SOAR: Summer Opportunity for Academic Success
The SOAR program is designed to help a select group of recent high school graduates make the transition from high school to college. During this program, they will be exposed to UNC Asheville's academic expectations, as well as the culture of the campus and the greater Asheville community. The SOAR program lasts 6 weeks, and its timing is based on research showing that students' activities in their first 6 weeks of college are those that carry forward throughout their collegiate experience.
What classes do students take during the SOAR program?
All students participating in SOAR take two classes: LSIC 179 (a writing intensive course) and MATH 167. Most freshmen at UNC Asheville struggle with either math or writing courses (rarely both), and these two courses give SOAR students the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in one of these areas while having the time and support to focus on the subject that they find more challenging.
What do SOAR students do in Asheville all summer?
While SOAR students have plenty of time to explore Asheville and Western North Carolina on their own, there are organized activities planned throughout the summer; these activities are both social and academic in nature. Like all new freshmen, SOAR students are not permitted to have cars on campus. SOAR is a residential, experiential program, and the impact of the program on students' future success is negatively impacted when they spend extended time away from campus and the other members of the program. Students are expected to spend all nights during the program on campus.
What happens to SOAR students in the fall?
Students are required to make a 2.0 cumulative GPA in their summer classes, and if they make this GPA, they are invited back to UNC Asheville in the fall as full members of the freshman class. Because they have already acclimated to culture of UNC Asheville and are well aware of the resources and opportunities available to students, we look to SOAR students to become the leaders of their class.
In the fall semester, SOAR students will continue to interact with each other and their LSIC instructor through a 1 credit hour course, and continue to participate in campus activities, like ACT in Asheville, as a group.