On April 6-8 an organization called TeenSharp went on a college tour to Boston, Massachusetts. The colleges visited included: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston University, Tufts University, and Harvard University.

TeenSHARP is a college prep program that ensures that minorities get into top colleges. The students first boarded the bus at five thirty on Thursday, April 6.  They visited Boston University first. At Boston University, the TeenSHARP students had an opportunity to visit the engineering department. They had a full tour of the department and were able to see some of the different types of engineering that students as Boston University are available to do. After visiting the engineering department TeenSHARP had the opportunity to meet professors of the Classics and International relations professor and an amazing student in the International Relations department. There, they talked about the two different departments and the types of different areas of study.

On the same day, they visited Tufts University. With a medieval looking campus, the college had an acceptance rate of 14% and likes to be identified as a research and liberal arts college. The students were able to have a tour of the campus with a student tour guide. After the campus tour, the scholars had a buffet dinner at Dewick Dining Center.

The next day, the group of TeenSHARP students and chaperones visited the renowned Harvard and MIT. At Harvard, the students got a little insight on some of Harvard secrets. For example, how the statue of “John Harvard” at Harvard isn’t even a statue of John Harvard. That is because there was no living representation of Harvard. In 1884, Daniel Chester French created the famous statue, and Sherman Hoar sat as a model for the head of John Harvard. After the tour, they went to the bookstore which was contained a lot of trinkets that tourists and students could buy. They then were able to have a panel Q&A of Harvard’s Data Project. The Data Project at Harvard partners with 100 public schools, charter school networks, state education agencies, and nonprofit organizations to bring high-quality research methods and data analysis to bear on strategic management and policy decisions.

On the same day, they visited MIT. The organization was able to see some of the buildings and structures. They were able to have a panel Q&A with students of color who attend MIT. Since TeenSHARP is based upon minority students, it was nice to see students of color in these prestigious schools and doing really well. It was also great to see how hard the students worked to get into MIT. Now that the TeenSHARP scholars had an opportunity to see different colleges, they now have their eye out for what colleges in Boston they might apply to.
Naheem Watson, a freshman at Mount Pleasant School, who attended the trip says “I really loved all the schools. They all had so much to offer but out of all I loved MIT.”