general, the yearly schedule is as follows:

Quarter Activities
Spring of Junior Year of High School
  • Acquire new cohort of students and meet students
  • Conduct new parent orientation meetings
  • Make sure students have taken the necessary classes for college admission
  • Make sure students are participating in extra-curricular activities
  • Choose some college possibilities
  • Prepare for the SAT/ACT tests
  • Find and research scholarships
  • Brainstorm personal statement topics.
    		•
    Summer
  • Prepare for the SAT/ACT tests
  • Take an SAT/ACT prep class from EAN
  • Visit prospective colleges
    		•
    Fall of Senior Year
  • Choose the colleges students will apply to
  • Gather necessary information and materials for each application
  • Fill out applications
  • Write personal statement(s) or essay(s)
  • Complete other written sections (short responses, activity lists, etc.)
  • Submit student applications
  • Start submitting scholarship applications
    		•
    Winter and Spring of Senior Year
  • Complete and submit financial aid applications
  • Finish submitting applications to other colleges
  • Continue submitting scholarship applications
  • Accept admission to the college of choice
  • Accept the financial aid award
  • Figure out how to pay for other expenses
  • Learn about and choose a housing option
    		•

    Additional Events

    The Dream Project also conducts additional events throughout the year to build community, celebrate student success, and acquaint the high school students with the UW campus. This includes a Spring BBQ (accompanied by a visit to a UW class and a campus tour) and our fall Admissions Workshop Weekend, where students can work with writing tutors and Dream Project students to complete and polish their essays and applications.

    * Credit Exemption: Please note that students can be exempted from credit if it is not desired, but that individuals participating for no credit are still held accountable for participating in all required activities.