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Why ECC?
Dr. Queenie Reda explains the Princeton University Summer program to ECC students
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Essex County College students will have the opportunity to spend 7 weeks on the Princeton University campus next Summer, earning 8 college credits from the Ivy League institution under the University’s Transfer Scholars Initiative (TSI).
Dr. Queenie Reda, Outreach Program Associate for TSI, recently visited ECC to explain the program. The free program accepts 70 or more high achieving community college students from their 11 partner schools, of which ECC is now one. Students must complete at least one term at ECC during the 2024-25 academic year to be eligible.
Over two dozen ECC students attended the session in Smith Hall.
“It is an intense program, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Plus, you will have the option to live on the Princeton campus,” Dr. Reda told the students.
All the program participants will take Research and Argument in the Humanities & Social Sciences. For the second course, Dr. Reda said students will be assigned to one of a variety of classes. “The goal is to expand your transcript. You will have the support to help you succeed,” Dr. Reda explained.
In addition to taking the two classes, the students will attend sessions on researching and applying to four-year colleges and universities, curating recommendation letters, drafting personal statements and essays, and learning about securing financial aid. Activities outside the campus are also offered, such as ice cream socials and kayaking. “We want you to feel welcome with a sense of belonging,” Dr. Reda said.
Additional information on the program is available by emailing to: [email protected]
“A program like the Princeton University Transfer Scholars Initiative provides a pathway for our highly talented students to have a transformative opportunity to unlock their potential and thrive in an environment of academic rigor,” stated ECC Executive Director of Enrollment Management & Services Renee Ojo-Ohikuare.
2025 will mark the third year of the TSI. Dr. Reda said the first class had 40 students, all of whom commuted. This past Summer there were 70 enrollees, 40 of whom took advantage of a new opportunity to live at Princeton.
All participants receive a stipend. Commuters will receive about $4,000 while residential students receive about $400 for the Summer, as they have their room and board covered by the program.
Following the session, Dr. Reda said she was impressed by the questions the students asked. “I’m grateful to have spent the afternoon with them,” she said.
