The College Experience
Going away and living in a new place for three weeks can be a life-changing experience for any high school student. Many of our students have never left their home state and most have never been away from family for this long.
For three weeks, they get to feel what it is like to go to college. Their classes are as intense and demanding as a college class. They eat and sleep in the same places as college students, and use all the on-campus facilities. Their classes are held in college classrooms and taught by current college students or recent graduates.
Our students live in dorms on campus and are assigned roommates. Dorms are single gender. Staff live in the dorms with the students and serve as resident advisors, just as our students would experience in their first year of college.
Through the Yleana experience, students gain confidence in their ability to go away for college and succeed, and parents gain the assurance that their children have the ability to thrive on their own. Many of our alumni have said that because of Yleana, they were able to feel more comfortable once they arrived at college.
Session 1 Colgate University
Yleana has hosted Session 1 at Colgate University since our very first session in 2013. The campus is located in upstate New York surrounded by lush greenery. Our activities take the students all over Colgate’s beautiful campus, including campfires under the stars and trips into town.
“I’d love to go away for college. This experience at Yleana has only solidified my confidence in my ability to succeed in places that are outside of my comfort zone. Even though I was hesitant to be in a more suburban area after living most of my life in a city, I’ve come to realize that I can make any place I go to feel comfortable and fun.”
Session 2 Mount Holyoke College
In 2018, we were lucky enough to find our home for the second session: Mount Holyoke College in Western Massachusetts. Students enjoy the tight-knit feel of a small liberal arts school and the beautiful grounds of one of the oldest campuses in the United States.
“Yleana was actually the first experience I had that made me change my mind about going away for college. At first if anyone would’ve asked me, I would’ve said no with no questions asked. Now, after being at Yleana and seeing what it’s like to live on a campus, I definitely feel like I’m leaning more towards going out of state for college.”